Photo: A view across part of the Lake Boondooma Camping and Recreation area across Lake Boondooma itself. The Dam is well-known as an angler's paradise.

 

The Dam was built soon after the Queensland Government decided to proceed with the Tarong Power Station project in 1978. It comprises two rockfill embankments with concrete upstream face slabs - the major bank lying across the Boyne River and an adjacent bank across nearby Sandy Creek.

The geography of the surrounding area makes the Dam narrow and deep, reducing evaporation and making it highly resistant to drought conditions .

The water provided to Tarong Power Station (97km away) is pumped through a 1000mm diameter pipeline assisted by three pumping stations. Water is also released downstream to provide a regulated supply for irrigation by private diversion along 86km of the Boyne River to its junction with the Burnett River near Mundubbera.

Boondooma Dam is also now regularly stocked with fingerlings of golden perch and other popular recreational sports fish.

Height 61 metres   Length of crest 600 metres   Volume of rock in dam 110,000 cu m   Diameter of diversion tunnel 4 metres   Length of tunnel 250 metres   Area inundated at full supply level 1,915 hectares   Storage capacity at full supply level 212,000 Ml

 

Photo: The Lake Boondooma Camping and Recreation Area offers ultra-modern, self-contained cabin accommodation as well as camping and caravanning facilities and a communal bunkhouse.

The Camping and Recreation area offers:

• Self-contained cabins with queen beds, modern kitchens, ensuites, colour TVs and verandahs overlooking the camping grounds and lake foreshores, each capable of sleeping up to 5 people
• A communal bunkhouse with an adjoining air-conditioned dining room, modern commercial kitchen, showers, toilets and laundry
• A modern caravan park with powered sites, hot water showers, laundry facilities and grey water dump point
• Unpowered lakeside camping facilities with amenities
• A tennis court that's free for campers to use during the day, and for a nominal fee at night (to cover court lighting costs)
• Modern amenities blocks, wood and electric BBQs, safe children's playground, multiple picnic areas around the lake foreshores and a centrally-located kiosk
• 4HP and 6HP boats for hire, along with two public boat ramps

A current list of Lake Boondooma's camping fees and booking conditions can be obtained here as an Adobe PDF file.

 

Photo: The fishing speaks for itself at Lake Boondooma! The Dam is regularly stocked with fish and hosts several major inland fishing competitions each year, including the Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Fishing Competition each February.

If you're interested in fishing (as many visitors are), you can obtain a list of fish breeds stocked in the Dam, their legal sizes and requirements for fishing right here as 5K Adobe Acrobat file (the centrally-located manager's residence/kiosk stocks all vital supplies, including bait!)

Within the grounds you can picnic; play tennis; make use of the safe children's playground or enjoy paddling along the shallow foreshores. You can also ascend the Dam lookout, located not far from the caravan park and bunkhouse.

In nearby Proston you can visit Sidcup Castle and enjoy the charms of this quiet, pretty rural town. Or drive around the rear of the Dam to view historic Boondooma Homestead.

And naturally, all the other attractions of Wondai Shire and the South Burnett region are only a pleasant drive away as well.