The Baroon Pocket Dam is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and earth-fill

embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railwa ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

with an un-gated spillway across the Obi Obi Creek, in North Maleny,

Sunshine Coast Region The Sunshine Coast Region is a local government area located in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. It was created by the amalgamation in 2008 of the City of Caloundra and the Shires of Maroochy and Noosa. It cont ...

, in

South East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The main purpose of the dam is for

potable Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

. The impounded

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

is called Lake Baroon. Just below the dam is Obi Obi Gorge, one of the few remaining places left where the

Mary River cod The Mary River cod (''Maccullochella mariensis'') is a species of temperate perch native to the coastal Mary River system of southern Queensland, Australia. Mary River cod are one of Australia's most endangered freshwater fishes and are notab ...

maintains a wild population. After its initial filling, the dam reached its lowest level between December 2002 and February 2003 at 50% capacity.

History

The name ''Baroon'' is the Aboriginal name for the area, which was a meeting place and fighting ground. The name was first recorded by colonists in 1842.

Location and features

Located north of in the Sunshine Coast region, the dam wall was completed in 1989 over the Obi Obi Creek, Small Creek and several unnamed watercourses. The dam wall is high and long and holds back of water when at full capacity. The surface area of the reservoir is and the catchment area is . The uncontrolled un-gated spillway has a discharge capacity of . Baroon Pocket Dam's primary use is for town water supply for Maroochy and

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town and the southernmost town in the Sunshine Coast Region in South East Queensland, Australia. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is accessible from Landsborough ...

. An

intake tower An intake tower or outlet tower is a vertical tubular structure with one or more openings used for capturing water from reservoirs and conveying it further to a hydroelectric or water-treatment plant. Unlike spillways, intake towers are intended ...

allows water to flow from the dam through a wide, long tunnel under the

Blackall Range The Blackall Range is a mountain range in South East Queensland, Australia. The first European explorer in the area was Ludwig Leichhardt. It was named after Samuel Blackall, the second Governor of Queensland. The Blackall Range dominates the ...

. Water is then distributed by UnityWater for a range of purposes. The dam and catchment is managed by

Seqwater Seqwater is a statutory authority of the Government of Queensland that provides bulk water storage, transport and treatment, water grid management and planning, catchment management and flood mitigation services to the South East Queensland reg ...

Recreational use and environmental management

Boating

There is a single

boat ramp A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...

. Camping is not permitted near the lake. There are picnic areas by the lakeside while viewing platforms and a rainforest walking track through Obi Obi Gorge, are located near the spillway. Fossil fuel motors are not allowed on the lake. A council permit, obtainable on site, is required to use an electric outboard motor for the use on dinghies, but not on canoes.

Fishing

Lake Baroon is stocked with bass, Mary River cod,

golden perch The golden perch (''Macquaria ambigua'') is a medium-sized, yellow or gold-coloured species of Australian freshwater fish found primarily in the Murray-Darling River system, though a subspecies is found in the Lake Eyre-Cooper Creek system, an ...

and silver perch, while

eel-tailed catfish The eel-tailed catfish, ''Tandanus tandanus'', is a species of catfish (order Siluriformes) of the family Plotosidae. This fish is also known as dewfish, freshwater catfish, jewfish, and tandan. This species is a freshwater fish native to th ...

and

spangled perch ''Leiopotherapon unicolor'', the spangled grunter or spangled perch is a species of ray-finned fish, a grunter from the family Terapontidae. It is endemic to Australia. Description ''Leiopotherapon unicolor'' has a slender, oval shaped body whi ...

are naturally present. A council permit is required to fish in the dam.

Environmental management

Catchment care activities are undertaken by Lake Baroon Catchment Care Group (LBCCG) a community group predominantly funded by SeqWater ($220,000 PA in 2015). The group coordinates protection and remedial works in the catchment and addresses ways to improve water quality. Since its inception in 1992, LBCCG has developed and monitored over $3.5 million of water quality improvement projects, mainly working with local primary producers.

Walking

The rugged Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk takes at least four days to complete. It leaves from Baroon Pocket Dam and traverses through the

. Baroon lookout offering spectacular views of Obi Obi Gorge, Baroon Pocket Dam and its catchment is along the walk.

References

External links

Baroon Pocket Dam
at

Baroon Pocket Dam Fishing InformationPictures
from the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

Lake Baroon Catchment Care Group
{{WaterQueensland , state=autocollapse Reservoirs in Queensland Buildings and structures on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland Dams completed in 1988 Dams in Queensland Rock-filled dams Earth-filled dams Embankment dams 1988 establishments in Australia Hiking and bushwalking tracks in Queensland