Lake Awoonga

     LAKE AWOONGA

Built across the Boyne River south west of Gladstone, the Awoonga Dam is a rockfill structure with a concrete upstream face slab.

The embankment was formed from rock excavated from a quarry on the Eastern side of the dam wall. The embankment is over 650 metres in length and 54.4 metres in height, with a volume of approximately 2 million cubic metres of rock. The spillway’s height is 40 metres AHD. This design of the current dam allows for further raising, if necessary, through the addition of gates to the top of the spillway. The current capacity of the dam is 777,000 megalitres.

The Gladstone Area Water Board with the Gladstone Port Authority has begun a breeding program Mangrove Jack and mullet for stocking in Lake Awoonga.

Approximately 300,000 fish are released into Lake Awoonga each year (200,000 barramundi and 100,000 mullet, and small numbers of mangrove jack).

The fish are bred at our purpose-built fish hatchery, operated jointly by the Gladstone Area Water Board and the Gladstone Port Authority. The hatchery is one of the largest breeders of barramundi fingerlings in Queensland and our mangrove jack breeding program has resulted in Lake Awoonga holding the largest stocks in Australia with over 13,000 released.

Lake Awoonga is only a short drive to Gladstone which is one of Queensland’s major shipping ports and the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Gladstone city itself provides all the facilities of any major city.

Since 1996 over two million barramundi fingerlings and 340,000 mullet fingerlings have been released into Lake Awoonga. Barramundi in the 10-25kg range are regularly caught from the lake. the largest barramundi caught to date was 29.8kg.

The Board has a continuing fishery monitoring program in place using net surveys, to evaluate the success of the restocking effort. Although not deliberately stocked, redclaw crayfish have become well established at the lake.

At Lake Awoonga, the Barramundi closed season does not apply and you do not need a SIPS permit to fish here.

ACCOMMODATION

Lake Awoonga Caravan Park
Bunk House, Cabins, powered/unpowered sites.
Ph 07 49750155

Awoonga Gateway Lodge
231 Awoonga Dam Road
Benaraby
Cabins
Ph 07  4975003

Willowgrove
Bruce Highway
Benaraby
Villas, Family Cabins,  Park Cabins, Studio Rooms, Powered/Unpowered Sites
Ph 07 4975063

FISHING GUIDES

Lake Awoonga Guided Barra Fishing Charters.
Guide Johnny Mitchell  has  had  many years experience guiding on Lake Awoonga
 and is one of Australia's most repected barra guides.
Ph 0429723757

Barra Madness
Jason Wilhelm is a recognised Barramundi expert, and has been at
the forefront of impoundment barra techniques.  
Ph 0420846345

Harro's Barra Guiding and Boat Hire
Rod Harrison is one of Australia's most repected fly fisherman and anglers .
Ph  0418892600