Warragamba Dam

[multiweb]

Took the family for a quick drive this arvo. Last time I was there was in 1996. Gee the place has changed a lot. :eyepop: The dam seems much longer and you can't walk on it anymore. I remember there was a a lift as well you could take down. Anyway I got a happy snap on the reservoir side and you can see the water level a bit higher than the dam central part overspill.

[GeoffW1]

Hi Marc,

It's a timely post for those in Sydney, and visitors, as lots has changed, yes.

http://www.sca.nsw.gov.au/recreation/warragamba-dam/FAQ

I recall tours inside the dam structure, as they do at Hoover Dam in the USA. These have been stopped for security reasons. I heard a story that the lower parts of the wall inside are now flooded and inaccessible, but I don't know for sure. Anyone know?

You can picnic there, but there is no kiosk serving a good latte :(

Cheers

[multiweb]

I'll try to dig some old shots I took on the dam road in 96. There's a cool picture here (http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/sydney-should-reconsider-building-the-welcome-reef-dam-on-the-shoalhaven-river-near-braidwood/story-e6frezz0-1226288121163)of the front taken today in the daily telegraph.

[RobF]

I bet it would be quite a ride if you were floating on your air-mattress at the right spot in your pic Marc :eyepop:

[ballaratdragons]

Last time I was there was in the 60's, so I reckon it has changed a lot for me too :lol:

[Omaroo]

Wow.. a gaping maw... not a place to be in a kayak.

[Shark Bait]

Chris,

Has your property at Cooma been damaged by the flood waters?

[Terry B]

Interesting. I remember going there as a kid in the 70s.
There was a suspension bridge that you could walk across and get good views of the dam. Is it still there?
I also remember going in a lift in the wall as well. It was pretty uninspiring really.

[mithrandir]

There were just the odd one or two thousand people - probably more - there on Saturday morning. We parked at the end of Eighteenth St nearest the shops (the traffic was unbelievable) and walked down to the viewing platform - in the rain.

It's a far cry from what the dam looked like while under construction in the late '50s. I still recall walking across the suspension bridge (now gone) in the '60s.

The new spillway and extra 5 m on top of the wall really spoil the view.

[Omaroo]

It seems that my place is too steep down to the river to suffer flood spread. It churns past as white water and is gone in a day. So, the flats around my orchard are safe, thank goodness. Thanks for asking Stu :)

[spacezebra]

Hi all

A long time ago I used to live at Wallacia and Silverdale, how its changed. As kids we used to climb around Warragamba Dam (to our parents horror).

Hope all is well for those in the area and Chris at Cooma.

Cheers Petra d.