Chaffey Dam Famous for its morning glory spillway
In response to the ongoing public health emergency and to support social distancing measures, ALL WaterNSW Dams and Recreation areas will be closed to public access until further notice. We hope all our community members remain safe at this time.
In response to the ongoing public health emergency and to support social distancing measures, ALL WaterNSW Dams and Recreation areas will be closed to public access until further notice. We hope all our community members remain safe at this time.
Visit the Dam
Facilities
- Camping
- Picnic areas
- Toilets
- Fishing
- Shower facilities
- Boat ramps
- Water sports
- Bushwalking
Chaffey Dam is unique in inland NSW for its distinctive brick-red rock wall made of semi-precious stone and its unusual morning glory spillway. The lake and its foreshores are a popular destination for water sports and fishing enthusiasts, nature lovers, bushwalkers, campers and picnickers. The main purpose of the dam is to supply irrigation and stock needs in the Peel River Valley of northern NSW, and to supply water to the city of Tamworth.
Chaffey Dam Fact Sheet (PDF, 1081.58 KB)
Lookout points
Viewing area above the dam wall
From the main lookout enjoy views of the lake, rock wall and morning glory spillway tower.
Things to do
Opening hours
Dam grounds
Open 24 hours a day, all year round. Entry is free. Parking at Bowling Alley Point Recreation Reserve is $5 per car. The Recreation Reserve is managed by the Bowling Alley Point Recreational Reserve Trust.
Directions
View in Maps
Chaffey Dam is 43 kilometres south-east of Tamworth and 14 kilometres north of Nundle in the New England region of NSW. Tamworth is 400 kilometres north of Sydney via the Pacific Motorway and New England Highway.
Facilities
- Camping
- Picnic areas
- Toilets
- Fishing
- Shower facilities
- Boat ramps
- Water sports
- Bushwalking
Restrictions
Restrictions are in place to protect our water supply and ensure that everyone has an enjoyable and safe visit - with penalties up to $44,000 applying:
- Dogs are permitted on a leash
- No model aircraft or drones
Recreation Areas at WaterNSW dams will be closed on ALL Total Fire Ban days.
The Chaffey experience
Top 4 things to see and do
1. View the morning glory spillway tower
Stand on the dam’s main lookout for views of the brick-red rock wall made of the semi-precious stone jasper, and the unusual morning glory spillway tower. Rather than spilling over the dam, high water levels spill into in a giant concrete egg-shaped funnel. Named because its shape is similar to the flower, Chaffey Dam’s morning glory spillway is the larger of only two in Australia.
2. Fishing
The Nundle Fishing Club overlooks the Chaffey Dam. Rainbow trout and golden perch (yellow belly) are the top catches.
3. Camping
Camp sites are available on the lake foreshore at Bowling Alley Point Recreation Reserve.
4. Water sports
The lake is a popular spot for all water sports including skiing, jet skis, sailing, canoeing and swimming. Several boat ramps are available on the lake foreshores.
Dam Summary
Facts & History
Chaffey Dam is situated on the Peel River, 43 kilometres south-east of Tamworth in the New England region of NSW. The dam is about 400 kilometres north of Sydney.
Chaffey Dam holds a maximum of 100,500 megalitres of water, or about 40,000 Olympic swimming pools.
The dam’s name pays tribute to former parliamentary members for Tamworth, Frank Chaffey who represented the district in the NSW Legislative Assembly for 27 years to 1940, and his son Bill who followed in his footsteps for 33 years until 1973.
Why the dam was built
A dam was first proposed for the Peel River in 1914 but it wasn’t until 1967 that comprehensive investigations identified an ideal dam site near Bowling Alley Point.
A dam was needed to provide a regulated water flow for irrigation, stock and domestic use. More water was also needed for the rapidly growing city of Tamworth, which relied on wells and a small dam on Dungowan Creek.
Construction of Chaffey Dam began in 1976 and was completed in 1979.
The dam provides water for irrigating crops including wheat, lucerne, vegetables, fruit trees, oilseeds and fodders, as well as pastures for sheep and cattle.
How the dam was built
Chaffey Dam is a rock-fill embankment with a clay core. The rock wall is 443 metres long and 55.8 metres high.
The distinctive brick-red rock, a cryptocrystalline quartz called jasper, is one of many varieties of gemstones found in the nearby countryside. The former gold rush region is still a popular destination for fossicking.
The dam features the larger of only two morning glory spillways in Australia, so named because the spillway is a similar shape to the flower. The giant concrete egg-shaped funnel measuring eight metres wide by 10 metres high surrounds a concrete tower situated in the lake. Rather than spilling over the dam, high waters spill into the funnel-like spillway.
Later improvements
Chaffey Dam has been upgraded to enable it to store more water, and to meet modern dam safety standards. The dam wall was raised by 8 metres and the mouth of the morning glory spillway by 6.5 metres, increasing storage capacity from 62,000 to 100,500 megalitres. The downstream embankment was strengthened, and an auxiliary spillway constructed to enable the dam to safely pass rare and extreme floods.
Annual Reports
Notifications
In consultation with our stakeholders and the community we review and update these notifications.
To receive Early Warning Network notifications below please register your details with us.
To see past notifications, please visit all dam notifications.
Dam safety notifications
Alerts will be issued in the following unlikely events:
- When there is a reasonable possibility of dam failure.
- State Emergency Service (SES) require advance public warning to evacuate if such a failure may occur.
Amber alert
- Trigger - Storage level has reached amber alert level.
- Notification - You are advised to move to higher ground and if necessary evacuate.
Red alert
- Trigger - Storage level has reached red alert level.
- Notification - Residents are advised to evacuate to their designated flood assembly points.
Flood notifications
Flood notifications indicate the dam is releasing controlled or uncontrolled flows, likely to cause downstream flooding.
Flood operations
- Trigger - Flow increases of 10,000, 15,000 megalitres per day
- Notification - Flows of XX,000 megalitres per day are being passed.
Flood of record
- Trigger - Spillway flows of over 46,000 megalitres per day, last reached in 1995.
- Notification - Flows of over 46,000 megalitres per day are being passed, levels last reached in 1995.
High regulated release notifications
High regulated releases are when our operations may impact landholders immediately downstream or we are releasing higher than normal flows.
Normal operations
- Range - 0 to 500 megalitres per day.
- Notification - No notifications in this range.
Increased flows
- Trigger - When flow increases above 500 megalitres per day.
- Notification - Releases are planned to increase from XX,000 megalitres per day (ML/day) to YY,000 ML/day at 00:00 on DD/MM/YY.
More information
| Agency | Information | Website | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Meteorology | Weather forecasts and warnings | BOM | varies by region |
| NSW State Emergency Service | Flood or severe weather warnings/advice | NSW SES | 132 500 |
| NSW Water Information | Storage levels and river heights | Water info | N/A |
| WaterNSW Algae Hotline | Algal alert details and algae levels | WaterNSW | 1800 999 457 |
| Early Warning Network | To view or edit your registration details | EWN | 1300 662 077 |