Windamere Dam Tranquil getaway near Mudgee
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
- Children's playground
- Picnic areas
- Toilets
- Fishing
- Kiosk
- Shower facilities
- Boat ramps
- Water sports
- Bushwalking
Windamere Dam is a popular inland sport and recreation destination near Mudgee, offering year-round attractions for water sports and fishing enthusiasts, nature lovers, bushwalkers, campers and picnickers. It operates in conjunction with Burrendong Dam to supply water for irrigation, stock and household needs in the Cudgegong and Macquarie valleys, as well as providing flood mitigation and environmental flows.
Windamere Dam Fact Sheet (PDF, 1426.21 KB)
Look out points
Dam wall
Drive over the dam’s spillway to access parking near the dam wall on the lake’s northern foreshore. Walk across the dam wall for views of the lake and Cudgegong Valley. The rock embankment wall is 825 metres long and 67 metres high.
Cudgegong Waters Park
Cudgegong Waters Park is situated on the lake’s southern foreshore, 13 kilometres south of the dam wall. The park offers views of the lake and valley.
Opening hours
Dam grounds
Open 24 hours a day, all year round. Entry is free.
Cudgegong Waters Park
Office is open 9am to 5pm daily. Phone 02 6358 8462. Access to boat ramp is by a coin operated boom gate.
Directions
View in MapsWindamere Dam is 30 kilometres south-east of Mudgee on the NSW Central Tablelands. The dam is 230 kilometres north-west of Sydney via the Great Western and Castlereagh highways.
Facilities
- Camping
- Children's playground
- Picnic areas
- Toilets
- Fishing
- Kiosk
- 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:
- No model aircraft or drones
Recreation Areas at WaterNSW dams will be closed on ALL Total Fire Ban days.
The Windamere Experience
Things to see and do
1. Camp
Accommodation options around the lake include cabins, onsite caravans, and powered and unpowered sites. Facilities include a small kiosk, boat ramp, children's playground, and toilet, shower and barbecue facilities.
Camp Cudgegong is a local Scout site that allows public bookings for accommodation.
2. Water sports
The lake is a popular spot for water sports including skiing, jet skis, sailing, canoeing and swimming. A boat ramp is available at Cudgegong Waters Park. Access is by a coin operated boom gate. Please note: There is no access via the WaterNSW boat ramp.
3. Fishing
Golden perch (yellow belly) is the top catch. Lake Windamere is also stocked with Murray cod and silver perch, and catfish are found in the lake. Rainbow and brown trout can be found in the Cudgegong River downstream of the dam.
Dam Summary
Facts & History
Windamere Dam is situated on the Cudgegong River 30 kilometres upstream from Mudgee and 19 kilometres south-west of Rylstone on the NSW Central Tablelands. The dam is about 230 kilometres north-west of Sydney.
The dam’s storage capacity of 368,120 megalitres is more than half the volume of Sydney Harbour.
Windamere Dam is named after a property on which it was built.
Why the dam was built
Windamere Dam was completed in 1984 to meet irrigation, stock and domestic needs in the Cudgegong Valley.
The Cudgegong Valley is renowned for its agricultural production. Water from Windamere Dam is used to irrigate grapes, fruit and vegetables, maize, grains and lucerne.
In addition to irrigated agriculture, the dam supplies water to Mid-Western Regional Council for town supplies, industry and domestic requirements, as well as providing environmental flows, flood mitigation and recreation.
Windamere Dam operates in conjunction with Burrendong Dam to supply downstream water needs in the Macquarie Valley.
How the dam was built
Windamere Dam is a rock-fill embankment with a clay core. The rock wall is 825 metres long and 67 metres high.
An unlined rock cutting spillway is located about one kilometre west of the dam wall. The cutting provided all the rock-fill needed to build the dam wall.
Construction began in 1974 and finished in 1984.
A 55-metre high control tower with variable inlets allows for the control of the quality and temperature of water releases.
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 Design Flood Level.
- Notification - You are advised to move to higher ground and if necessary evacuate.
Red alert
- Trigger - Storage level has reached crest 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 - Spillway flows (uncontrolled*) begin.
- Notification - Flows of XX,000 megalitres per day are being passed.
1 in 100 year flood
- Trigger - Spillway flows (uncontrolled*) over 42,586 megalitres per day.
- Notification - Flows of over 42,586 megalitres per day are being passed, a 1 in 100 year flood.
* refers to automatic spillway flows at ungated dams once storage capacity exceeds 100%
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 1,200 megalitres per day.
- Notification - No notifications in this range after first notification (below).
Increased flows
- Trigger - When flow increases above 1,200 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 |