Dartmouth Dam and reservoir near Corryong in the Alps

Holds 4 million megalitres of water

Years of construction: 1973 - 1979
River: Mitta Mitta River
Purpose: Irrigation (long term carry-over), electricity generation
Type: Zoned earth and rockfill
Foundation: Foliated granite
Height: 180 metres
Crest length: 670 metres
Volume: 14,000,000 m3
Spillway design capacity: 238,000 megalitres per day
Storage capacity: 4 million megalitres

Dartmouth Dam impounds the waters of the Mitta Mitta River about 24 km from the township of Mitta Mitta in north eastern Victoria. It is the largest capacity dam in Victoria and the highest structure of its kind in Australia. When full, the dam stores 4,000,000 megalitres of high quality water from the surrounding alpine areas of Victoria.

The dam was constructed for the prime purpose of storing water for irrigation, and domestic and stock use in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. In dry seasons it supplements releases from Lake Hume and increases supplies to the River Murray system. When high quality water is released from the dam to the River Murray, this helps to reduce salinity in the downstream reaches.

Construction of the dam began in 1973 and was completed in 1979 by the Rural Water Commission, on behalf of the River Murray Commission - an authority responsible for regulating the waters of the River Murray. The cost in 1979 was $139 million and was shared equally by the Commonwealth and the states of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

Recreation: Lake Dartmouth offers a variety of water sports as well as recreation facilities. It is a favourite spot for fishing, especially trout and Macquarie Perch. The nearby township of Dartmouth was built to house the dam construction workers and their families. A number of houses have been refurbished as self-contained lodges and are available to the public. There is also motel accommodation.

Camping (with limited facilities) is permitted in designated areas around the Lake. The track from Sassafras Gap to the Eustace Creek camping area can be accessed by car, although a four wheel drive is recommended in wet conditions. The two other camping grounds can be reached by boat.

There are good boat launching facilities, but whilst motor boats can be used, water skiing and house boating are not permitted. Boats are required to keep at least 700 metres away from the dam wall. Source: Goulburn-Murray Water

Albury Wodonga (Down River) - Hume Reservoir (from the Mitta Mitta River)
Hume Reservoir (Murray River)