Chinchilla Weir Weirs & Barrages

Chinchilla Weir Weirs & Barrages

History

Chinchilla Weir

Chinchilla Weir, 8 km south of Chinchilla on the Condamine River, was built in 1973 to address a shortage of urban water supply for the town of Chinchilla.

It supplies irrigators upstream through the pond created by the weir and downstream from water releases.

Water helps the region’s agriculture industry, including beef and pork production, fruit and vegetable crops, cotton and most notably melons. Producing 25% of the country’s watermelons, rockmelons and honeydew melons, Chinchilla is the melon capital of Australia.

Did you know?

Chinchilla hosts the biennial Chinchilla Melon Festival, which includes popular events such as watermelon skiing and the watermelon tug-o-war.

Concrete-faced earth-filled embankment minimum energy weir
Chinchilla Weir
9,780 ML

Facilities

  • Boat Ramp

  • Car Parking

  • Road Access

  • Lookout

  • Picnic Areas

  • Toilets

  • Rubbish Bins

  • BBQs

  • Treated Water

  • Camping

Additional information

Management

Chinchilla Weir is owned and managed by Sunwater. Western Downs Regional Council owns and manages the recreation areas and facilities. Sunwater owns the land. Western Downs Regional Council manages the boat ramp on behalf of the Department of Transport and Main Roads. 

Public access

Public access is permitted in designated areas only. There is no public access to the weir infrastructure. Sunwater restricts access to the weir infrastructure in order to keep you safe as conditions can be dangerous and unpredictable and water can be released at any time.  

Camping

Camping grounds at Chinchilla Weir are owned and managed by Western Downs Regional Council. For information about camping contact Western Downs Regional Council.

Boating and fishing

Sunwater does not permit boating or fishing near the weir. Boating and fishing occur in the surrounding waterway (not owned or managed by Sunwater). Boat operators are reminded to read the signs, look for hazards, boat to conditions and stay away from the weir wall by at least 200 metres or as signed.

Onshore fishing

Sunwater does not permit onshore fishing on or near the weir. Onshore fishing occurs in the surrounding area (not owned or managed by Sunwater). Visitors are reminded that fishing on or near weir walls is unsafe and is not permitted by law.

Swimming, water-based recreation          

Sunwater does not permit swimming and water-based recreation near the weir. Swimming and water-based recreation occur in the surrounding waterway (not owned or managed by Sunwater). Visitors are reminded to read the signs, check for hazards, know your swimming ability and enjoy the waterway safely.

Known additional hazards

Visitors accessing downstream of the weir for recreation are warned that water releases can occur at any time

Underwater hazard information

Chinchilla Weir has numerous underwater hazards present at various storage levels.

Sunwater conducted an underwater survey in November 2018 which identified the location of various hazards.

Maps showing these hazards are available below. Please note, these maps DO NOT identify every hazard and should be used as a guide only. The location, type and depth of obstructions change over time due to general water movements, flood events and other natural occurrences.

It is the responsibility of recreational users and visitors to be aware of the risks at the weir and when operating a vessel on the lake. Always exercise caution, assess conditions and read the signs.

Submerged hazards maps

The maps in this section provide a visual representation of the location of submerged hazards at various supply levels at Chinchilla Weir.

Disclaimer:  Sunwater makes no statement, representation, or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of, and users should not rely on, any information provided by Sunwater above, or generally in relation to conditions at a Sunwater storage (Information).  Sunwater disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs a user might incur as a result of use of such Information, and any Information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way, and for any reason.  Users accept sole responsibility and the risk associated with any use of Information, irrespective of the purpose to which such use or results are applied.