Split Rock Dam
Encyclopedia
Split Rock Dam and Split Rock Reservoir lie between the New South Wales
towns of Barraba
to the north and Manilla
to the south. It is reached by a turnoff from Fossickers Way
.
Split Rock Dam is on the Manilla River
, a tributary of the Namoi River
, 24 kilometres from Manilla. It was constructed in 1987 for irrigation. Its purpose is to provide irrigation water to the Namoi Valley, and to protect the river environment as well as supplying additional water for towns along the Namoi River. Its storage capacity is 397,000 megalitres. The maximum water depth is 52 metres. Its catchment area is 1,650 square kilometres, mostly from the Upper Manilla and Ironbark Creeks plus small creeks and gullies, too, including Crow Mountain and Eumur Creeks. It is named after a fissure in a large rock near the dam site.
It has recreational opportunities including camping areas and facilities for launching ski boats and sailing boats. There are toilet, barbecue, picnic, and camping facilities as well as a boat ramp. The only restriction is a no boat area near the dam wall. It contains fish species such as Murray cod
, golden perch
, silver perch
, eel tailed catfish and carp
.
On the reservoir's northern shore is Glen Riddle Recreation Reserve, a 14 hectare reserve with toilets, picnic and camping facilities.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
towns of Barraba
Barraba, New South Wales
Barraba is a town in the New England region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It was formerly the centre of Barraba Shire Local Government Area, but most of this, including Barraba, was absorbed into Tamworth Regional Council in 2004. On Census night 2006, Barraba had a population of 1,161...
to the north and Manilla
Manilla, New South Wales
Manilla is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, located on Fossickers Way 45 kilometres northwest of the regional city of Tamworth. At the 2006 census, Manilla had a population of 2,081 people. Manilla is famous for its setting as a fishing and paragliding area...
to the south. It is reached by a turnoff from Fossickers Way
Fossickers Way
Fossickers Way runs from Nundle in the south to Warialda and eastwards on the Gwydir Highway to Inverell and Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands. It is designated as State Route 95....
.
Split Rock Dam is on the Manilla River
Manilla River
The Manilla River is a tributary of the Namoi River in northern New South Wales, Australia. Despite the name, it is officially classified as a stream by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales....
, a tributary of the Namoi River
Namoi River
The Namoi River is a major tributary of the Darling River in inland New South Wales, Australia.- Course :The headwaters of the Namoi, including the Macdonald River, the Peel River, the Cockburn River and the Manilla River, rise on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range on the Northern...
, 24 kilometres from Manilla. It was constructed in 1987 for irrigation. Its purpose is to provide irrigation water to the Namoi Valley, and to protect the river environment as well as supplying additional water for towns along the Namoi River. Its storage capacity is 397,000 megalitres. The maximum water depth is 52 metres. Its catchment area is 1,650 square kilometres, mostly from the Upper Manilla and Ironbark Creeks plus small creeks and gullies, too, including Crow Mountain and Eumur Creeks. It is named after a fissure in a large rock near the dam site.
It has recreational opportunities including camping areas and facilities for launching ski boats and sailing boats. There are toilet, barbecue, picnic, and camping facilities as well as a boat ramp. The only restriction is a no boat area near the dam wall. It contains fish species such as Murray cod
Murray Cod
The Murray cod is a large Australian predatory freshwater fish of the Maccullochella genus and the Percichthyidae family. Although the species is a called cod in the vernacular, it is not related to the northern hemisphere marine cod species...
, golden perch
Golden perch
The golden perch, Macquaria ambigua, is an Australian native freshwater fish, primarily of the Murray-Darling river system. It is not a true perch of the genus Perca....
, silver perch
Silver Perch
Silver perch is a medium sized freshwater fish endemic to the Murray-Darling river system in south-eastern Australia. The scientific name comes from an aboriginal name for the species recorded by Major Mitchell on his 1832 expedition. It is not a perch, being a grunter in the family Terapontidae...
, eel tailed catfish and carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
.
On the reservoir's northern shore is Glen Riddle Recreation Reserve, a 14 hectare reserve with toilets, picnic and camping facilities.