The day is Friday. You have had a long and hard week at work and you want to get in touch with nature and your adventurous side. You sit and think about places you have been on the Gold Coast and try to organise a Sunday family outing where you can forget work and enjoy being alive. You want to feel as far away from your normal routine and life, but do not want the hassle of driving hours to get there.
Imagine a place in your mind where the sky is sea blue, the trees are grass green, the wind is warm, the water looks fresh to drink and there is not a thought in your mind. In fact, you feel at one with nature, a peace with yourself and happy living in the present moment in a place where you feel safe and secure. This place is a reality and it is called Hinze Dam.
Hinze Dam is one of the Gold Coast’s best-kept secrets, hidden away in the Gold Coast Hinterland, 30-minute drive from the glitter strip that is Surfers Paradise.
The water and the dam
Hinze Dam is a manmade wonder built in 1976 and raised in 1989. In 2011, a 395-million-dollar upgrade of Hinze Dam was completed, which involved raising the wall by 15 metres, doubling the dam’s capacity and providing increased water security and flood mitigation.
As well as being a marvel for exploration, the Hinze Dam is the Gold Coast community’s main source of drinking water and a fantastic recreational destination for friends and families where free facilities, such as children’s playgrounds, parks, walking tracks, bikes and horse trails. Refreshments are available at the View Café. There is also a Hinze Dam Interpretative Centre, barbecue areas, adequate car parking and toilet facilities for locals and tourists alike.
For the fishers and boaties
Hinze Dam is also a place which can attract much fun for fisher persons and boaties. Acting Manager External Relations Liz Kearins at Seqwater states, “Boating is a very popular activity at Hinze Dam for fishing and nature lovers. Electric powered watercraft, sail craft and paddle craft are permitted on the lake.”
Two boat ramps provide access into Hinze Dam. For visitor safety and to protect the riparian areas around the lake, boats and vessels are only to be operated from the designated launch points located at the Western Boat Ramp (Nerang-Murwillumbah Road) and Eastern Boat Ramp (Range Road) which are open for use. Fortunately, a boating permit is not currently required at Hinze Dam. However, Liz explains, “Water skiing, jet skiing, wakeboarding and tubing are not permitted on Hinze Dam but are permitted at Lakes Maroon and Moogerah in the Scenic Rim region.”
Rigging areas were installed at both the Eastern and Western Boat Ramps at Hinze Dam earlier this year. The designated areas for rigging and de-rigging boats are reducing congestion around the ramps. The rigging areas are easily identified by line markings and appropriate signage. The access to the recreational facilities to the Hinze Dam is now via Advancetown Road.
Other recreational activities that are allowed at Hinze Dam include canoeing, kayaking and fishing. Fishing is permitted on Hinze Dam from vessels, as well as from the shoreline of the
Eastern and Western Boat Ramps. Liz states, “The Hinze Dam Fish Management Committee manage the dam’s fishing permit scheme which raises funds to stock the lake with fingerlings.” Fishing permits are available from selected retailers.
The fishing opportunities at Hinze Dam are endless for freshwater fishermen. With an array of species of fish from Australian bass, gold perch (yellowbelly), silver perch, saratoga and Mary River cod, there is never a dull moment when you have an underlying excitement of catching one of them. The Hinze Dam Fish Management Committee released 80,000 bass fingerlings into the dam in 2014 which offers the fisherman a busting and bustling ecosystem beneath the blue waters of the dam. The funds raised to breed and release the bass fingerlings were done so through the permit applications. As an added bonus, many fish are prone to surface feeding which makes the Hinze Dam a fantastic fly-fishing destination.
Responsible use
It is important to remember that aside from being a source of recreational and boating fun for people, the lake is also home to abundant wildlife. “It’s very important to ensure that all rubbish, especially fishing line and hooks, is disposed of properly to avoid serious harm to wildlife. We also ask visitors to be courteous to our neighbours. Do not launch, retrieve or beach on land around the lake, other than at signed, designated recreation areas,” Liz advises.
Hinze Dam has a wide variety of activities that can be enjoyed and shared by young and old. It is a place to be respected for all its wonder and visited frequently for its sheer beauty and enjoyment of the nature that surrounds it. It is also a place to visit for electric powered watercraft owners and fishermen alike. It is important to note that boating regulations set by Maritime Safety Queensland are enforced in the area.
All Seqwater recreation areas are currently open between 6am and 6pm, seven days a week. Visit www.seqwater.com.au for more information.
