Baroon Pocket Dam

The Baroon Pocket Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with an un-gated spillway across the Obi Obi Creek, in North Maleny, Sunshine Coast Region, in South East Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for potable water supply. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Baroon.

Just below the dam is Obi Obi Gorge, one of the few remaining places left where the Mary River cod maintains a wild population. After its initial filling, the dam reached its lowest level between December 2002 and February 2003 at 50% capacity.

History
The name Baroon is the Aboriginal name for the area, which was a meeting place and fighting ground. The name was first recorded by colonists in 1842.

A dam site was surveyed at Baroon Pocket in 1946. In 1989, the Baroon Pocket Dam was opened.

Location and features
Located 7 km north of in the Sunshine Coast region, the dam wall was completed in 1989 over the Obi Obi Creek, Small Creek and several unnamed watercourses.

The dam wall is 58 m high and 370 m long and holds back 61000 ML of water when at full capacity. The surface area of the reservoir is 380 ha and the catchment area is 72 km2. The uncontrolled un-gated spillway has a discharge capacity of 1013 m3/s.

Baroon Pocket Dam's primary use is for town water supply for Maroochy and Caloundra. An intake tower allows water to flow from the dam through a 2.5 m wide, 2.5 km long tunnel under the Blackall Range. Water is then distributed by UnityWater for a range of purposes. The dam and catchment is managed by Seqwater.

Boating
There is a single boat ramp. Camping is not permitted near the lake. There are picnic areas by the lakeside while viewing platforms and a rainforest walking track through Obi Obi Gorge, are located near the spillway. Fossil fuel motors are not allowed on the lake. A council permit, obtainable on site, is required to use an electric outboard motor for the use on dinghies, but not on canoes.

Fishing
Lake Baroon is stocked with bass, Mary River cod, golden perch and silver perch, while eel-tailed catfish and spangled perch are naturally present. A council permit is required to fish in the dam.

Environmental management
Catchment care activities are undertaken by Lake Baroon Catchment Care Group (LBCCG) a community group predominantly funded by SeqWater ($220,000 PA in 2015). The group coordinates protection and remedial works in the catchment and addresses ways to improve water quality. Since its inception in 1992, LBCCG has developed and monitored over $3.5 million of water quality improvement projects, mainly working with local primary producers.

Walking
The rugged Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk takes at least four days to complete. It leaves from Baroon Pocket Dam and traverses 58.8 km through the Blackall Range. Baroon lookout, which provides views of Obi Obi Gorge, Baroon Pocket Dam and its catchment, is 2.2 km along the walk.