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Cordeaux Dam New South Wales Australia

Upstream Wall of Cordeaux Dam

Cordeaux Dam

Constructed between 1918 and 1926, Cordeaux Dam provides water to Macarthur and Illawarra regions, the Wollondilly Shire, and metropolitan Sydney.

Egyptian-Style gateways and housings on the dam wall enhance the appearance of the structure and reflect the time of construction, as many Australian soldiers served in Egypt during World War One.

Cordeaux Dam was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register in November 1999, because of the architectural, social and engineering values. Not only does it supply water, but it has great historical and current social value.

How to Get There

Located 90 minutes from Sydney and 30 minutes from Wollongong, it is a nice place to stop on your way to Picton Road. From the entrance, follow the road to the upper car park, where you can stop, or continue to the lower park and the dam wall. Shelters and seats at both locations provide shade and great picnic areas as well as toilet facilities.

The Dam

After Parking at the lower level, we walked across the dam wall, which let us see the architecture up close. Walking the length of the wall enabled us to see the spillway and the housings in detail. Brass plaques on the housings and gateways provide details on the dam, which informs visitors about its construction.

Specifications for Cordeaux Dam:

  • Total capacity: 9.364×10−5 billion gigalitres; 24,736 billion US gallons (20,597×109 imp gal).
  • Greatest depth of water: 52 metres (170 ft).
  • Greatest height of wall: 58 metres (191 ft) (above foundations).
  • Length of crest including pylons: 404 metres (1,327 ft).
  • Area of lake: 781 hectares (1,931 acres) (when full).
  • Top water level 304 metres (996 ft) AHD .
  • Completed in 1926.
  • Cost: A£945,000 ($1,908,000).
  • Concrete in wall: 215,176 cubic metres (281,440 cu yd).
  • Length of spillway weir: 152 metres (500 ft).
  • Width of crest: 5 metres (16.5 ft).
  • Width of base: 46 metres (150 ft).

Dam Grounds Opening Times

  • 10 am to 5 pm daily
  • Extended hours, 10 am to 7 pm, on weekends and public holidays during daylight saving time
  • Entry is free
  • Entry is not permitted 15 minutes prior to closing time
  • Before travelling check that the dam is not undergoing maintenance and closed

What Did We Think?

We though it was a great place to stop on our trip to Jervis Bay, because the dam wall is interesting and the picnic tables and shade areas are well set up.

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To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Warragamba Dam

Warragamba Dam

Warragamba Dam

Warragamba Dam supplies Sydney with most of its drinking water and is worth visiting if only to find out where all of your water comes from. 

Water Tower

A water tower located just before the main entrance is of a unique design and is worth a quick stop to have a look at.  It would look even better if a local artist decorated it with a mural.

Workers Memorial

In the car park, you will pass a memorial to all of the workers killed during its construction. It is a tragedy that so many died in a workplace, something that would not be acceptable today.

Also in the car park is an uptake valve that was originally used to transfer water into the pipelines.  Its size gives to some understanding of the large scale engineering that was done here.

Warragamba Dam

A great piece of civil engineering, the dam wall can be viewed from the Visitors’ Centre, where a viewing platform has been erected. From here you also get a great view over the surrounding bush land and can see the dam’s water level. The centre has a full history of its construction and design, detailing the geology and civil engineering that went into it.  You can only walk over the wall on the weekends. 

An additional viewing platform opposite the dam wall is located in the town. This provides a different view of the dam wall and is worth the small trip for the view.

Located in the town of Warragamba is as additional viewing platform, which is opposite the dam wall. This provides a different view of the dam wall and is worth the small trip for the view.

An interesting place to visit if you like to see civil engineering projects, or want to learn about Sydney’s water supply