Atkinson's Lagoon
Atkinson Dam
Atkinson Dam located west of Lake Wivenhoe, between Gatton and Esk. It is part of the local irrigation scheme.
What to expect
The lake is about 3 km long and up to 1.5 km wide in places. The main body of the lake is fairly open and can get choppy if there is any wind. It can also get busy in summer being open to all forms of water sports. The smaller western arm is less likely to see boat traffic and will contain the calmest waters and the best wildlife experiences.
The rocks of the long 2.0 km dam wall help to dampen any reflecting waves on what could otherwise be a very exposed leg in windy conditions.
Features and facilities
There is a single public boat ramp that can be found in the day use area beside the dam wall. The day use area has toilets, BBQs and picnic shelters.
The dam and recreation facilities are open to the public seven days a week at the time of writing, from 5:30am to 6:30pm (September – April) and 6:00am to 5:30pm (May – August).
Refer to the SEQWater Lake Atkinson guide for up to date information.
Map
Explore the key locations in the map below. Most locations will have a photograph that can be seen by clicking on the icon or number in the map itself.
The map also has markers every 100 metres that start at 0 from the put in area.
You may need to zoom in to see all of these markers. These do not correlate with any existing numbering system on the lake.
- Spillway
- Atkinson Dam Park
- Dam Wall
- Boat Ramps
- Viewpoints
What to take
Ensure electronic devices and gear have waterproof containers / dry bags if needed.
What to wear
- Sunscreen / Chapstick *
- Sunglasses *
- Hat *
- Swimwear or shorts †
- Sun protective clothing (rashie) †
- Water shoes †
What to take
- Water
- Snacks
- Phone
- Camera
- Watch
- Sponge
- Rain jacket
- Spare clothes / Towel
Safety
- PDF (life jacket) *
- Whistle
- Paddle float ‡
- Bilge pump ‡
- Paddle lease *
- Spare paddle
- Light (night paddling)
* Highly recommended (aka required)
† You should wear clothing and footwear that you can comfortably swim in.
‡ These are for self or assisted rescues as there are places that you can't easily swim back to the shore.
Wildlife
The lake has seen a large number of duck and wetland birds as well as other species that come in for water.
Trip Details
Circumnavigation
- Length
- 13.6 km
- Type
- Flatwater
- Time
- full day
- Trip
- Circumnavigation
- Technical difficulty
- Grade I
- Rating
Quick Stats
- Lake / Reservoir
- Atkinson's Lagoon (Lake Atkinson)
- Dam / Weir
- Atkinson Dam
- Waterway
- Buaraba Creek
- Perimeter
- 16.8 km
- Capacity
- 30.4 GL
- Flood Mitigation
- N/A
- Catchment
- 32.7 sq km
- Area
- 5.6 sq km
- Council Areas
- First Nations
- YuggeraWaka Waka
- More Info
- Seqwater
Directions
06:02am
12:03pm
E at 7 kph, gusts to 11 kph
Strongest Gust: 13 kph ESE at 12:09pm
Sun and Twilight Times
Civil: 05:32—18:03 / 12hr 31m
Nautical: 05:05—18:30 / 13hr 25m
Moon Info
▲ 8:25am ▼ 10:06pm