Great Lake (Tasmania)

yingina / Great Lake
The northern end of the Great Lake
yingina / Great Lake is located in Tasmania
yingina / Great Lake
yingina / Great Lake
Location of the lake in Tasmania
Map showing the lake in Tasmania
LocationCentral Highlands, Tasmania
Coordinates41°52′S 146°45′E / 41.867°S 146.750°E / -41.867; 146.750
TypeFreshwater lake; reservoir
Primary inflows
  • Pine Rivulet
  • Breton Rivulet
Primary outflowsShannon River
Catchment area399 km2 (154 sq mi)
Basin countriesAustralia
Built1967 (1967)
Max. length24.6 km (15.3 mi)
Max. width12 km (7.5 mi)
Surface area176 km2 (68 sq mi)
Surface elevation1,030 m (3,380 ft) AHD
FrozenDuring some winters
IslandsReynolds; Howells Neck; Pine; Helen; Kangaroo; and Maclanachans Point
SettlementsMiena, Breona, Liawenee
References[1]

The Great Lake, officially yingina / Great Lake,[2] is a natural freshwater lake, located in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania, Australia.

Fed by two small rivulets and drained by the Shannon River, the lake has been significantly enlarged through the impoundments created in the 1910s by the Miena Dam No. 1, in the 1920s by the Miena Dam No. 2, and in the 1960s by the Miena Rockfill Dam. The lake is predominately used as a man-made reservoir for the generation of hydroelectricity at the Poatina, Tods Corner, and Trevallyn power stations.[3][4] Additionally, the Great Lake also supports irrigation of 35 square kilometres (14 sq mi) of adjacent farmland.[1]

Location and features

Fed by the Pine Rivulet and Breton Rivulet, the original natural freshwater lake, much smaller in size than its current 176-square-kilometre (68 sq mi) surface area, was expanded as a result of the 1922 construction of Miena Dam No. 2 at its southern outflow into the Shannon River. This dam is listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register and is considered to be of high heritage value by Engineers Australia.[5]

The Miena Dam No. 2 created the once-famous Shannon Rise,[6] in the 500-metre (1,600 ft) section of the Shannon River between the dam and Shannon Lagoon. The hatching of thousands of caddis moths in early summer, attracted large numbers of trout and anglers.

In 1967, a sloping-core rock-fill dam, the Miena Rockfill Dam, was built just downstream of Miena Dam No. 2 to increase the maximum-capacity level, destroying the Shannon Rise. It was raised a further six metres (twenty feet) in 1982,[7] causing Miena Dam No. 2 to be periodically submerged.

An enhancement of the irrigation scheme, expected to deliver 25 gigalitres (20,000 acre⋅ft), commenced in 2024 and was expected to be completed in late 2026.[8]

Recreation

At 1,030 metres (3,380 ft) AHD, the lake's uses include hydro-electric power, fishing, and tourism.

After Lake Pedder, the Great Lake is the state's third largest freshwater lake.[1] It is known for its fantastic fly fishing opportunities, particularly after a wet winter or spring. When water levels are high, trout can be found 'tailing' in the shallow, flooded margins of the lake which provides excellent sight fly fishing.[9] The lake is well known for its brown and rainbow trout.[10]

The nearby towns of Liawenee and Miena are popular holiday shack destinations for local tourists, despite the area's reputation as being one of the coldest places in the generally mild-weathered state. During the winter months, when the weather is hardly conducive to camping, the population of these two small towns drops to two or three hundred. Parts of the lake surface have frozen during July in some years.

The Lake Highway or Highland Lakes Road runs along the west side of the lake and is sometimes snowed under in winter.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Register of Large Dams Australia-2015" (Excel. Requires download. Row 349: Miena Rockfill Dam). ANCOLD. January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Survey Co-ordination" (PDF). Tasmanian Government Gazette: 157. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Yingina / Great Lake". Hydro Tasmania. 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  4. ^ "Poatina Power Station Fact Sheet" (PDF). Our power stations: Great Lake – South Esk. Hydro Tasmania. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Miena Dam No. 2" (PDF). Heritage Markers. Engineers Australia. January 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Fly Fishing in Tasmania". Australian Fly Fishing Museum. 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  7. ^ "Great Lake: Anglers Access" (PDF). Inland Fisheries Service (4 ed.). Government of Tasmania. n.d. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Northern Midlands irrigation scheme". Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Australian Government. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  9. ^ "Trout Fishing Near Central Highlands Tasmania". Trout Tales Tasmania.
  10. ^ "Poatina, Tasmania: Travel guide and things to do". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2026.

Further reading

  • Jetson, Tim (1989) The roof of Tasmania : a history of the Central Plateau. Launceston, Tas. : Pelion Press. ISBN 0-7316-7214-3
  • Tasmania. Hydro-Electric Commission (1925), The hydro-electric power of Tasmania : a description of the Great Lake Hydro-Electric Development and of the Tasmanian Electricity Supply System Published under authority, Hydro-Electric Department of Tasmania, Tait, Melbourne

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