News and announcements
Closure of the Yarrawonga Weir Bridge to public vehicle traffic
The Yarrawonga Weir Bridge is permanently closed to public vehicle traffic.
The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), Transport for NSW and Regional Roads Victoria have confirmed the Yarrawonga Weir is closed to traffic to ensure the ongoing safety and structural integrity of weir.
About Yarrawonga Weir (Lake Mulwala)
Yarrawonga Weir is situated on the lands of the Yorta Yorta people and is located on the Murray River between the towns of Yarrawonga in Victoria and Mulwala in New South Wales. Goulburn-Murray Water operates Yarrawonga Weir on behalf of the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), opens in a new window .
The weir raises the level of the Murray River and has resulted in the water storage Lake Mulwala. The dam comprises a seven (7) metre high and 343 metre long embankment. The water impounded by the Yarrawonga Weir forms Lake Mulwala.
History
Construction of the weir and its offtakes began early in 1935 and was completed in 1939. A hydro-electric generation facility at Yarrawonga Weir was commissioned in June 1994. The facility has a maximum capacity of about 9.6 MW. A unique feature at Yarrawonga Weir is the fish lift located adjacent to the power station. Constructed in 1994, the lift provided the first opportunity in 60 years for fish to travel upstream of the weir.
Operations
Lake Mulwala has a capacity of 117,500 ML. Water is released into the Yarrawonga Main Channel on the south side of the Murray River and the Mulwala Canal to the north. These two channels receive 1,900 GL per year on average, which equates to 17 per cent of the total Murray River flow.
GMW manages its own land along the foreshore and lakebed on the Victorian side of the state border, which runs approximately through the middle of the lake from east to west. This includes managing moorings and structures attached to this land. GMW also operates Yarrawonga Weir on behalf of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA). Transport for New South Wales (NSW) is responsible for waterway management and the NSW Department of Primary Industries is responsible for managing fishing across the entire lake.
Yarrawonga Weir raises the water level of the River Murray to allow diversions of water under gravity. An average of 1,900 GL or 17% of the river's annual flow is diverted annually to the Yarrawonga Main Channel and the Mulwala Canal.
The Yarrawonga Main Channel services the Murray Valley Irrigation Area of Victoria, which extends from Yarrawonga to Barmah and south to the Broken and Nine Mile Creek systems. The channel has a discharge capacity of 3,100 ML/d and distributes water to an area of 128,000 ha via a network of six main channels and 261 spur channels.
The Mulwala Canal is a much larger structure and has an offtake capacity of 10,000 ML/d. Water diverted through the Mulwala Canal supplies the Berriquin, Denimein, Deniboota and Wakool irrigation districts in southern New South Wales. The total annual water allocation to these districts exceeds 1,000,000 ML over an area of 700,000 ha.
Location
Yarrawonga Weir is located on the Murray River near the towns of Yarrawonga in Victoria and Mulwala in NSW. The Weir is approximately 230 km downstream of Lake Hume and 1,992 km from the Murray mouth.
Further Information
FACT SHEET: KEEPING EGERIA IN LAKE MULWALA UNDER CONTROL