Situated
21Km north-east of St George lies Beardmore Dam / Lake Kajarabie.
Constructed in 1972 for irrigation & town water the Beardmore
Dam holds 81 800 ML of water at 100% capacity at an average depth
of 2.4 meters and has a surface area of 3350 ha. The Beardmore
Dam & the lake it created (Kajarabie) impound water for some
75km along the Balonne River and almost 20 km along the Maranoa
River.
Fishing
Due to the size of Lake Kajarabie & the distances upstream
without weirs, Golden Perch, Silver Perch & Murray Cod breed
naturally keeping the lake & rivers naturally stocked to some
degree. However there is still a need to stock fish in the lake.
Stocked fish are Murray Cod,
Yellowbelly and Silver
Perch.
There are naturally occuring populations of Tandans
(eel tailed catfish) and Spangled
Perch. There a re also European
carp in Lake Kajarabie, Balonne River & Maranoa Rivers.
Any Carp caught should be destroyed immediately & no part
put back into the water.
Boating
There are no boating restrictions here but caution is advised
when travelling around the lake by boat due to many areas of shallow
water and some standing timber.
There is a boat ramp provided, however when water levels are low
a 4x4 will be necessary. Seek local advise.
Camping
There is no camping permitted at Beardmore Dam / Lake Kajarabie.
There are various private properties that permit bush camping
downstream along the Balonne River downstream towards Jack Taylor
Weir.
Hotel / Motel style Accomodation is available in St George. See
Accommodation
page for details.
Local
Tackle / Boating / Camping Store
Boat Bullet & Blade. Cnr Murchison & Victoria Streets.
St George. Ph 07 4625 1216