Baroon Pocket Dam (Lake Baroon): Picnics, Swimming and Paddling

Baroon Pocket Dam, also called Lake Baroon, is a Seqwater lake on Obi Obi Creek, about 7 km north of Maleny and a short drive from Montville. You can picnic and barbecue on the shore, swim in a buoyed area, paddle, fish for bass and walk to a spillway lookout.

The lake is a drinking water supply as well as a day out, so the rules are stricter than at a council park. No motorised boats, no camping and no dogs, but the hills around the water are green and quiet, and it fits neatly into a day around Maleny and Montville.

The three recreation areas at Lake Baroon

Seqwater runs three sites around the lake, all open the same hours.

• Southern Recreation Area is on Baroon Pocket Road on the Maleny side. This is the one with the designated swimming area, and it is also where the Martin Williams Walk, a short loop built by the lake’s first ranger, starts.
• Northern Recreation Area is on Narrows Road on the Montville side. It has picnic tables and barbecues, a launch point for paddlecraft and fishing from the shore or a boat. There is no swimming here.
• Spillway Lookout Recreation Area is also on Narrows Road, with a close view of the spillway and a short bushwalk with views down the Obi Obi Gorge.

The picnic areas have picnic tables, shelters, free barbecues and toilets, and the Southern Recreation Area has a playground.

Can you swim at Baroon Pocket Dam?

Yes, but only at the Southern Recreation Area, in the designated swimming area marked by buoys. Seqwater says there are no lifeguards at its dams and lakes, so keep children in sight, do not dive where you cannot see the bottom, wear a lifejacket and stay inside the buoys.

The tap water on site is only for washing and cleaning. Bring your own drinking water.

Paddling, boating and fishing

Kayaks, canoes, stand up paddleboards, rowing boats, sailing boats and electric-powered boats are allowed, and you launch only from the designated points at the Northern and Southern areas. Water skiing, jet skiing, wakeboarding and tubing are banned, and there are no motorised boats.

The lake is stocked with Australian bass and Mary River cod. Mary River cod are no-take, so you must put any you catch back. Anyone 18 or older needs a Stocked Impoundment Permit to fish here (about $14 a week or about $65 a year, less with a concession card). You can buy one on the Queensland Government permit page.

Walks at Lake Baroon

The Southern Recreation Area is the start of the Martin Williams Walk and other walking trails at Baroon Pocket, and tracks lead through open forest, over bridges and boardwalks, to Baroon Lookout, with views over the Obi Obi Gorge, the dam and its catchment. From the Narrows Road side, the Spillway Lookout has a short bushwalk to a view down the gorge.

The Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk, a 58 km track along the Blackall Range, can be joined off Narrows Road. Seqwater asks walkers to stay on marked trails, carry drinking water, take a first aid kit and tell someone where you are going if you walk alone. Snakes are common in warmer months, so give them room.

The spillway

Baroon Pocket Dam has no gates. When the lake reaches 100 per cent full, water flows over the spillway, and the Spillway Lookout gives a close view of it. Seqwater offers a free dam release notification service if you want a message when the dam begins to spill.

Is Baroon Pocket Dam dog friendly?

No. Seqwater asks visitors to leave pets at home unless they are in an approved dog on leash area, and Baroon Pocket Dam is not one of them. Dogs are only allowed at designated areas at Ewen Maddock, Atkinson, Maroon, Moogerah and Hinze dams. Assistance animals are exempt. If you want a Seqwater lake that does allow dogs on leash in a day-use area, Hinze Dam in the Gold Coast hinterland is one.

Planning your visit

• How long: an hour for a picnic and a look at the water; half a day with a swim, a walk and a paddle.
• Best time: mornings in summer for swimming; a clear day for the gorge views. The sites close at 6:30 pm from September to April and 5:30 pm from May to August and Seqwater’s rules ask you to check its notices before you visit.
• What to bring: drinking water, sunscreen, a hat, a lifejacket for swimming or paddling, and your own kayak or board if you plan to paddle.
• Cost: no entry fee is listed. Fishing needs a permit.
• Accessibility: Visit Sunshine Coast lists disabled access at the dam and asks you to contact the operator for details. Seqwater is on 1300 737 928.

Getting there and parking

Baroon Pocket Dam is on the Blackall Range between Maleny and Montville. The Southern Recreation Area is on Baroon Pocket Road, North Maleny, and the Northern Recreation Area and Spillway Lookout are on Narrows Road. From the Brisbane CBD it is about 105 minutes by car (about 104 km, without traffic). From Montville it is about 20 minutes, and from Maleny town centre about 30 minutes.

Public transport does not run to the lake. Buses 890 and 891 serve Maleny and Montville, so you would need a car or a taxi for the last leg. Check the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30.

Seqwater’s pages for the lake are the Baroon Pocket dam page and the Southern Recreation Area page. Details can change, so check Seqwater before you go.

Nearby

• Maleny – cheese, cafes and the Sunday market, about 7 km south of the lake.
• Montville – galleries and cafes on Main Street, close to the northern shore.
• Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve – rainforest walks and a boardwalk above Maleny.
• Kondalilla Falls – a waterfall walk near Montville.
• Gardners Falls – a waterhole near Maleny if the kids want a different swim.

Browse more lakes and rivers or Sunshine Coast Hinterland days out.

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