Wappa Dam is a drinking water dam on the South Maroochy River, about 8 km north-west of Nambour, with a free picnic park beside the dam wall. The park has shelters, free BBQs and a playground, and after heavy rain the water pours over the spillway in a wide sheet.
It is a picnic and sightseeing stop, not a swimming lake. If you are planning a Wappa Dam day out, bring lunch, keep away from the water’s edge and read the rules below.
Jack Harrison Park at Wappa Dam
The park beside the dam is called Jack Harrison Park. Seqwater describes an extensive open picnic area with tables and shelters, free BBQs and a playground for children.
It is a good spot to watch the dam spill. The lookout is close enough to the wall that you may get sprayed when the water is running.
Wappa Dam spillway
The dam wall is a mass concrete gravity arch with earth-fill sides and an ungated spillway, which means the lake overflows by itself once it is full. The wall is 24 m high and 138 m long.
The Seqwater Wappa Dam page shows the dam’s current volume and whether it is spilling, so you can check before you drive up.
The dam was finished in 1963 and holds about 4,700 megalitres of water when full. It supplies drinking water to the Sunshine Coast. Seqwater took it over from the Sunshine Coast council in 2008 and still runs it.
About the lake and the dam
Wappa Dam was built in the early 1960s. Photographs of the dam under construction, taken by Jack Bain in the 1960s, are held in the Queensland University of Technology collection and show the concrete arch going up across the river.
The reservoir covers about 74 hectares and collects water from a catchment of about 70 square kilometres. The dam and most of the lake are in Kiamba, and the northern end of the lake reaches into Cooloolabin.
Stay inside the park, where the picnic area and the spillway lookout are.
Seqwater also manages the water treatment plant that goes with the dam, so this is a working water supply as well as a picnic stop. That is why the rules on the water are strict.
What you can and cannot do at Wappa Dam
Seqwater says water-based activities, including fishing from the shoreline, are not permitted on the lake. Because it supplies drinking water, treat Wappa Dam as a look-but-do-not-touch lake: do not plan on swimming, paddling or boating.
Making a day of it
Wappa Dam is a long drive from Brisbane for a picnic stop, so it works best as one part of a Sunshine Coast hinterland day. Yandina is a few kilometres downstream and Nambour is the nearest big town, and both have places to eat and look around.
Wappa Falls is close by on Wappa Falls Road, and the Ginger Factory at Yandina is a popular stop for families.
Planning your visit
- How long: 30 to 60 minutes to see the spillway and have a picnic.
- Is it spilling? Seqwater’s Wappa Dam page shows the current volume and whether the dam is overflowing.
- What to bring: food and water for a picnic, sunscreen and a hat.
- Closures: Seqwater posts temporary closures on its recreation and safety notices page, so check before you drive up.
Getting there and parking
Jack Harrison Park is on Wappa Park Road at Kiamba. It is about 1 hour 35 minutes by car from the Brisbane CBD (about 111 km), and about 8 km north-west of Nambour.
Plan any public transport trip with the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30.
The official page is Seqwater’s Jack Harrison Park page, which links the Wappa Dam recreation guide with the map and safety information. Details can change, so check before you go.
Nearby
- Wappa Falls – the falls on the South Maroochy River, close by on Wappa Falls Road.
- Nambour – the nearest town, with street art, a museum and cafes.
- Yandina – markets, the Ginger Factory and heritage buildings.
- The Ginger Factory – a family stop in Yandina.
- Bli Bli Castle – a Sunshine Coast attraction.
- Mary Cairncross Reserve – rainforest walks on the hinterland.
- Lake Currimundi – calm water on the coast.
Browse more lakes and rivers and things to do on the Sunshine Coast.
You might also like
- Kenilworth – a Sunshine Coast hinterland town.
- Lake Macdonald (Cooroy)
- Lake Weyba (Weyba Downs)
Quick answers
Can you swim at Wappa Dam?
No. Seqwater does not permit water-based activities on the lake, and it is a drinking water dam.
Is there a playground and BBQs at Wappa Dam?
Yes. Jack Harrison Park has picnic tables, shelters, free BBQs and a playground.
Where is Wappa Dam?
At Kiamba on the Sunshine Coast, about 8 km north-west of Nambour, on the South Maroochy River.
When is Wappa Dam best to visit?
After heavy rain, when the spillway is flowing. Seqwater’s Wappa Dam page shows whether the dam is spilling.
What is Jack Harrison Park?
It is the Seqwater park beside Wappa Dam, with an open picnic area, tables, shelters, free BBQs and a playground.
Can you fish at Wappa Dam?
No. Fishing from the shoreline is not permitted.
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