Hinze Dam has recently opened up again to the public, in December 2011, after being closed for almost four years while the upgrade was completed. These stage 3 developments at the Hinze Dam, also known as the Advancetown Lake, have seen the water holding capacity double in volume with the dam wall being raised an additional 15 metres. The dam wall is now approximately 1,850m long, which includes the dam spillway as well. The lake surface area is now 1500 hectares and can supply over 310,000 Mega Litres when full. As of the beginning of Februray 2012 Hinze dam is at about 88% capacity.

Times of Access:

Recreational Facilities
Daily: 6am to 6pm seven days a week

2 Boat Ramps
Daily: 6am to 6pm seven days a week

Interpretive Centre
Monday to Saturday: 8.30am to 5.00pm
Sunday: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Public Holidays: 10.00am to 4.00pm

Entry is Free

Address:

Advancetown Road / Gilston 4211, Qld, Australia

Location:

Approximately 15 km south-west of Nerang on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, on the downstream side of the Nerang River.

Google Map

Hinze Dam – Advancetown Lake

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Recreational Activities:

• Boating – only manual or electric powered water vessels are allowed
• Fishing with a permit
• Picnics
• BBQs
• Bicycling
• Scenic Views
• Walking
• Horse riding
• Kayaking
• Canoeing
• Paddlecraft

Prohibited:

• Fishing unless you have a permit
• Campfires
• Camping
• Swimming
• Pets

Gold Coast Map Showing Advancetown Lake Location:

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History of Hinze Dam

The dam was originally constructed in 1976 and had a water storage capacity of around 42,000 million litres. Then in 1989 the dam wall was raised to increase the water volume by almost four times what it was previously. When it was full Hinze dam could then hold over 160,000 million litres.

Stage-3 Upgrade

Before the stage 3 upgrade began it was possible to access the recreational facilities from both Advancetown Rd and Gilston Rd. There was also a road across the spillway, which was open to the public to use. Since the stage 3 developments have been completed there is no longer public access by vehicle across the dam spillway. Access can however be enjoyed by foot. Also it is only possible to gain access to the recreational facilities and the Interpretive Centre from Advancetown Rd on the north-western side of Lake Advancetown.

Many fish, including Mary river cod, Australian bass, Saratoga, silver perch and golden perch, have been added to the dam waters so that fishermen can enjoy the recreation of fishing in this tranquil setting. The permit that is required can be purchased from local fishing and tackle outlets. For an exact list of outlets that stock the fishing permits you can refer to the SEQWater website.

There are two boating ramps available to those who want to enjoy water activities on Hinze Dam. If you come in via Little Nerang Rd on the east side of the dam then you will find one of the ramps. The second boat ramp is found on the west side of the lake via Nerang Murwillumbah Road.

The innovative Hinze Dam Interpretive Centre was also a part of the stage 3 constructions and provides a lot of great information on the facility as well as platforms to view the water and surrounding area and a kiosk to grab some snacks to enjoy.

Since re-opening again in December 2011 the site has become extremely popular with both locals and tourists to the Gold Coast. As more people become aware that the dam is now open again, its popularity is likely to continue to rise.