Lake Glenbawn

Lake Glenbawn is a large artificial reservoir on the Hunter River near Scone in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. Created by the Glenbawn Dam, completed in 1958, it is the largest dam in the Hunter Valley and stores water for irrigation, town supply and flood mitigation. Set among bushland hills, it is a popular recreation destination for boating, fishing, water skiing and camping within the Lake Glenbawn State Park recreation area.

Visitors can expect a large inland reservoir set in bushland hills east of Scone, with open water, foreshores and eucalypt woodland. The recreation area provides boat ramps, swimming areas, picnic grounds and campgrounds. Activities centre on water-based recreation including boating, water skiing, kayaking, fishing and swimming, plus bushwalking, birdwatching and lakeside picnicking with views of the dam wall and surrounding ranges.

Glenbawn Dam was constructed on the Hunter River between 1947 and 1958 to provide water for irrigation, town water supply and flood mitigation in the Hunter Valley. At completion in 1958 it was the largest earth-fill dam in Australia and remains the largest water storage in the Hunter region, managed by WaterNSW.

The lake is a major recreational and social hub for the Upper Hunter community and visitors, valued for outdoor recreation, fishing and camping traditions and as a key water resource supporting agriculture and towns in the Hunter Valley.