The Rookwood Weir is a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

, built from 2020 to 2023 on the Fitzroy River, near

Gogango Gogango is a rural town and locality in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Gogango had a population of 184 people. Geography Gogango is in Central Queensland. The Capricorn Highway traverses the south of t ...

, about 50 km south-west of

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Queensland

Treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

Cameron Dick Cameron Robert Dick (born 25 April 1967) is an Australian politician and member of the Labor Party who was the 36th Deputy Premier of Queensland from 2023 to 2024, 51st Treasurer of the state of Queensland from 2020 to 2024, and Minister for Tr ...

said the weir was the largest built in Australia since World War II. The official opening on 22 November 2023 was also attended by Federal

Minister for the Environment and Water The Australian Minister for the Environment and Water is a position which is currently held by Murray Watt in the Albanese ministry since 13 May 2025, following the Australian federal election in 2025. In the Government of Australia, the min ...

Tanya Plibersek Tanya Joan Plibersek (born 2 December 1969) is an Australian politician who has been Minister for Social Services in the Albanese government since 2025. She was previously the Minister for the Environment and Water from 2022 to 2025. She was ...

. Funding came from both the Federal and Queensland governments.

Technical

Its full supply volume (FSV) is , with a yield at FSL of . The

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

is 202 meters, and the total structure length is approximately 350 meters.Rookwood Weir Project

SunWater Sunwater is a statutory Queensland Government -owned corporation that supplies bulk water to over irrigation, industry and urban customers and water consultancy services to a range of institutional clients across regional Queensland, Australia ...

, accessed 2023-11-23 It cost $568.9 million.Rookwood Weir opens in central Queensland after construction delays from rain
Katrina Beavan and Jasmine Hines,

ABC News Online ABC News, also known as ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The service covers both local and world affairs, broadcasting both nationally as ABC News, and across the Asia- ...

, 2023-11-22 The weir is managed by

Agriculture

During 2023, agriculture investment was announced with a

macadamia ''Macadamia'' is a genus of four species of trees in the flowering plant family Proteaceae. They are indigenous to Australia—specifically, northeastern New South Wales and central and southeastern Queensland. Two species of the genus are comm ...

farm and a

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

feedlot A feedlot or feed yard is a type of animal feeding operation (AFO) which is used in intensive animal farming, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called conc ...

development underway.

References

{{reflist Reservoirs in Queensland Dams completed in 2023 2023 establishments in Australia Dams in Queensland