Lake Glenmaggie

Swimming Hole Heaven in Victoria

Lake Glenmaggie is located on the Macalister River. The lake is an irrigation storage for the Macalister Irrigation District and is typically filled to capacity in Spring. There is a designated swimming area at Sandy Point, which is in the south-east corner of the lake on Sandy Point Rd, which has a range of facilities including toilets, bbqs and picnic tables. However the water can get quite choppy here and the water's edge feels somewhat barren. Above: The Sandy Point Picnic Area (Order this image)

For a much more relaxing, picturesque swim, head to the shallower and more gently sloping southern and western sides of the lake, where you can swim peacefully pretty much anywhere.

The best time to visit the lake is in December, when lake levels are often still high. The gum trees on the edge of the lake are flooded so that you can take a picnic chair and sit under the shade of the gums, ankle deep in water. It is a very relaxing way to spend an afternoon, reading a book or casting a fishing line in the water in between swims. Above: The western shore of Lake Glenmaggie (Order this image)

Depending on rainfall conditions, the lake is slowly drained from January through to April and becomes less attractive for swimming. If it has been a relatively wet year, chances are that Lake Glenmaggie will be close to full right through summer. The largely natural catchment upstream of the dam is enormous, so it does not take much rain to refill the lake.

Here is a video that I took when visiting the lake in early summer when the lake was still full to illustrate how you can have a swim in the shade of the gum trees.

Before you head out, make sure to read the swimming safety information and check with the managing authority for any current change of conditions. The marker indicates the location of the Sandy Point picnic area at the lake. If the map is not zoomed in locally, as can occur with some browsers, simply click or tap on "View Larger Map" below.
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