Settlement Profile
Lake Glenmaggie is a man-made weir in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range in Gippsland, at the junction of the Macalister River and Glenmaggie Creek, in the Wellington Shire. Driving time from Melbourne is about 2.5-3 hours via the Princes Highway to Traralgon and then route C488 to Heyfield which is some 10 kms from the Lake on the Licola Road. There are two main residential areas, one at Glenmaggie and the North-West end of the Lake with some 175 dwellings and Coongulla (256 dwellings) to the East via a road which passes the dam wall. Perhaps half of the dwellings are occupied permanently, the balance being holiday homes. Although Coongulla and Glenmaggie are less than 3km apart as the crow flies, it is 20km by road between the villages.
On the Eastern shore of the Lake there are two caravan parks with on-site caravans and facilities for visiting caravans and camping. There is another caravan park to the South of the Lake at Blore's Hill. There are no shops in either settlement but at Heyfield and Maffra (within 20 kms of the Lake) there is a full range of services including petrol stations, banks, and hotels. In the countryside surrounding the Lake and along the river there are small farms, some commercial enterprises (B&B'S, winery and nursery), school retreats and homesteads.
Lake Glenmaggie when full holds about half the volume of water of Sydney Harbour, some 200,000 Megalitres (this is also the same amount of water than Melbourne uses in 6 months). Its primary purpose is to supply water via irrigation channels to the rich dairying country to the East. Because of this the water level usually falls to about 25% of its capacity in March/April at the end of the irrigation season and rises again to full capacity by mid-September after winter/spring rains and the annual snow melt.
The Lake is used as town water supply for Coongulla and Glenmaggie. It is also an important recreational resource used for boating, fishing, and swimming. The Glenmaggie and District Boat Club stages regular boat races attracting large crowds. The Coongulla Yacht Club also holds races in summer. Roads to the north and north east are used by campers, four-wheel drive enthusiasts, trail bike riders, and commercial vehicles (timber trucks). There is a wealth of wildlife on and around the Lake including many visiting bird species.
At Coongulla there is a large public hall well used by the community and at Glenmaggie there is a long-established Mechanics' Institute which is used for concerts, meetings, Trash and Treasure sales, and indoor games. Both settlements have very active CFA units. There are no schools and children are bussed to local primary and secondary schools in Boisdale, Heyfield, Maffra, and Sale.