Stirling Dam

Stirling Dam

Approximately 17km east of Harvey. Turn onto Weir Road from the South Western Highway (the last 7 km of the road is unsealed). Named after Governor Stirling, the dam is set in natural bush land, perfect for getting back to nature! Construction of the Dam started in the 1940s to supplement the Harvey Weir by channeling water through a gravitational system. This is now sent to the metro area. Dam capacity of 57,000 megalitres.

There is a large BBQ, picnic gazebo, parking and toilets. At the south side of the Stirling Dam over the wall, a walk trail follows the dam overflow course, approximately 500m circuit or 15 minutes. Maps available from DEC or the Harvey Visitor Centre. Other features are abundant wildflowers in August, September and October. No fires or camping permitted.

Fishing and marroning are no longer permitted at Stirling Dam and the Harvey River upstream of Stirling Dam. This is in order to safeguard the quality of water being supplied to the people of Harvey, Mandurah, Rockingham and Perth.

No Marroning
No Camping
No Fishing
No Boating
No Polluting
No Shooting
No Hunting
No Swimming/Wading
No Dogs
No Horses
No Off Road Vehicles

Acceptable activity in the catchment at designated sites with conditions.
· Designated picnic areas have toilets and rubbish collection/removal facilities, an attractive outlook but no access to watercourses and outside the proposed RPZ.
· Recommended picnic sites to be at Hoffman’s Mill and downstream of the Stirling Dam wall. Close access to the picnic sites at Rocky Crossing and Fish Ladder.
· Consider picnicking opportunities as part of regional recreational planning exercise.
· Prohibit dogs being brought into the catchment through education/signs and promotional material and by-laws.

Stirling Dam is now open to tourism. A two year upgrade of the Stirling Dam has been completed. The 60-year-old dam near Harvey underwent the $47 million upgrade to bring its infrastructure in line with current engineering standards. The project involved modifying the dam’s earth embankment to ensure it could cope with the highest rainfall event predicted for the area. Stage 2 Upgrade of dam works entailed strengthening and re cladding of dam wall, access around site and spillway improvement.  Redisigning the carpark and area below dam wall.

Stirling Dam, when full, covers an area of around 320 hectares and is located in WA. The Stirling Dam is fed by the Harvey River.
Towns, villages or cities near Stirling Dam include the town of Harvey, the village of Cookernup (show me) and the village of Yarloop. Bonzle users have caught and/or seen rainbow trout at Stirling Dam (Note: some species of fish may not be available at all times of the year. Always check State/Territory fishing regulations for size, bag/possession limits and licensing/permit requirements. Some native fish are protected and may not be taken).

Birdwatching

Are you a keen bird watcher? Have you been bird watching at Stirling Dam? 
* Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo
* Baudin’s Black Cockatoo
* Brown Goshawk
* Purple-Crowned Lorikeet
* Red-Capped Parrot
* Western Rosella
* Pallid Cuckoo
* Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo
* Tawny Frogmouth
* Scarlet Robin
* White-Breasted Robin
* Western Yellow Robin
* Golden Whistler
* Grey Fantail
* Splendid Fairy-Wren
* Red-Winged Fairy Wren
* White-Brown Scrubwren
* Western Gerygone
* Inland Thornbill
* Western Thornbill
* Yellow-Rumped Thornbill
* Varied Sittella
* Rufous Whistler
* Western Wattlebird
* White-Naped Honeyeater
* Mistletoebird
* Spotted Pardalote
* Striated Pardalote
* Wedge-Tail Eagle
* Magpie
* Willy Wagtail
* Kookaburra
* Pacific Black Duck
* Purple Swamphen
* Blue Martin
* Western Ringneck (28 Parrott)
* Galah
* Wild Duck
* Black Crow