Lake Cania is a man-made lake which was constructed in the early 1980’s. The construction of the lake resulted in the old gold mining township of Cania being submerged.
Some of the cemeteries historical tombstones were saved from the Old Cania Township cemetery and mounted at the Cania Dam lookout. Story Boards are located inside the lookout building and explaining the construction and specifications of the lake.
The water collected in this reservoir is primarily for the use of primary producers and during times of low rainfall water is released from the lake to refill aquifers, allow further irrigation of crops and replenish the town water supply.
An unexpected benefit of the Lake its popularity for year-round fishing and water sports during the warmer months. For the anglers of you out there – the lake contains yellow belly, saratoga, bass and perch. Each year the Cania Dam Fishstocking Association conducts a fishing competition attracting anglers far and wide.
**Remember if you are planning to go fishing – you need to purchase your fishing permit from an Australia Post outlet.**
The Legend of Gold under the Wall
It is rumoured that during construction of the Cania Dam Wall (along Three Moon Creek) a large deposit of gold was discovered. The deposit was so large that it could have paid for the construction of the dam many times over.
As the project was running to a strict timeline. Construction continued and the deposit now lies under a large concrete and rock dam wall. This wall is visible on your approach to lake Cania.