Reservoir · Queensland · Australia · BOM Water Data Online
Lake MacDonald
38.6% full
Capacity
8 hm³
Volume stored
3 hm³
River
Six Mile Creek
Year completed
1965
Coordinates
26.392°S, 152.939°E
Last updated
2026-10-11
Current fill
38.6%vs 7 days ago
-0.3%losing
vs 1 year ago
+1.3%year-over-year
7-day trend
→stable
Drought context
Storage vs October average
62%of normal
38.6% full on 2026-10-11, against an average of 62.2% for October across 4 years of readings (-23.6 points).
Rain over the last three months · 21 September 2026
Near normal
In the three months to 21 September 2026 the area around Lake MacDonald had rain close to normal for the season. Rainfall compared with the long-run record for the same season at this point (Copernicus Global Drought Observatory, SPI-3 index −0.41). Rain, not storage. Australia drought figures →
Data source: Bureau of Meteorology — Water Data Online (KiWIS) — daily mean storage volume, quality-controlled. Capacity from the BOM Water Storages ArcGIS layer (total design capacity in ML). Last reading: 2026-10-11.
Catchment Weather
Past 30 days + 14-day forecast · Open-Meteo
Satellite imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics. Map: Esri, HERE, Garmin, © OpenStreetMap contributors. -26.392, 152.939 · Open in Google Maps
About Lake MacDonald
As of October 11, 2026, Lake MacDonald is filled to 38.6% of its total capacity, holding roughly 3 hm³ of water out of a maximum 8 hm³. At this level the reservoir is low.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has held broadly steady (-0.3 pts), and it is 1.3 points above its level on the same date a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Lake MacDonald — 1057 data points between October 13, 2023 and October 11, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 34.3% (November 15, 2025) to a high of 126.1% (March 29, 2025). On average the reservoir is fullest around March and at its lowest around September.
The dam at Lake MacDonald was completed in 1965. It is operated by BOM primarily for water supply. It lies within the Six Mile Creek Basin basin at 26.392°S, 152.939°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 38.6%
- Water stored
- 3 hm³
- Total capacity
- 8 hm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 0.3 pts
- Year-on-year
- ▲ 1.3 pts
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Six Mile Creek
- River basin
- Six Mile Creek Basin
- Year completed
- 1965
- Operator
- BOM
- Coordinates
- 26.392°S, 152.939°E
- Last updated
- October 11, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Oct 2026 | 38.6% | 3 |
| 10 Oct 2026 | 38.7% | 3 |
| 9 Oct 2026 | 38.8% | 3 |
| 8 Oct 2026 | 38.8% | 3 |
| 7 Oct 2026 | 38.8% | 3 |
| 6 Oct 2026 | 38.8% | 3 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 38.8% | 3 |
| 4 Oct 2026 | 38.9% | 3 |
| 3 Oct 2026 | 39.0% | 3 |
| 2 Oct 2026 | 39.1% | 3 |
| 1 Oct 2026 | 39.2% | 3 |
| 30 Sep 2026 | 39.2% | 3 |