Located about 35 km southwest of Inverell, between Bingara and Bundarra, Copeton Dam is a major clay core and rock fill embankment dam on the Gwydir River in New South Wales, Australia.
Built in the 1960s and commissioned in 1973, the dam was constructed for irrigation purposes. It has a rock fill volume of 8,547 cubic meters and stands at a height of 113 meters with a length of 1,484 meters. When filled to capacity, the dam holds around 1,364,000 megalitres of water at 572 meters AHD. The impounded reservoir, known as Lake Copeton, covers a surface area of 4,620 hectares, with a catchment area of 2,360 square kilometers.
The dam features a gate-controlled concrete chute spillway with a capacity of 1,280,000 megalitres per day. The water released from the dam is used for irrigation downstream, benefiting various crops such as pecan nuts, cotton, wheat, lucerne, vegetables, fruit trees, oil seeds, fodder, and pastures for sheep and cattle. Although the irrigated land covers about 30,000 hectares, which is less than the initial plan of 50,000 hectares, the Gwydir Valley has become a significant cotton-producing region in Australia.
In addition to its irrigation function, Copeton Dam offers a range of recreational activities. As one of the largest inland bodies of water in New South Wales, it provides an ideal setting for water sports like sailing, windsurfing, boating, water skiing, fishing, and swimming. The surrounding area also offers opportunities for bushwalking, with trails that showcase unique