We remembered how, before the erection of the dam in 1957, Mount Isa relied for its water supplies on the small Rifle Creek Dam, augmented by water from bores.

And yet each year vast quantities of water poured down the Leichhardt River, overflowed its banks, and then either evaporated or made its way slowly north to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

As it ran off the hills and swells the Leichhardt River and Spring Creek, no longer would the sweet water run to waste.

Facing the problem of 'either too much or too little' water Mount Isa Mines Limited decided on an ambitious project that would take care of the city's water problem for the foreseeable future.

Work on the new dam began in 1956 with Utah (Australia) Limited working three shifts each day, two for operation and one for servicing equipment.

With the survey of the water basin completed, the work of clearing and burning off all trees and vegetation from the 1200 hectar basin proceeded.

An access road from the Barkly Highway to the dam was laid and bituminised, while a site for the pumping station was selected and blasting for the foundation of the building was begun.

Once the river bed under the dam had been cleared, grout holes were put down. To grout, a series of diamond drill bores were put down before liquid concrete was fed under pressure into the surround rock. In this way underground fissures and natural holes under the cut off wall were filled and sealed with concrete.

The spillway was blasted and cut through a hill, providing much of the rock fill for the dam wall, but further supplies of fill had to obtained by drilling and blasting a nearby mountain

The blasted rock was loaded by Eimco shovels on to Euclid trucks and carried 400m down to the new wall. The rock - a blue quartzite - proved to be ideal for the job of filling.

Visitors to the new dam site were impressed by the vigorous efforts of the contractors, planners and engineers of the project. The new dam will bring to all at Mount Isa a new sense of security and the promise of better, easier way of life.

With the opening of the new dam, to become known for a number of years as Leichhardt Dam, came happy groups of children wallowing in the calm water, giving way further out to their parents, swimming or lazily floating.

Beyond the buoys marking off the swimming area, sleek motor boats buzzed backwards and forwards, most of them towing water-skiers gracefully and swiftly energetic in the afternoon's heat.

Mount Isans may take Lake Moondarra for granted, today, but this enormous expanse of water in the arid spinifex never fails to impress newcomers and visitors.

Reality is usually spoken of as being harsh, but that is one adjective that in no way applied to the dam. Its 4300 acres of water, more than six miles long and almost as wide in places, made a veritable oasis in a desert waste, an oasis which took almost two years of toil and sweat to create out of the rugged wilderness.

Where once there was nothing but angry red rocks and dust, pale spinifex and stunted gums, there now existed wide expanses of vivid green foliage and grass, smooth beaches and most prominent of all, the huge gleaming concrete retaining wall that made this miraculous reclamation possible.

A board of management was set up, with four company representatives and three from the town, and the first meeting was held in April 1958. Plans of the area were drawn up and certain parts of the dam and shoreline were marked out for the various sports.

Transport Bay, the area reserved for swimming, was covered in smooth sand donated by Thiess Bros. and put down in their spare time by Company transport operators. A modern kiosk, toilet block and dressing shed, incorporating a number of showers were built for the comfort of visitors to the dam. Today, that building houses the North West Canoe Club.

Out of sight from the beach, behind the retaining wall, a special reserve for children was cleared and built, including a swimming pool, playground equipment and an aviary. The area, which is fully grassed and well shaded, continues to be a popular place for picnics albeit without the swimming pool.

On the recommendation a visiting iethyologist, the Board put almost 100 yellow belly and black bream into the dam, where, with the native perch and cod, they provided good sport for fishermen, and the following year Murray cod and more yellow belly from New South Wales hatcheries were included.

Sailing enthusiasts were quick to take advantage of the ideal conditions, and in the first six months there were three Gwens, a Sharpie, a Moth and a 12 ft Catamaran in the Mount Isa fleet.

Strict rules were drawn up by both the Board and the Boating Association to ensure the safety of everyone using the dam. A special area was set aside for water skiing. And outside this an 8 knot speed limit was observed. Members of the Life-Saving Club patrol the bath area regularly each Sunday making sure that all swimmers stay inside the buoys.

The 25 members of the club were fit and well-trained. On patrol they used a 15 ft surf ski, while a watch was kept from a tower on the shore. In their clubhouse a full first-aid kit and an automatic resuscitator was on hand, and all members are trained in their use. Members are also expected to try for the various life-saving awards and training was given in line and reel and general surf work.

Safety was a matter of the greatest importance, involving skier and boat-driver alike. The Leichhardt Dam was the only place in Australia where it was compulsory for skiers to wear life-jackets, and no one was allowed on to the water without one.

So well had local skiers progressed that the inaugural North-West Queensland Skiing Championships were held. Before this could take place, however, a slalom course had to be laid out and a ski jump erected at a cost of well over 200 pounds. Officials considered the publicity resulting from the championships would be adequate compensation for the outlay, and the jump and special course would be invaluable for training the more advanced skiers.

In 1962, the Board of Management held a competition to give a new name to the dam; the results we know today being Lake Moondarra (aboriginal for plenty of water), Transport Bay and Warrina Park.

Mount Isa's first Lake Moondarra festival drew thousands of people to the shores of the Lake. In conjunction with the festival, the first heat of the Sunday Mail's Sungirl Quest was staged at the lake.

The howl of outboard motors, the slap of water at the chine and white plumes of propeller-churned water are familiar sights and sound around the entire coastline of Australia.

The same sounds and sights more than 1,000 kilometres from the coast are a rarity. Yet at Mount Isa's newly name Lake Moondarra every weekend saw a flock of sleek powerboats laying wakes across the calm water.

The original boat owners were members of the Mount Isa Propriders' Association, an organisation of powerboat owners who were responsible for the control of all power boats on the lake.

Membership of the Propriders presents a better-than-average cross-section of Mount Isa's population - enthusiasm for sleek hulls and powerful motors is not confined to any particular social level. The Association's members include lawyers, clerks, miners, electricians, doctors, engineers, businessmen and labourers.

Competition water polo was conducted at the base of the dam wall in 1986 when the North Queensland Games Foundation held the 2nd Biannual Games in Mount Isa. Bush ingenuity held supreme when it was decided to hold the water polo competition at the Lake; a truly unique venue with spectators gathered along the dam wall and atop the look-out site.

Such was the early life of Lake Moondarra as it grew in holding capacity, gained a relative in Lake Julius and became a popular water sport and recreational destination.

There is nothing to compare with the excitement of watching the lake levels rise during the wet seasons; another year of valuable water for locals and visitors alike to enjoy. Lake Moondarra the blood line of Mount Isa.

n Pictures and story courtesy of North Queensland History Collections