Dartmouth Dam draws thousands of visitors as spill keeps flowing

The only motel in town was fully booked on Saturday and since the caravan park closed during the COVID doldrums, the nearest accommodation other than two-night holiday lettings is at downstream Mitta.

The dam on Friday was at 101 per cent capacity and with little rain expected over the weekend, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority said releases will remain at 6000 megalitres a day - plenty to attract more sightseers to the normally sleepy town.

MDBA executive director of river management Andrew Reynolds said with further rain forecast later in the week, the authority would adjust releases as the forecast becomes more certain and in response to inflows.

Dartmouth Motor Inn owner Debbie Ormrod, who is fully booked for Saturday night, however, is still hoping for "some serious rain".

"I want it to overflow forever," Ms Ormrod said. "People who have lived here for a long time have never seen anything like this.

"We're fully booked out on Saturday and also next Saturday. It's all to do with the dam - 99 per cent of the calls I take for bookings ask how much the dam is overflowing.

"We're getting bookings from people from far away, a few from Melbourne but also from regional areas."

Dartmouth publican Aaron Scales said there was a solution for those who didn't mind basic accommodation.

"There is no accommodation at the caravan park - it's closed - but people can camp in the pub grounds, we are offering it for free," Mr Scales said.

"We don't have a lot of room, and there are no showers but there are toilet facilities.

"As for meals, we are fully booked for Saturday, Sunday and Monday but we do take walk-ins.

"It's getting busier, absolutely pumping. Last Sunday we cooked 285 meals."

Dartmouth General Store and Post Office manager Lorrae Smyth said one of the best aspects about the attention was seeing Dartmouth become "a real town".

"The dam is definitely roaring now - you can hear it roar in town - you think, is that a truck coming up the road?" Ms Smyth said.

"It's going off. Thousands and thousands of people, the ABC report that said that wasn't exaggerating and I think people in Melbourne are hearing about it through the media reports and social media.

"The CFA shed is well and truly booming. Seeing people sitting around the parklands, it's like a real little town for a change.

"There are holiday houses but for most of them there is a minimum of two nights."

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