The minister was impressed by the view of Toonumbar Dam at Bells Bay Campground.

When Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig visited Kyogle on Thursday, October 9, Kyogle Council staff took Mr Hoenig to Bells Bay Campground.

“It’s magnificent,” he said.

“It’s like a loch in Scotland.”

Mr Hoenig looked out across the water. People were nearby swimming next to the pontoon.

“It’s a state asset,” he said.

Unfortunately Mr Hoenig’s department does not deal with WaterNSW and its drive to dispose of the assets around Toonumbar Dam.

Read more about the Kyogle Fishing Club’s fight to maintain access to Bells Bay Campground here.

The minister did say he would speak to State MP Janelle Saffin about it when they met on Friday, October 10.

Mr Hoenig was in Kyogle to talk to councillors and council staff and they had a roundtable session at Kyogle Council Chambers.

He visited the biggest bridge Kyogle Council has ever built at Grieves Crossing.

Despite how impressed Mr Hoenig was with Toonumbar Dam, negotiations are still going on between WaterNSW, Ms Saffin, Kyogle Council and the Kyogle Fishing Club.

Fishing club president Barry Reeves said the club received a 40-page licence agreement on Friday, October 10.

While Mr Reeves is still going through the document, he said it was all looking good.

On October 7, WaterNSW lifted the blue-green algae Red Alert warning issued on 10 September for Toonumbar Dam. Toonumbar Dam is now on Green Alert but there was a lot of plant growth on the surface of the dam near the dam wall. See below.

This article appeared on indyNR.com on 12 October 2025.