Blue Lake (New South Wales)

Blue Lake
Frozen Blue Lake
Blue Lake is located in New South Wales
Blue Lake
Blue Lake
Location in New South Wales
LocationSnowy Mountains, New South Wales
Coordinates36°24′13″S 148°18′54″E / 36.40361°S 148.31500°E / -36.40361; 148.31500
TypeGlacial cirque
Primary inflowsSnowmelt
River sourcesBlue Lake Creek
Basin countriesAustralia
Designation
Surface area16 ha (40 acres)
Max. depth28 m (92 ft)
Surface elevation1,890 m (6,200 ft) AHD
FrozenJune–October
Designated17 March 1996
Reference no.800[1]

The Blue Lake is one of only four cirque lakes found in mainland Australia. The other three, Cootapatamba, Albina, and Club, are shallower and are held entirely by terminal moraines. Blue Lake's valley contains the best-developed glacial features in the Kosciuszko National Park alpine area of New South Wales. It was recognised as a wetland of international importance on 17 March 1996 when a 320-hectare (790-acre) area, comprising the lake and its surrounds, including nearby Hedley Tarn, was designated Ramsar Site 800 under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands.[2][3] The lake lies within the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves.

  1. ^ "Blue Lake". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ "The Annotated Ramsar List: Australia". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. 4 January 2000. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NPWS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).