| Lake Macquarie | |
|---|---|
| Newcastle, Central Coast, New South Wales | |
| Awaba (Awabakal)[2] | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Lake_Macquarie_(Swansea_-_Pulbah).jpg) View from Swansea showing Pulbah Island | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Australia_New_South_Wales_relief_location_map.png)  Lake Macquarie | |
| Location | Hunter, Central Coast (Map) |
| Coordinates | 33°05′S 151°35′E / 33.083°S 151.583°E |
| Type | An open and trained youthful wave dominated barrier estuary[1] |
| Primary inflows | Cockle Creek, Dora Creek |
| Primary outflows | Tasman Sea |
| Catchment area | 604.4 km2 (233.4 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Max. length | 24 km (14.9 mi) |
| Max. width | 7.9 km (4.9 mi) |
| Surface area | 110 km2 (42.5 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Max. depth | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Shore length1 | 174 km (108.1 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 0 m (0 ft) AHD |
| Frozen | never |
| Islands | Pulbah Island plus several small islands |
| Settlements | City of Lake Macquarie, Central Coast Council |
| Website | Lake Macquarie at the Office of Environment & Heritage |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
| Pulbah Island Nature Reserve New South Wales | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Pulbah_Island.JPG) Photo showing the northern side of Pulbah Island | |
Pulbah Island Nature Reserve | |
| Nearest town or city | Lake Macquarie |
| Coordinates | 33°05′34″S 151°35′24″E / 33.09278°S 151.59000°E |
| Established | July 1970[3] |
| Area | 68 ha (168 acres)[3] |
| Visitation | Restricted |
| Website | Pulbah Island Nature Reserve |
| See also | Protected areas of New South Wales |
Lake Macquarie (Awabakal: Awaba) is Australia's largest coastal lagoon. Located in the City of Lake Macquarie and Central Coast Council local government areas in the Hunter and Central Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia, it covers an area of 110 square kilometres (42.5 sq mi) and is connected to the Tasman Sea by a short channel. Most of the residents of the City of Lake Macquarie live near the shores of the lagoon.
Lake Macquarie is twice as large as Sydney Harbour and is the largest coastal salt water lagoon in the Southern Hemisphere. It is slightly smaller than Port Stephens, which is about 43 kilometres (27 mi) to the northeast of the lagoon.
- ^ Roy, P. S; Williams, R. J; Jones, A. R; Yassini, I; et al. (2001). "Structure and Function of South-east Australian Estuaries". Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 53 (3): 351–384. Bibcode:2001ECSS...53..351R. doi:10.1006/ecss.2001.0796.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
awabawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Pulbah Island Nature Reserve: Park management". Office of Environment and Heritage. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 27 September 2014.