Lake Illawarra | |
---|---|
Illawarra Lake [1] | |
Location of Lake Illawarra in New South Wales | |
Location | Illawarra, New South Wales |
Coordinates | 34°31′25″S150°50′04″E / 34.52361°S 150.83444°E [2] |
Type | An open and trained intermediate wave dominated barrier estuary [3] |
Native name | |
Primary inflows | Macquarie Rivulet, Mullet Creek |
Primary outflows | Tom Thumb Entrance, Tasman Sea |
Catchment area | 238 km2 (92 sq mi) |
Basin countries | Australia |
Managing agency | Lake Illawarra Authority |
Surface area | 35.8 km2 (13.8 sq mi) |
Average depth | 2.1 metres (6 ft 11 in) |
Water volume | 74,275 ML (2,623.0×10 6 cu ft) |
Surface elevation | 0.3 metres (1 ft 0 in) AHD |
Frozen | never |
Settlements | Wollongong Shellharbour |
References | [4] [5] |
Lake Illawarra (Aboriginal Tharawal language: various adaptions of Elouera, Eloura, or Allowrie; Illa, Wurra, or Warra meaning pleasant place near the sea, or, high place near the sea, or, white clay mountain [1] ) is an open and trained intermediate wave dominated barrier estuary [3] or large coastal lagoon , [1] is located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, situated about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Sydney, Australia.
Until 2014, the lake environment was administered by the Lake Illawarra Authority (LIA), a New South Wales statutory authority established pursuant to the Lake Illawarra Authority Act 1987 (NSW) with the aim of transforming the degraded waters and foreshores of Lake Illawarra into an attractive recreational and tourist resource. In 2014, the LIA was replaced by the Lake Illawarra Estuary Management Committee (LIEMC), including representatives from Wollongong and Shellharbour City Councils, as well as independent scientific advisors, community members, and local Aboriginal representatives.
Located south of the city of Wollongong, north of the city of Shellharbour, and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) northeast of Dapto, Lake Illawarra receives runoff from the Illawarra escarpment through Macquarie Rivulet and Mullet Creek, drawing from a catchment area of 238 square kilometres (92 sq mi). With an average depth of 2.1 metres (6 ft 11 in), the relatively shallow lake, brought about because of infilling by sand which has been eroded from the surrounding catchments, [6] covers a surface area of 35.8 square kilometres (13.8 sq mi). At an elevation of 0.3 metres (1 ft 0 in) AHD , the maximum volume of water held in the lake is 74,275 megalitres (2,623.0×10 6 cu ft). [5]
The narrow tidal entrance to the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean is located at Windang. Before 2007 Lake Illawarra was frequently closed to the sea. The lake system received large amounts of nutrient and sediment from the catchment which tended to remain within the lake. Water levels within the lake also fluctuated greatly, affecting the local flora species. In July 2007 the Lake Illawarra Authority completed works on training the entrance of the lake to create a permanent opening to the sea.
Located on the western shore of Lake Illawarra at Yallah is the natural gas-powered Tallawarra Power Station. The power station draws water from the lake for cooling purposes, and returns water to the lake via an onsite water management system that ensures water quality is maintained at levels above the catchment average. [7]
The lake's location within the sprawling Wollongong urban area means that Lake Illawarra is vulnerable to pollution and urban run-off. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
Lake Illawarra is popular for recreational fishing, prawning and sailing. On 12 January 2009, it is suspected a man was bitten by a bull shark whilst snorkelling at Windang, near the mouth of Lake Illawarra.
Birds found at the lake include pelicans, cormorants, musk ducks, hoary-headed grebes, black swans, black ducks, grey teal ducks, herons, ibises and spoonbills.
The traditional custodians of the land surrounding what is now known as Lake Illawarra are the Aboriginal Tharawal and Wadi Wadi peoples. Lake Illawarra was a valuable source of food and spirituality. Burial sites and middens (shell and camp rubbish heaps) discovered at Windang and surrounding areas indicate that the Wadi Wadi used the area extensively and performed various corroborees and ceremonies in the area. [14] The name Illawarra is derived from various adaptions of the Aboriginal Tharawal language words of elouera, eloura, or allowrie; illa, wurra, or warra mean generally a pleasant place near the sea, or high place near the sea, or white clay mountain. [1]
Matthew Flinders and George Bass called the lake Tom Thumb's Lagoon on Flinders' chart, named after their little boat the Tom Thumb, when they were there in March 1796. [15] [ dubious ] [14] [16]
In Lake Illawarra: an ongoing history, Joseph Davis provides a wide-ranging environmental and historical biography of the lake and its foreshores. The book also contains many images and photographs depicting the lake. [17] Davis edited John Brown of Brownsville: his manuscripts, letterbook and the records of Dapto Show Society 1857-1904 that deals with the man who did most to protect the vegetation of the lake islands, [18] and he authored Gooseberry & Hooka: the island reserves of Lake Illawarra 1829-1947, the latter examining the records of John Brown and others and deals with the history of these two islands and how they survived to become nature refuges rather than recreation reserves. [19]
The Georges River, also known as Tucoerah River, is an intermediate tide-dominated drowned valley estuary, located to the south and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Dapto is a suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the western side of Lake Illawarra and covering 7.15 square kilometres (2.76 sq mi). As at the 2016 census, the suburb had a population of 10,730.
The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour and the coastal town of Kiama. Wollongong is the largest city of the Illawarra with a population of 240,000, then Shellharbour with a population of 70,000 and Kiama with a population of 10,000. These three cities have their own suburbs. Wollongong stretches from Otford in the north to Windang in the south, with Maddens Plains and Cordeaux in the west.
The Hunter River is a major river in New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter River rises in the Liverpool Range and flows generally south and then east, reaching the Tasman Sea at Newcastle, the second largest city in New South Wales and a major harbour port. Its lower reaches form an open and trained mature wave dominated barrier estuary.
Pittwater is a semi-mature tide dominated drowned valley estuary, located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia; being one of the bodies of water that separate greater Metropolitan Sydney from the Central Coast.
Port Hacking Estuary, an open youthful tide dominated, drowned valley estuary, is located in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Sydney central business district. Port Hacking has its source in the upper reaches of the Hacking River south of Helensburgh, and several smaller creeks, including South West Arm, Bundeena Creek and The Basin and flows generally to the east before reaching its mouth, the Tasman Sea, south of Cronulla and north–east of Bundeena. Its tidal effect is terminated at the weir at Audley, in the Royal National Park. The lower estuary features a substantial marine delta, which over time has prograded upstream. There is also a substantial fluvial of the Hacking River at Grays Point. The two deltas are separated by a deep basin.
Lake Macquarie 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.
Myall River, an open semi-mature brackish freshwater barrier estuary of the Mid-Coast Council system, is located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Kanahooka High School is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located in Kanahooka, 15 kilometres (9 mi) southwest of the city of Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
Allowrie was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales first created in 1904 and replacing Shoalhaven and part of Moruya. Its name appears to be Aboriginal, meaning "pleasant place near the sea" or "high place near the sea" and may be the source of the name Illawarra. In 1920, with the introduction of proportional representation, it was absorbed into Wollondilly, along with Wollongong.
The Minnamurra River, an open mature wave dominated barrier estuary, is located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
Karuah River, an open semi-mature tide dominated drowned valley estuary is located in the Mid North Coast and Hunter regions of New South Wales, Australia.
Bermagui River is an open and trained semi-mature wave dominated barrier estuary or perennial river located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Camden Haven River, an open and trained intermediate wave dominated barrier estuary, is located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
The Wonboyn River, an open youthful wave dominated barrier estuary or perennial stream, is located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Smiths Lake, an intermittently closed youthful saline coastal lagoon, is located within the Mid-Coast Council local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Smiths Lake is located adjacent to the village of Smiths Lake, and adjacent to the east coast, about 274 kilometres (170 mi) north of Sydney.
The Avoca Lake, formerly known as Avoca Lagoon and as Bulbararing Lagoon, is an intermittently closed intermediate saline coastal lagoon that is located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Avoca Lake is located between the beachside settlements of North Avoca and Avoca Beach, and adjacent to the east coast, about 85 kilometres (53 mi) north of Sydney.
The Crooked River, officially designated as a creek, is an open mature wave dominated barrier estuary located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
St Georges Basin is an open intermediate estuary, or inland sea, located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, adjacent to the Jervis Bay Territory.
The Wodiwodi also pronounced Whardi Whardi peoples are the Indigenous Australian people of New South Wales, a sub-group of the Dharawal nation.