kids encyclopedia robot

List of lakes of Australia facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts


Natural freshwater lakes in Australia are rare due to the general absence of glacial and tectonic activity in Australia.

Types

Most lakes in Australia fall within one of five categories. Excluding lakes and lagoons created by man-made dams for water storage and other purposes, one can identify the following:

  • coastal lakes and lagoons including perched lakes;
  • natural freshwater inland lakes, often ephemeral and some part of wetland or swamp areas;
  • the Main Range containing mainland Australia's five glacial lakes. In Tasmania, due to glaciation, there are a large number of natural freshwater lakes on the central plateau, many of which have been enlarged or modified by hydro-electric developments;
  • predominantly dry, salt lakes in the flat desert regions of the country lacking organised drainage; and
  • lakes created in volcanic remnants.

List of lakes and lagoons by state and territory

Australian Antarctic Territory

The following is a list of prominent natural lakes and lagoons in the sector of Antarctica claimed by Australia as the Australian Antarctic Territory:

Order Name Type Region Designation Area Image Notes
ha acre
1 Braunsteffer Lake Glacial Princess Elizabeth Land 0.0769 0.19
2 Club Lake Glacial
3 Collerson Lake Glacial
4 Dingle Lake Glacial 68 168
5 Krok Lake Glacial
6 Station Tarn Glacial
7 Stinear Lake Glacial
8 Lake Vereteno Glacial
9 Lake Zvezda Glacial

Australian Capital Territory

In the Australian Capital Territory there are no prominent naturally-formed lakes and lagoons. Artificial lakes include Bendora Dam, Cotter Dam, Corin Dam, Lake Burley Griffin, Lake Ginninderra, Lake Tuggeranong, and Stranger Pond.

New South Wales

The following is a list of prominent natural lakes and lagoons in New South Wales:

Order Name Type Region Designation Area Image Notes
ha acre
1 Lake Albina Glacial Snowy Mountains
0.66 2 Lake Albina.jpg
2 Avoca Lake Coastal Central Coast 70 173 Avoca Lake - panoramio.jpg
3 Lake Bathurst Freshwater ephemeral Southern Tablelands 10 25
4 Blue Lake Freshwater ephemeral;
Glacial
Snowy Mountains
  • Kosciuszko National Park;
  • Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves;
  • Ramsar site
16 40 Blue Lake, Snowy Mountains - Lake - 3.jpg
5 Budgewoi Lake Coastal Central Coast 1,400 3,459
6 Lake Cathie Coastal
7 Chipping Norton Lake Freshwater ephemeral Greater Sydney Chipping Norton Lake.JPG
8 Lake Cootapatamba Glacial Snowy Mountains Kosciuszko03.JPG
9 Lake Cowal Freshwater ephemeral Central West
10 Dee Why Lagoon Coastal lagoon Northern Beaches Dee Why Lagoon (23963823480).jpg
11 Lake George Freshwater ephemeral Southern Tablelands 20081229 Lake George wind farm.jpg
12 Glenbrook Lagoon Freshwater ephemeral Blue Mountains (1)Glenbrook Lagoon 033.jpg
13 Glenrock Lagoon Coastal lagoon
14 Headley Tarn Glacial
15 Lake Illawarra Coastal Illawarra Lake Illawarra. View from Sublime Point lookout.jpg
16 Lake Macquarie Coastal Hunter Lake Macquarie (Swansea - Pulbah).jpg
17 Menindee Lakes Freshwater ephemeral Far West Menindee Lakes in NSW from 16,000ft.jpg
18 Lake Moore Freshwater ephemeral
19 Lake Mungo Saline Far West LakeMungo.jpg
20 Lake Munmorah Coastal Central Coast
21 Myall Lakes Coastal Mid North Coast Myall lakes.JPG
22 Narrabeen Lagoon Coastal Northern Beaches 220 544 Narrabeen overview.jpg
23 Narran Lakes Freshwater ephemeral
24 Smiths Lake Coastal Mid North Coast
25 St Georges Basin Coastal South Coast /
Jervis Bay Territory
26 Tabourie Lake Coastal Mid North Coast
27 Terrigal Lagoon Coastal lagoon Central Coast
28 Tuggerah Lake Coastal Central Coast Craigie park view.jpg
29 Lake Urana Saline Far West
30 Wallaga Lake Freshwater ephemeral
31 Wallis Lake Coastal Mid North Coast
32 Wamberal Lagoon Coastal lagoon Central Coast
33 Wattle Grove Lake Freshwater ephemeral
34 Willandra Lakes Saline Far West
35 Lake Wollumboola Coastal Mid North Coast
36 Wonboyn Lake Coastal Mid North Coast
37 Lake Woytchugga Freshwater ephemeral
38 Peery Lake Freshwater ephemeral Far West Ramsar 5,026 12,420 Peerylake.JPG

Northern Territory

The following is a list of prominent natural lakes and lagoons in the Northern Territory:

Order Name Type Region Designation Area Image Notes
ha acre
1 Lake Amadeus Saline South-west 103,200 255,013 Lake amadeus.jpg
2 Corella Lake Freshwater ephemeral
3 Lake Mackay Saline Great Sandy Desert;
Gibson Desert;
Tanami Desert
349,400 863,386 Lake mackay.jpg
4 Lake Neale Saline South-west 30,000 74,132
5 Numby Numby Sinkhole Gulf of Carpentaria Numby Numby sinkhole.jpg
6 Lake Sylvester Freshwater ephemeral Barkly Tableland 200,000 494,211
7 Tarrabool Lake Freshwater ephemeral Barkly Tableland Tarrabool Lake – Eva Downs Swamp System
Important Bird Area;
Register of the National Estate;
DIWA
118,600 293,067 Tarrabool lake.jpg
8 Lake Woods Freshwater ephemeral Barkly Tableland Important Bird Area;
Longreach Waterhole Protected Area (part)
118,600 293,067 Tarrabool lake.jpg
9 Lake Lewis Saline ephemeral

Queensland

The following is a list of prominent natural lakes and lagoons in Queensland:

Order Name Type Region Designation Area Image Notes
ha acre
1 Lake Awoonga Freshwater ephemeral Central 6,750 16,700 View of Lake Awoonga.jpg
2 Lake Barrine Volcanic Far North Atherton Tableland Lakebarrinephoto.jpg
3 Blue Lake Coastal South East North Stradbroke Island 500 1,236 Blue Lake.jpg
4 Boobera Lagoon Freshwater ephemeral South West
5 Lake Boomanjin Perched Fraser Island Great Sandy National Park 200 494 Fraser Island Lake Boomanjin Reflections.jpg
6 Brown Lake Coastal South East North Stradbroke Island Brown Lake (North Stradbroke Island).JPG
7 Lake Broadwater Coastal South East
8 Lake Buchanan Saline North Desert Uplands 11,700 28,911 Lake Buchanan (Queensland) satellite image.png
9 Lake Como Coastal South East
10 Lake Cooloola Coastal Wide-Bay
11 Lake Cooroibah Coastal South East Lake Cooroibah, Cooroibah, Queensland.jpeg
12 Lake Cootharaba Coastal Wide-Bay Great Sandy National Park Cooloola Region - Great Sandy National Park (2016).jpg
13 Lake Dunn Freshwater ephemeral Central West ISS057-E-99904 - View of Queensland.jpg
14 Lake Eacham Volcanic Far North Atherton Tableland 42.9 106 Lake Eacham.jpg
15 Lake Elphinstone Freshwater ephemeral Central Let's Go Fishing, Lake Elphinstone, Queensland, Australia, 29 June 2016.jpg
16 Lake Euramoo Volcanic Far North Tablelands Region 4.4 11 Lake Euramoo.jpg
17 Lake Galilee Saline Central West 25,700 64,000 Parkinsonia at Lake Galilee (Qld).jpg
18 Lake McKenzie Perched Fraser Island Great Sandy National Park 150 370 Fraser Island a05 lake mckenzie.jpg
19 Lake Nuga Nuga Freshwater ephemeral Central Highlands Nuga Nuga National Park
20 Lake Weyba Coastal South East 960 2.372 Lake Weyba (2099873732).jpg
21 Lake Wabby Perched Fraser Island Great Sandy National Park Lake Wobby.JPG
22 Lake Yamma Yamma Saline South East Channel Country

South Australia

The following is a list of prominent natural lakes and lagoons in South Australia:

Order Name Type Region Designation Area Image Notes
ha acre
1 Lake Albert Freshwater Murray Mallee Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland Ramsar site;
Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Important Bird Area
MeningieLakeAlbert.JPG
2 Lake Alexandrina 64,900 160,371 LowerLakes2004.jpg
3 Lake Blanche Saline Far North Strzelecki Desert Lakes Important Bird Area
4 Blue Lake Volcanic Limestone Coast 70 173 Blue Lake Water Colour.JPG
5 Lake Bonney SE Coastal Limestone Coast Canunda National Park 5,056 12,494
6 Lake Bonney Riverland Freshwater Riverland BarmeraLakeBonney.JPG
7 Lake Bumbunga Saline Mid North 1,388 3,430 Lake Bumbunga salt lake at Lochiel, South Australia in 2010.jpg
8 Lake Cadibarrawirracanna Saline Mid North Woomera Prohibited Area 6,000 14,826
9 Lake Callabonna Saline Far North Strzelecki Desert Lakes Important Bird Area 16,000 39,537 NASA-Lake-Callabonna.jpg
10 Coongie Lakes Wetlands Far North Ramsar Site;
Innamincka Regional Reserve;
Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park;
Strzelecki Regional Reserve
2,179,000 5,384,426 AustralianPelicansMcArthurRiverMouth.jpg
11 Lake Dey Dey Saline Far North
12 Lake Dutton Saline Far North
13 Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre Saline endorheic Far North Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park;
Elliot Price Conservation Park
950,000 2,347,501 Lake Eyre.jpg
14 Lake Frome Saline endorheic Flinders Ranges Lake Frome Regional Reserve 259,615 641,523 LakeFrome.jpg
15 Lake Gairdner Saline endorheic Eyre Peninsula Lake Gairdner National Park Lake Gairdner.jpg
16 Lake Gilles Saline Eyre Peninsula Lake Gilles Conservation Park
17 Goyder Lagoon Ephemeral swamp Far North
18 Lake Gregory Saline Far North
19 Lake Hart Saline
20 Lake Hope Saline ephemeral Far North Coongie Lakes wetland Ramsar Site 3,600 8,896
21 Lake Miranda Freshwater ephemeral
22 Seagull Lake Saline ephemeral Eyre Peninsula Sceale Bay Conservation Park 88 217
23 Serpentine Lakes Saline Great Victoria Desert Mamungari Conservation Park 9,700 23,969 Serpentine Lakes.JPG
24 Sleaford Mere Saline endorheic Eyre Peninsula Sleaford Mere Conservation Park 707 1,747
25 Lake Torrens Saline ephemeral Flinders Ranges Lake Torrens National Park 574,500 1,419,620 Stuart creek.jpg
26 Valley Lake Volcanic Limestone Coast
27 Watervalley Wetlands Contiguous wetlands Murray Mallee 13,100 32,371

Tasmania

The following is a list of prominent natural lakes and lagoons in Tasmania:

Order Name Type Region Designation Area Image Notes
ha acre
1 Lake Beatrice Freshwater Western 55 136
2 Lake Dora Freshwater Western 48 119
3 Dove Lake Cirque freshwater Central Highlands Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park 86 213 Dove-Lake from South-2008.jpg
4 Lake Dulverton Freshwater ephemeral Southern Midlands 230 568
5 Lake Edgar Fault scarp pond South West Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area 147 363
6 Lake Fidler Meromictic South West Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area
7 Lake Flannigan Freshwater King Island Game reserve (pending as at 2005) 150 371 King Island Lake Flanagan.jpg
8 Great Lake Freshwater Central Highlands 17,600 43,491 Great Lake, Tasmania.jpg
9 Jocks Lagoon Dystrophic lake Central Northern Ramsar site 18 44
10 Little Waterhouse Lake Freshwater coastal North East Ramsar Site 10 25 Tomahawk aerial.jpg
11 Lake Meston Freshwater Central Northern Walls of Jerusalem National Park
12 Orielton Lagoon Dystrophic coastal lagoon South East Coast Ramsar Site 3,334 8,240 Limosa lapponica flock - Orielton Lagoon.jpg
13 Lake Selina Glacial West Coast
14 Lake St Clair Freshwater Central Highlands Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park 4,500 11,120 Lake St Clair sunset.jpg
15 Lake Westwood Glacial West Coast 35 86

Victoria

The following is a list of prominent natural lakes and lagoons in Victoria.

Order Name Type Region Designation Area Image Notes
ha acre
1 Lake Batyo Catyo Freshwater ephemeral 230 568
2 Lake Corangamite Saline 23000 56834 View from Red Rock Victoria.jpg
3 Gippsland Lakes Coastal Gippsland Lakes.png
4 Lake Hindmarsh Freshwater ephemeral Wimmera 13500 33000
5 Mallacoota Inlet Coastal
6 Murtnaghurt Lagoon Saline 81 200
7 Lake Victoria Coastal lake 139 340 Lake Victoria from Collendina.jpg
8 Lake Tali Karng Freshwater Alpine 14 35 Tali Karng.jpg
9 Pink Lake (Victoria) Saline Wimmera 45 111

Western Australia

The following is a list of prominent natural lakes and lagoons in Western Australia:

Order Name Type Region Designation Area Image Notes
ha acre
1 Angove Lake Freshwater Great Southern Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve 33 82
2 Lake Anneen Saline Mid West 12,000 29,653
3 Lake Baghdad Saline Rottnest Island
4 Lake Ballard Saline ephemeral Goldfields-Esperance 4,900 12,108 Lake Ballard WA.jpg
5 Lake Barlee Saline Mid West 198,000 489,269 Lake Barlee.jpg
6 Bibra Lake Freshwater Perth Beeliar Regional Park
7 Lake Boonderoo Freshwater Goldfields-Esperance 2,500 6,178
8 Booragoon Lake Freshwater Perth Beeliar Regional Park
9 Boyd Lagoon Saline lagoon Gibson Desert 870 2,150
10 Lake Breaden Saline Gibson Desert 2,600 6,425
11 Lake Bryde-East Lake Bryde Freshwater wetland Great Southern Lake Bryde Nature Reserve 1,900 4,695
12 Lake Burnside Saline Gibson Desert 42,000 103,784
13 Lake Carey Saline Goldfields-Esperance
14 Lake Carnegie Ephemeral Goldfields-Esperance 571,400 1,411,960 Lake carnegie.jpg
16 Lake Dora Saline Pilbara Lake Dora, Western Australia satellite image.png
17 Dumbleyung Lake Saline Great Southern Dumbleyung Lake Nature Reserve 5,200 12,849 Dumbleyung Lake.jpg
18 Lake Dundas Saline Goldfields-Esperance
19 Forrestdale Lake Brackish seasonal groundwater Perth Forrestdale Lake Nature Reserve;
Forrestdale and Thomsons Lakes Ramsar Site
245 605 Forrestdale Lake.jpg
20 Lake Gore Seasonal freshwater Goldfields-Esperance Lake Gore Nature Reserve;
Lake Gore Ramsar Site
740 1,829
21 Lake Gregory Seasonal freshwater Kimberley Paraku Indigenous Protected Area
22 Herdsman Lake Freshwater Perth Herdsman Lake Regional Park 300 741 Herdsman lake gnangarra.jpg
23 Lake Hillier Saline Goldfields-Esperance Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve 1.5 4 Lake Hillier 2 Middle Island Recherche Archipelago NR IV-2011.JPG
24 Hutt Lagoon Saline Mid West Hutt Lagoon, Western Australia.jpg
25 Lake Jasper Freshwater South West 4,500 11,120
26 Lake Joondalup Freshwater Perth Yellagonga Regional Park Lake joondalup westward.JPG
27 Jualbup Lake Freshwater Perth Shenton Park Jualbup photo vegtiation1.JPG
15 Kumpupintil Lake Saline endorheic Pilbara 33,000 81,545 Lake Disappointment Western Australia.jpg
28 Lake Lefroy Saline ephemeral Goldfields-Esperance
29 Lake Mackay Saline Great Sandy Desert 349,400 863,386 Lake mackay.jpg
30 Lake McLarty Freshwater South West Lake McLarty Nature Reserve;
Peel-Yalgorup System Ramsar site
31 Lake Macleod Freshwater Gascoyne 150,000 370,658 Lake macleod.jpg
32 Loch McNess Freshwater Perth Yanchep National Park Yanchep sunset.jpg
33 Lake Magenta Saline ephemeral Wheatbelt Lake Magenta Nature Reserve 11,000 27,182
34 Lake Maitland Dry saline Mid West
35 Lake Monger Freshwater Perth Lake Monger Reserve 70 173
36 Lake Monginup Freshwater Goldfields-Esperance Lake Monginup Nature Reserve 32 79 Lake Monginup.jpg
37 Lake Muir Freshwater South West Muir-Byenup System Ramsar Site 4 10 Lakemuir.JPG
38 Lake Nabberu Saline Mid West 18,000 44,479
39 Lake Newell Goldfields-Esperance 2,600 6,425
40 North Lake Freshwater Perth Beeliar Regional Park
41 Perry Lakes Freshwater Perth Perry Lakes Reserve 12.6 31
42 Perth Wetlands Wetlands Perth Herdsman Lake Regional Park
43 Pink Lake Saline Goldfields-Esperance 99 245 Pink Lake Sunset.jpg
44 Lake Seppings Freshwater South West Lake Seppings Nature Reserve Lakeseppingmtclarence.jpg
45 Serpentine Lakes Saline Great Victoria Desert Mamungari Conservation Park 9,700 23,969 Serpentine Lakes.JPG
46 Lake Shaster Hypersaline Goldfields-Esperance Lake Shaster Nature Reserve 479 1,184
47 Lake Thetis Saline Mid West
48 Thomsons Lake Brackish seasonal groundwater Perth Thomsons Lake Nature Reserve;
Forrestdale and Thomsons Lakes Ramsar Site
538 1,329
49 Toolibin Lake Perched freshwater Wheatbelt Toolibin Lake Nature Reserve;
Toolibin Lake Ramsar Site
300 741
50 Lake Warden Saline Goldfields-Esperance Lake Warden Nature Reserve 59 146
51 Lake Way Dry saline Mid-West 46,000 113,668
52 Lake Wooleen Intermittent freshwater Mid-West 5,500 13,591

See also

  • List of reservoirs and dams in Australia
  • List of lagoons of Australia
kids search engine
List of lakes of Australia Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.