Description:Lake Macquarie is a large and pleasant lake characterised by a great diversity of towns on its edges. It is located approximately 110 km from Sydney via Highway 1 and the freeway conditions beyond Hornsby (at the northern end of Sydney) ensure that it is easily accessible from the city. At the northern end there are flotillas of bobbing boats and white, flapping sails which crowd the lake and fishing and swimming are also popular. At the southern end small towns nestle into the wilderness. Most of the destinations are designed to take full advantage of the views across the lake. The lake itself is the largest coastal saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere, covering 109 square kilometres (four times the size of Sydney Harbour). It is 24 km long, 3.2 km across at its widest point and 9.7 m at its deepest. There is no appreciable tidal range within the lake although the tidal race at Swansea Channel can be strong. There are 92 towns and villages, 29 public boat ramps, 28 public jetties and wharves and 7 marina berth around the lake. The Swansea channel has six boat ramps and a public wharf by the southern side of the bridge. Lake Macquarie is linked to the ocean by a narrow channel. It was, at one time, a bay, but it was almost enclosed by the development of sandbars caused by wind, waves and tides. The lake's foreshore consists of 174 km of bays, beaches and headlands. The eastern side of the lake is well-developed and tourist oriented. The western side is quieter and more rural with scrubby woodland fringing the shores and the Watagan Mountains in the background. The southern shore is characterised by bushland and wetlands while the northern shore is part of the Newcastle sprawl, complete with heavy, industry, including a major sulphide factory. The area around the lake has old ties with coalmining which is still the backbone of the local economy. There are about a dozen mines around the lake, a few dating back to the start of the century.
Jurisdictions::Lake Macquarie City Council
