Broken Bay

Broken Bay
Broken Bay
	Aerial photograph showing the mouth of Broken Bay as it flows into the Tasman Sea, as seen looking across Sydney's North Shore and Northern Beaches
	Broken Bay
Location	Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	33°34′07″S 151°19′00″E / 33.56861°S 151.31667°E
Type	Bay
Primary inflows	Hawkesbury River, Brisbane Water, Pittwater
Surface area	17.1 km2 (6.6 sq mi)
Average depth	9.8 m (32 ft)
Water volume	0.17 km3 (0.041 cu mi)
Islands	Lion Island
Website	NSW Environment and Heritage webpage

Broken Bay, a semi-mature tide-dominated drowned valley estuary,^[1] is a large inlet of the Tasman Sea located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Sydney on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia; being one of the bodies of water that separate greater Metropolitan Sydney from the Central Coast. Broken Bay is the first major bay north of Sydney Harbour in the state capital of Sydney.

Broken Bay has its origin at the confluence of the Hawkesbury River, Pittwater, and Brisbane Water and flows openly into the Tasman Sea.

The total surface area of the bay is approximately 17.1 square kilometres (6.6 sq mi).

^ ^a ^b 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.