Lake Macquarie (New South Wales)

Lake Macquarie
Newcastle, Central Coast, New South Wales
Awaba (Awabakal)[2]
View from Swansea showing Pulbah Island
Lake Macquarie
Location	Hunter, Central Coast (Map)
Coordinates	33°05′S 151°35′E / 33.083°S 151.583°E / -33.083; 151.583
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
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
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 / -33.09278; 151.59000
Established	July 1970 (1970-07)[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.