Chipping Norton Lake is a

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

and

regional park A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government. Definition A regional park can be a special park distri ...

located in the Sydney suburb of ,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It is a part of the Georges River system. Chipping Norton Lake is managed by Liverpool City Council. The lake is an important

recreational Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...

area for Liverpool, City of Canterbury-Bankstown and

Fairfield City Council The Fairfield City Council is a local government area in the west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council was first incorporated as the "Municipal District of Smithfield and Fairfield" on 8 December 1888, and the cou ...

History

The Chipping Norton Lake area was inhabited by the

Tharawal The Dharawal people, also spelt Tharawal and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people, identified by the Dharawal language. Traditionally, they lived as hunter–fisher–gatherers in family groups or clans with ties of kinship, s ...

and

Darug The Dharug or Darug people, formerly known as the Broken Bay tribe, are an Aboriginal Australian people, who share strong ties of kinship and, in pre-colonial times, lived as skilled hunters in family groups or clans, scattered throughout much ...

people before European settlement. The land where the lake is now situated, on the right bank of the Georges River, was granted to Thomas Rowley and George Johnston, with much of the land upstream given to

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

, an early settler and carpenter for the colony, who established farmland around the river. In the 1950s, sand mining on the point bar caused irreversible environmental destruction, and the area remained lifeless thereafter. In the late 1970s it was decided to flood the mine, leaving a large lake. Vegetation was planted around the lake to make a wildlife reserve.

Natural environment

There are over fifty different kinds of birds around the lake including pelicans, purple swamphens, egrets, maned ducks, pacific black ducks, sacred ibis, and pardalote; making birdwatching quite popular. The surrounding forests are filled with sedgelands, reeds and mangroves and the other native trees include the swamp oak, forest red gum, blue box, grey box, bangalay and rough barked apple. The alluvial woodland vegetation is another striking feature of the lake as it is an endangered ecological community. The City of Liverpool, City of Canterbury-Bankstown and the City of Fairfield work together to manage the wildlife refuge and recreation areas of Chipping Norton Lake. There are four islands within the lake that serve as wildlife refuges for native birds and visitor access is prohibited. Bull sharks have been sighted in the lake.

Recreation

Chipping Norton Lake has a regional park located on Homestead Avenue, providing

cycleway Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except wher ...

s, barbecue facilities, picnic areas, playground equipment, boat ramps, sporting fields and the Georges River Environment Education Centre. There is also a beach in the lake called ''Grand Flaneur Beach'' at Homestead Park. Although swimming is permitted at the beach, it is not recommended because of poor water quality. The Chipping Norton Lake also have a number of walkways. Watercraft are permitted on Chipping Norton Lake. however, a strict speed limit of eight knots applies. The Lake also features a community hall that can be hired by residents or community groups for birthday parties, christenings, barmitzvahs, weddings or any other type of function. The hall can accommodate up to 100 people and has an upstairs balcony with views across the lake and surrounding parkland.

Parks

The lake is surrounded by a number of parks, recreational areas and/or reserves: East side: *''Henry Lawson Reserve'' *''Flinders Slopes'' *''Lake Gillawarna'' *''Rowley Park'' *''Garrison Point Reserve'' *''Liverpool Golf Club'' *''Georges River Golf Course'' West side: *''Irelands Bridge Reserve'' *''South Park'' *''Angle Park'' *''Homestead Park'' *''Black Muscat Park'' *''Heron Park'' *''Riverside Park''

References

External links