Myall Lakes National Park is a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

located in

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, north of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. It encompasses one of the state's largest coastal lake systems

Myall Lakes Myalls are any of a group of closely related and very similar species of '' Acacia'': * ''Acacia binervia ''Acacia binervia'', commonly known as the coast myall, is a wattle native to New South Wales and Victoria. It can grow as a shrub or as a ...

, and includes Broughton Island. The park includes 40 kilometres of beaches and rolling

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

. Myall Lakes is also one of the most visited parks in New South Wales.

History

The

Worimi The Worimi (also spelt Warrimay) people are Aboriginal Australians from the eastern Port Stephens and Great Lakes regions of coastal New South Wales, Australia. Before contact with settlers, their people extended from Port Stephens in the sout ...

Aboriginal people had inhabited the Myall Lakes National Park land area for its abundance of natural resources. These natural resources had offered a traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle for the Worimi people. The park includes important spiritual sites that are an important part of the identity of local Aboriginal people. Dark Point Aboriginal Place served as a location for the Worimi people to gather together for ceremonies and feasts and has been of significance to Worimi people for at least 4000 years.

Environment

Myall Lakes National Park incorporates a patchwork of freshwater lakes, the ocean, islands, native flora, dense littoral rainforest and beaches. Since 1999, Myall Lakes has been listed under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

Fauna

The lakes support a large variety of birds including

bowerbirds Bowerbirds () make up the bird family Ptilonorhynchidae. They are renowned for their unique courtship behaviour, where males build a structure and decorate it with sticks and brightly coloured objects in an attempt to attract a mate. The family ...

white-bellied sea eagle The white-bellied sea eagle (''Haliaeetus leucogaster''), also known as the white-breasted sea eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related t ...

and tawny frogmouths. Other native Fauna which can be seen in the park includes the nocturnal

long-nosed bandicoot The long-nosed bandicoot (''Perameles nasuta''), a marsupial, is a species of bandicoot found in eastern Australia, from north Queensland along the east coast to Victoria. Around long, it is sandy- or grey-brown with a long snouty nose. Omnivor ...

which has grey-brown fur and a pointed snout for which it uses to forage for worms and insects. The

Striped marsh frog The striped marsh frog or brown-striped frog (''Limnodynastes peronii'') is a predominantly aquatic frog native to coastal Eastern Australia. It is a common species in urban habitats. Taxonomy The striped marsh frog was described by French nat ...

can be found near ponds and swamps and has a distinct sound which can be heard all year round. The

Eastern swamp crayfish The eastern swamp crayfish (''Gramastacus lacus'') is a species of small freshwater crayfish from coastal New South Wales, Australia. It is distinguished from related species by large genital papilla on the males, large raised postorbital ridges ...

was first discovered here.

Climate

The average high temperature during the summer season averages between 19 °C and 27 °C. The highest temperature recorded at the park is 41.5 °C. The average temperature during the winter season averages between 10 °C and 19 °C with the lowest temperature on record being 1.1 °C. The wettest month typically occurs in May while the driest month occurs in November. The area's highest recorded rainfall in one day is 257.8mm.

Gallery

File:Dingo Front.JPG,

Dingo The dingo (''Canis familiaris'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (Basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage of dog found in Australia (continent), Australia. Its taxonomic classification is de ...

at Myall Lakes National Park File:Myall lakes national park.JPG, Dee's Corner File:Myall lakes.campsite.JPG,

Goanna A goanna is any one of several species of lizards of the genus '' Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous reptiles ranges ...

at one of the campsites File:Myall Lakes National Park Dunes.jpg,

Sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

at Myall Lakes National Park File:Myall Lakes National Park Birds.jpg, Local

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

at Myall Lakes National Park File:Myall Lakes National Park Dunes 2.jpg,

at Myall Lakes National Park File:Myall Lakes National Park Enterance.jpg, Park entrance at Myall Lakes National Park

History

Environment

Fauna

Climate

Gallery

Notes and references

See also