Lake St Clair or ''leeawulenna'' is a natural

freshwater lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

located in the Central Highlands area of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

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 ...

. The lake forms the southern end of the

Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is located in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania (Australia), northwest of Hobart. The park contains many walking trails, and is where hikes along the well-known Overland Track usually begin. Majo ...

. It has an area of approximately , and a maximum depth of , making it Australia's deepest lake. The lake is fed by Narcissus River, Cuvier River, and Hamilton Creek and marks the start of the River Derwent. The locality of Lake St Clair is in the local government areas of Central Highlands (24%),

Meander Valley Meander Valley Council is a local government body in northern Tasmania. It covers the western outskirts of Launceston, and further westward along the Meander River. Meander Valley Council is classified as a rural local government area and h ...

(12%), and

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

(64%). The southern end of the lake is about north-west of the town of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Geology

Lake St Clair was formed through glacial erosion, along with the surrounding river valleys.

History

Lake St Clair is located on the edge of the Big River

Tasmanian Aboriginal The Aboriginal Tasmanians (Palawa kani: ''Palawa'' or ''Pakana'') are the Aboriginal people of the Australian island of Tasmania, located south of the mainland. For much of the 20th century, the Tasmanian Aboriginal people were widely, and ...

nation, and there is evidence that they hunted on the surrounding button grass plains. Numerous small quarries and campgrounds are located nearby, with the closest dated site putting human occupation at 10,000 years ago. The first European explorer to see the lake was surveyor William Sharland in 1832, with

George Frankland George Frankland (1800 – 30 December 1838) was an English surveyor and Surveyor-General of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). In 1823, Frankland was appointed surveyor-general at Poona, India, where he became acquainted with Edward Dum ...

leading an expedition to it three years later. In 1840 James Calder cut a track from the lake to

Macquarie Harbour Macquarie Harbour is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately , and has an average depth of , with deeper places up to . It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by the ...

, followed by another more practical track by Burgess. The Burgess track was maintained and re-cut by miners until 1883 when a new lower level route was discovered, which later became the

Lyell Highway The Lyell Highway (Route A10) is a highway in Tasmania, running from Hobart to Queenstown. It is the one of two transport routes that passes through the West Coast Range, the other being the Anthony Road. Name The name is derived from ...

. The area surrounding the lake was used by snarers and hunters from 1860 until the collapse of the fur trade in the 1950s, although it was illegal from 1927 onwards. In 1937 the Derwent River was dammed just below the lake, and a pumping station installed - enabling

Hydro Tasmania Hydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC) or The Hydro, is the trading name of the Hydro-Electric Corporation, a Tasmanian Government business enterprise which is the predominant electricity generator i ...

to drain the lake up to 6 metres and feed water to the

Tarraleah Power Station The Tarraleah Power Station is a hydroelectric power station located in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania, Australia. The power station is part of the Upper Derwent hydro scheme and is operated by Hydro Tasmania. History The Upper River ...

. The fluctuating water levels have caused erosion and

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...

since. The pumphouse was decommissioned in the 1990s, and transformed into a hotel in 2015. The Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair area was declared a scenic reserve in 1922, a wildlife reserve in 1927, a national park in 1947 and a world heritage area from 1982.

Geography

The locality has an area of , of which the lake occupies about in the south-east corner. The Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park occupies all of the locality, plus the locality of

Cradle Mountain Cradle Mountain is a locality and mountain in the Central Highlands region of the Australian state of Tasmania. The mountain is situated in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. At above sea level, it is the sixth-highest mountai ...

to the north.

Road infrastructure

The C193 route (Lake St Clair Road) enters from the south-east and runs to the southern shore of the lake, where it ends.

Tourism

In 1871, the Tasmanian Guidebook mentioned Lake St Clair as being "admired for its scenery by the few who visit". By 1900 there was a boatshed, accommodation, improved access and horse paddocks at Cynthia Bay, with the first tourists arriving by car in 1915. From 1911 the beginnings of the

Overland Track The Overland Track is an Australian Backpacking (wilderness), bushwalking track, traversing Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It's walked by more than nine thousand people each yea ...

began to form, with the route officially blazed by

Bert Nichols Bert or BERT may refer to: Persons, characters, or animals known as Bert *Bert (name), commonly an abbreviated forename and sometimes a surname *Bert, a character in the poem "Bert the Wombat" by The Wiggles; from their 1992 album Here Comes a Son ...

in 1931. A guesthouse was built at Cynthia Bay in 1930, followed by improved parking, camping and visitor facilities. The lake has been a popular tourist destination, with most tourists visiting to walk, photograph and learn about the history. Following a decision by the

Tasmanian Government The Tasmanian Government is the democratic administrative authority of the state of Tasmania, Australia. The leader of the party or coalition with the confidence of the House of Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament of Tasmania, is invite ...

to allow development in national parks and conservation areas an "in principle" permit was granted for the establishment of an "

eco-friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...

" resort at Pumphouse Point at Lake St Clair; completed in 2015.

Gallery

Lake St Clair sunset.jpg, Lake St Clair sunset Lake St Clair from Echo Point.jpg, Lake St Clair from Echo Point Our ride down Lake St. Clair - Flickr - brewbooks.jpg, Our ride down Lake St. Clair Lake St Clair NP Tas.jpg, Lake St Clair NP Tas Swallow in the mist of dawn, Pumphouse Point, Lake St Clair.jpg, Swallow in the mist of dawn, Pumphouse Point, Lake St Clair Echo Point - Lake St Clair - Dawn 01.jpg, Echo Point, Lake St Clair at dawn

References

External links

* *
Lake St Clair Fishing Information & Map
{{Authority control St Clair Central Highlands (Tasmania) Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park Localities of Central Highlands Council Localities of Meander Valley Council Localities of West Coast Council Towns in Tasmania