Western District Lakes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Western District Lakes |
| Designated | 15 December 1982 |
| Reference no. | 268[1] |
The Western District Lakes of Victoria, in the Western District of Victoria, south-eastern Australia, were recognised on 15 December 1982 as wetlands of international importance by listing under the Ramsar Convention, as Ramsar site no.268.
The site comprises nine lakes with a combined area of 329 square kilometres (127 sq mi), varying in depth and salinity from fresh water to hypersaline.[2] They include State Wildlife Reserves and Lake Reserves and serve as drought refuges for tens of thousands of waterbirds. Several threatened plants occur within the site, including the endangered Lepidium ashersonii. The lakes are used for various purposes, including recreational fishing and duck hunting as well as grazing, commercial fishing, and wastewater disposal. The lakes lie in a basaltic grassland landscape at an altitude of 40–90 metres (130–300 ft) above sea level. Average annual rainfall (recorded at Beeac) is 617 millimetres (24.3 in).[3] Lakes included in the site are:[4]
- Lake Beeac; hypersaline; 662 hectares (1,640 acres)
- Lake Bookar; 500 hectares (1,200 acres)
- Lake Colongulac; saline; 1,460 hectares (3,600 acres)
- Lake Corangamite; hypersaline; 23,300 hectares (58,000 acres)
- Lake Cundare; hypersaline; 395 hectares (980 acres)
- Lake Gnarpurt; saline; 2,350 hectares (5,800 acres)
- Lake Milangil; saline; 125 hectares (310 acres)
- Lake Murdeduke; saline; 1,550 hectares (3,800 acres)
- Lake Terangpom; fresh; 208 hectares (510 acres)
