Lake George (South Australia)
| Lake George | ||
|---|---|---|
| Geographical location | South Australia , Australia | |
| Drain | none (?) | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 37 ° 25 ′ S , 139 ° 59 ′ E | |
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| length | 13 km | |
| width | 8 kilometers | |
| Maximum depth | 3.5 m | |
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particularities |
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Lake George ( Aboriginal name: Werriwa ) is a salt lake that is located in the south of the Australian state of South Australia near the small coastal town of Beachport . The first European to visit the lake in 1820 was Joseph Wild, who named it after the British King George IV . Lake George is located about 40 kilometers northeast of Canberra . Its water is more salty than the nearby ocean . The lake is popular with bird watchers because of its bird life and fishermen because of its fishing groundsvisited. Lake George and four other lakes belong to the Lake Hawdon System Important Bird Area, a bird protection zone of the Important Bird Area .
Origin and development
East of the salt lake lies the George Range, a flattened ridge of the Great Dividing Range , which was probably formed in the Miocene around 23 to 5.3 million years ago or even earlier. This ridge feeds the 984 m² sedimentary basin between the Yass and Shoalhaven rivers with water. The lake did not have a natural drain into the Pacific Ocean . In the last 10,000 years, a lake with a size of up to 80 km² was created in the basin, changed its size depending on the amount of water and was preserved. When the lake filled, it was about 50 kilometers long, 10 kilometers wide and 6 to 8 meters deep. The lake fell dry in 1838–39, 1846–1850, 1930–1934, 1936–1947 and 1982.
In the early 1900s, Lake George was connected to the Pacific Ocean by a canal . This brought sea fish such as mullets and salmon into the lake and from the 1950s to the 1970s Lake George became a popular fishing area. Angled and fished with nets of limited mesh size. As a result, the fish stocks were preserved. Then three commercial fishing licenses were issued, which did not cause any problems until the 1990s. Due to the onset of droughts and water shortages, hardly any fresh water got into the lake, the water temperature rose and the onset of oxygen deficiency led to fish deaths. As a result, the government withdrew their fishing licenses and recreational fishing was banned. In the years after this event, water management was improved through drainage measures and fishing was allowed again in the early 2000s with fishing quotas. In 2015 the water level fell again, and it was decided to close the drainage of the water from the lake through the channel into the sea. The water level is also checked. The water quality improved, the fish stocks increased again and mullet, salmon and flounder are being caught again.
Leisure and fauna
Lake George is a place for fishermen and bird watchers; it is rarely used for swimming because of its high salt content. Near Beachport there is the 3 Mile Bend Campground and picnic areas at the salt lake. You can go hiking on the lake and the Beachport Conseration Park extends to the western land zone of the lake .
In addition to numerous water birds, the rare golden-bellied parakeet can be seen, which is believed to have fewer than 200 individuals.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Lake George , on Britannica. Retrieved December 25, 2019
- ↑ Lake George , on Mount Gambier Point. Retrieved December 25, 2019
- Jump up ↑ Lake George , 2015, from South Australia Recreational Fishers Association. Retrieved December 25, 2019
- ^ Lake George - Camping, Fishing & Duck Hunting, South Australia. In: Mount Gambier Point. March 12, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2019 (American English).