Study of coastal freshwater lakes in southern New South Wales

Abstract

There are few freshwater lakes associated with coastal dunes in southern New South Wales (NSW). Lake Nargal near Narooma, Bondi Lake near Bega, and a small lagoon near Pambula have little in common limnologically with coastal dune lakes of northern NSW and southern Queensland. They differ in mode of origin, are less dominated by NaCl, are less acidic, are more speciose, have few characteristic dune-lake indicator species, and moreover contain certain southern species. However, a re-examination of data for Lakes Windermere and McKenzie further north at Jervis Bay suggest that these are classic dune-contact lakes rather similar to those in northern NSW. Differences and similarities are largely influenced by the extent and therefore the hydrological influence of the contextural coastal sand mass and by biogeography.