Lake Victoria
Fields and cattle with Lake Victoria in the distance
View of lake from the west
A map of Victoria, Australia with a mark indicating the location of Lake Victoria
A map of Victoria, Australia with a mark indicating the location of Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Location in Victoria
LocationBellarine Peninsula, Victoria
Coordinates38°16′22″S 144°35′21″E / 38.27278°S 144.58917°E / -38.27278; 144.58917[1]
TypeSaline
Basin countriesAustralia
Surface area139 ha (340 acres)
References[2]

Lake Victoria is a 139-hectare (340-acre) shallow saline lake on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria in Australia, close to the township of Point Lonsdale and part of the Lonsdale Lakes Nature Reserve administered by Parks Victoria.[2]

Location and features

The lake is separated from Bass Strait by a narrow strip of coastal dunes. It forms part of the Swan Bay wetland system of shallow marine areas and lagoons, and is an important wetland for waterbirds and waders.[3]

The site is part of the Swan Bay and Port Phillip Bay Islands Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International.[4] Birds of conservation significance for which the lake and its surrounds are important include the hooded plover, little egret and orange-bellied parrot. It sometimes holds internationally significant numbers of red-necked stints and banded stilts.[5]

Plant communities consist of salt tolerant species typical of coastal dune woodland and saltmarsh in the region.[6] Woodland and tall shrubland along the southern lakeshore mainly consist of Moonah Melaleuca lanceolata, a species that is listed as threatened in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Lake Victoria". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 2 May 1966. Archived from the original on 4 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Map of Lake Victoria, VIC". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Hewish, M.J. (2003). Fauna values of three sub-coastal wetlands on the Bellarine Peninsula: Lake Victoria, Freshwater Lake and St Leonards Salt Lagoon. Parks Victoria Technical Series No.10. Parks Victoria: Melbourne. ISSN 1448-4935
  4. ↑ "IBA: Swan Bay and Port Phillip Bay Islands". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Hewish, Marilyn. (2003). The waterbirds of Lake Victoria, a sub-coastal wetland on the Bellarine Peninsula. Geelong Bird Report 2002: 73-110.
  6. 1 2 "Wetland Wanderings - Lake Victoria". City of Greater Geelong. Retrieved 25 March 2018.


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