Myall Lake is located on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. It is classed as a lake and has an entrance permanently connected to the sea via Myall Broadwater and Myall River.
Despite its permanent connection to the sea, Myall Lake is consistently brackish or less saline/salty because of the lack of tidal flushing reaching the lake upstream.
Water quality
As part of our water quality monitoring program we assess the water quality and ecosystem health of an estuary using a range of relevant indicators. We sample 2 sites on a monthly basis over summer in Myall Lake as part of a collaborative program with MidCoast Council.
The most recent sampling was completed over the 2021–22 summer. The results of the monitoring program, including a detailed water quality report card for Myall Lake, are available on the MidCoast Council website.
Go to estuary report cards to find out what each grade means, read our sampling, data analysis and reporting protocols, and find out how we calculate these grades.
Physical characteristics
Estuary type: Lake
No physical data is available for this estuary.
Water depth and survey data
Bathymetric and coastal topography data for this estuary are available in our data portal.
Land use
Myall Lake is surrounded by a catchment that has experienced relatively little disturbance. Most of the landscape is vegetated and protected in conservation areas. There are a few small residential towns and rural residence in the northern catchment.
National and marine parks
- Myall Lake is located entirely within Myall Lakes National Park.
- This estuary forms part of Port Stephens–Great Lakes Marine Park.
Community involvement
- Karuah and Great Lakes Landcare is an umbrella group that supports a number of volunteer groups. Local environmental initiatives include work to conserve, protect and remediate terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Local government management
Local councils manage estuaries within their area unless the estuary is attached to a marine park.
Local councils manage estuaries within their area, unless the estuary is attached to a marine park. MidCoast Council manages this estuary. Information about this estuary, including water quality report cards, can be found on the council’s Myall Lakes webpage.
Threatened species
Myall Lakes National Park provides habitat for many threatened species and include several endangered ecological communities, such as the subtropical coastal floodplain forest.
Find out more about the biodiversity in our estuaries.