Lake Joondalup is a medium-sized

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does incl ...

lake in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia. It is in the Perth northern suburbs of

Joondalup Joondalup () is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, approximately north of Perth's central business district. It contains the central business district of the regional City of Joondalup and acts as the primary urban centre of Perth's outer ...

Wanneroo Wanneroo is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Wanneroo. Geography As it is on the Swan Coastal Plain, the Wanneroo wetlands stretch parallel to the coastline and to the north and south of the suburb. Education W ...

, and Edgewater. It is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological o ...

and part of the Yellagonga Regional Park.

Description

Lake Joondalup is Perth's largest metropolitan

freshwater lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

located in the Yellagonga Regional Park. It has several islands, and a large sandbank during the dry summer months. The largest island is colloquially named "Snake Island" by locals for good reason as the wetland habitat supports a healthy population of various snakes, including the dugite and tiger snake. The lake and bush reserve is a dynamic habitat supporting much wildlife including

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

s and many other birds. Most of the banks are either swampland or reeds. Significant natural attractions include Neil Hawkins Park, Joondalup and Picnic Cove, and Edgewater. Neil Hawkins Park was named after a chairman of the former Metropolitan Region Planning Authority, and is a popular family park for tourists as well as locals. There is a small jetty over the lake and visitors can feed birds (although this practise is now discouraged), and have a

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke ...

Limestone caves Limestone (calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime_(material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphis ...

are located on its western shore just north of Neil Hawkins Park. Edgewater is also the highest point to look out over the lake. It was formerly the site of a limestone

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

; many parks in the suburb have sheer cliffs and exposed limestone

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, Dolomite (rock), dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathe ...

features exposed during its time as a quarry. The areas around Lake Joondalup are home to many birds, including

waterbird A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from sea ...

s on the lake. The reserve lies within the

Northern Swan Coastal Plain Important Bird Area The Northern Swan Coastal Plain Important Bird Area comprises a 2307 km2 tract of land in south-west Western Australia. Description The Important Bird Area (IBA) stretches from the city of Perth northwards along the coast to the town of ...

, so identified by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

because of its importance in supporting several thousand

Short-billed Black Cockatoo Carnaby's black cockatoo (''Zanda latirostris''), also known as the short-billed black cockatoo, is a large black cockatoo endemic to southwest Australia. It was described in 1948 by naturalist Ivan Carnaby. Measuring in length, it has a s ...

s during the non-breeding season. It is also home to many types of frog.

References

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External links

Yellagonga Regional Park

Description

See also

References

External links

Further reading