Natural freshwater lakes in Australia are rare due to the general absence of

glacial A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

and tectonic activity in Australia.

Types

Most lakes in Australia fall within one of five categories. Excluding lakes and lagoons created by man-made dams for water storage and other purposes, one can identify the following: *

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

al lakes and

lagoons A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

including perched lakes; * natural freshwater inland lakes, often

ephemeral Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...

and some part of

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

or swamp areas; * the Main Range containing mainland Australia's five

glacial lake A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier. Formation Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...

s. In

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, due to

glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...

, there are a large number of natural freshwater lakes on the central plateau, many of which have been enlarged or modified by hydro-electric developments; * predominantly dry,

salt lakes A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). I ...

in the flat desert regions of the country lacking organised drainage; and * lakes created in volcanic remnants.

List of lakes and lagoons by state and territory

Australian Antarctic Territory

The following is a list of prominent natural lakes and lagoons in the sector of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

claimed by Australia as the

Australian Antarctic Territory The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is a part of East Antarctica claimed by Australia as an external territory. It is administered by the Australian Antarctic Division, an agency of the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the E ...

Australian Capital Territory

In the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

there are no prominent naturally-formed lakes and lagoons. Artificial lakes include Bendora Dam, Cotter Dam, Corin Dam,

Lake Burley Griffin Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was created in 1963 by the damming of the Molonglo River, which formerly ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle. The lake is na ...

Lake Ginninderra Lake Ginninderra is a dam located on the Ginninderra Creek in Canberra. It is adjacent to the Belconnen Town Centre. The lake was constructed in 1974 to collect stormwater discharge from a catchment that includes the surrounding suburbs of A ...

Lake Tuggeranong Lake Tuggeranong, an artificial lake sourced by the confluence of Tuggeranong Creek and stormwater discharge from urban and rural areas, is located in the Tuggeranong district of Canberra, within the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The ...

, and

Stranger Pond Stranger Pond, a series of two artificial lakes sourced from stormwater discharge from urban and rural areas, are located in the Tuggeranong district of Canberra, within the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. One is called 'Upper Stranger ...