Smiths Lake, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Smiths Lake is a small village
in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales
, Australia
in the Great Lakes Council LGA. It is approximately 274 kilometres (170.3 mi) north of Sydney
.http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&tab=wl It is named after the lake it is situated around. At the 2006 census
, Smiths Lake had a population of 1,036 people.
. When the Great Lakes Council deems that the lake water level is too high and may cause flooding to low lying areas around the lake, a trench is constructed from the lake to the ocean using a bulldozer
. This releases water from the lake into the ocean and considerably lowers the lake water level.
industry up until April 2007, when the lake was incorporated into the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park. Because of this, almost half of Smiths Lake is classed as a Sanctuary Zone, which means commercial fishing
in that area is illegal. This led to many of the local fishermen leaving in search of other areas to fish.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the Great Lakes Council LGA. It is approximately 274 kilometres (170.3 mi) north of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&tab=wl It is named after the lake it is situated around. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Smiths Lake had a population of 1,036 people.
The Lake
Smiths Lake has an area catchment of 32 square kilometres (12.4 sq mi) and a waterway area of 11 square kilometres (4.2 sq mi). http://www.naturalresources.nsw.gov.au/estuaries/inventory/smiths.shtml Part of the lake shore is a sandbar that separates the lake from the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. When the Great Lakes Council deems that the lake water level is too high and may cause flooding to low lying areas around the lake, a trench is constructed from the lake to the ocean using a bulldozer
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
. This releases water from the lake into the ocean and considerably lowers the lake water level.
Tourism
Smiths Lake is a popular tourist destination, mostly due to its position next to several waterways. Popular tourist activities include boating and fishing on the local lakes (Smiths Lake, Myall Lake and Wallis Lake) or swimming and sunbathing at the local beaches (Cellitos beach, Blueys beach, Boomerang beach, Elizabeth beach, and Seal Rocks beach). Other activities include nature walks in the surrounding national parks or visiting a regional attraction, such as Seal Rocks lighthouse or The Grandis (the tallest tree known in New South Wales at 84.3 metres (276.6 ft) tall)http://www.about-australia.com/travel-guides/new-south-wales/north-coast-nsw/attractions/natural/grandis-the-tallest-tree-in-nsw/Commercial Fishing
Smiths Lake supported a small commercial fishingCommercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
industry up until April 2007, when the lake was incorporated into the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park. Because of this, almost half of Smiths Lake is classed as a Sanctuary Zone, which means commercial fishing
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
in that area is illegal. This led to many of the local fishermen leaving in search of other areas to fish.