Lake Urana Nature Reserve

Lake Urana Nature Reserve New South Wales
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
Lake Urana Nature Reserve
Nearest town or city	Urana
Coordinates
Established	April 1996 (1996-04)
Area	3.02 km2 (1.2 sq mi)
Managing authorities	NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
Website	Lake Urana Nature Reserve
See also	Protected areas of New South Wales

Lake Urana
Location	Riverina, New South Wales
Lake type	Saline
Primary inflows	Intermittent flooding from Cocketgedong Creek and Urana Creek
Primary outflows	Evaporation
Basin countries	Australia
Surface area	6,100 ha (15,000 acres)
Settlements	Urana
References

The Lake Urana Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve situated adjacent to Lake Urana, a salt lake, that is located in the Riverina region of New South Wales in eastern Australia. The 302-hectare (750-acre) reserve is situated near the rural locality of Urana. The 6,100-hectare (15,000-acre) lake is shallow and intermittently filled by flooding that forms in a natural depression. The lake fills every 10 to 20 years and retains water for several years; with no natural outflow, it is drained via evaporation.

Features

The woodland in the reserve includes Yellow Box and White Cyprus Pine. Shrubs include Thorny Saltbush, Ruby Saltbush, Western Golden Wattle, Emu Bush and Black Cottongrass. Ground cover is made up of grasses and herbs, with over 70 species having been recorded, including Wiregrass, Speargrass and Nodding Chocolate Lily. On the shore is a narrow area of Red Gum woodland.

Fauna includes Eastern Grey Kangaroos, and 37 bird species have been identified. When the lake floods, waterbirds such as Wood Ducks, Pacific Black Duck, Australian Grey Teal, Yellow Billed Spoonbill, Black Fronted Dotterel and Magpie Larks visit.

See also

• Protected areas of New South Wales