Bund-wall, Lake Cowal
August 2004

Lake Cowal
August 2004

THE LAKE
Lake Cowal is a freshwater lake situated 47 km north-east of West Wyalong in central western New South Wales. It is the largest natural inland lake in the State. Lake Cowal and Nerang Cowal are part of a 400 000-hectare wetland filter in the Lachlan River Basin, part of the Murray-Darling Basin.

Lake Cowal is an ephemeral lake – with water in it seven years out of ten. The lake is currently dry (September 2004). It is filled mainly either from Bland Creek or by flood breakouts from the Lachlan River west of Forbes. The lake empties by outflow to Nerang Cowal and Bogandillon Creek to Bogandillon Swamp, Nerathong and Humbug Creeks and branches of the Lachlan River south of Condobolin. During major floods, the Lachlan flows into the Murrumbidgee River which connects to the Murray. When the lake level falls below that of Nerang Cowal, Lake Cowal then dries out by evaporation.