Lake George (New South Wales) Lake

Address: Lake George (Yass-Goulburn Plains), New South Wales, Australia

Hours: Open year-round

Admission: Free

Lake George is an intermittent shallow lake in New South Wales, located north of the Australian Capital Territory. Its water level varies widely over months and years, ranging from nearly dry to extensive shallow inundation.

The lake stretches broadly across a long north-south basin and is most notable for its changing appearance rather than for recreational boating; it attracts photographers and travellers interested in the unusual ephemeral behaviour. Roadside lookouts and the Federal Highway provide common viewing points.

European colonists named the lake after the British royal family in the early colonial period; its unusual hydrology has long been noted in explorers’ and settlers’ records. The basin’s variability is driven by local climate, catchment inflows and groundwater interactions.

Lake George lies on the Great Dividing Range plateau north of Canberra and roughly within an hour’s drive of the national capital, sitting between the towns and grazing lands of southern New South Wales.

• Ephemeral behaviour: Highly variable water levels; the lake is often dry or reduced to shallow pools, a characteristic that has been recorded for more than a century.
• Accessible viewpoints: Visible from the Federal Highway and roadside lookouts, offering panoramic views of the lake basin and surrounding plains when water is present.

By car: about 40-60 minutes from Canberra via the Federal Highway or Kings Highway approaches depending on entry point. Several roadside lookouts provide views and parking; access through farmland requires attention to gates and signs.

• Visit on a clear day for the best views across the plains-early morning often brings mist and drama.
• Combine with a drive from Canberra; the lake is one of the region's notable landscape features.
• Check local farm gates and respect private property-some shoreline access points cross farmland.