A NSW Government website

Middle Camp Creek

Our water quality monitoring program has shown Middle Camp Creek to have good water quality. Find out more about the estuary and its unique features.

Middle Camp Creek is located at Catherine Hill Bay on the central coast of New South Wales. It is classed as a small back-dune lagoon.

Water quality report card

As part of our water quality monitoring program we assess the water quality and ecosystem health of an estuary using a range of relevant indicators. We sample a subset of the estuaries located between Taree and Wollongong every 3 years. The most recent sampling in Middle Camp Creek was completed over the 2019–20 summer, when 2 sites were sampled on a monthly basis.

This report card represents 2 water quality indicators that we routinely measure: the amount of algae present and water clarity. Low levels of these 2 indicators equate with good water quality.

C

Algae

C

Water clarity

C

Overall grade

The report card shows the condition of the estuary was fair with:

  • algae abundance graded fair (C)
  • water clarity graded fair (C)
  • overall estuary health graded fair (C).

Grades for algae, water clarity and overall are represented as: 

  • A – excellent 
  • B – good 
  • C – fair 
  • D – poor 

Go to estuary report cards to find out what each grade means, read our sampling, data analysis and reporting protocols, and find out how we calculate these grades.

Historical water quality grades

We have monitored water quality in Middle Camp Creek since 2010. This table shows the water quality grades for this estuary over that time.

YearAlgaeWater clarityOverall grade
2010-11BBB
2013-14CCC
2016-17BBB
Physical data

Physical characteristics

Estuary typeBack-dune lagoon
Latitude (ºS)–33.15
Longitude (ºE)151.64
Catchment area (km2)5
Estuary area (km2)0.01
Estuary volume (ML)2.3
Average depth (m)0.2

Notes: km2 = square kilometres; m = metres; ML = megalitres.

Water depth and survey data

Bathymetric and coastal topography data for this estuary are available in our data portal.

Land use

About 85% of the Middle Camp Creek catchment is undisturbed forest. Some urban and rural residential development has changed land use in about 14% of the catchment and the Pacific Highway cuts through the upper catchment

Get involved

National and marine parks

Community involvement

  • Lake Macquarie Landcare provide support and links to dozens of local volunteer groups that do conservation work and care for the environment around Middle Camp Creek.
Aerial view of Middle Camp Creek flowing through dense forests into a turquoise sea with visible sandbanks at its mouth.

Aerial view of Middle Camp Creek estuary.

Local government management

Local councils manage estuaries within their area unless the estuary is attached to a marine park. Lake Macquarie Council manages this estuary.

Threatened species

Middle Camp Creek supports habitat for many threatened species, including the vulnerable squirrel glider, which lives in the local eucalypt woodlands and rainforests.

Find out more about the biodiversity in our estuaries.