| Lake Bullen Merri | |
|---|---|
 Lake Bullen Merri at sunset | |
  Lake Bullen Merri Location inVictoria | |
| Location | SouthwestVictoria |
| Coordinates | 38°15′06″S143°06′15″E / 38.25167°S 143.10417°E /-38.25167; 143.10417[1] |
| Type | Brackishcrater lake |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Average depth | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Max. depth | 66 m (217 ft) |
Lake Bullen Merri and its smaller northern neighbourLake Gnotuk are a pair ofcrater lakes nearCamperdown insouth westernVictoria,Australia.
Lake Bullen Merri has brackish water quality whereas Lake Gnotuk is hyper saline (twice as salty than seawater).
Lake Bullen Merri has a maximum depth of 66 m (217 ft), with a clover leaf outline indicating that it was probably formed by two overlappingmaar volcanoes. The lake is depicted in work byEugene von Guerard.[2] The edge of the lake was marked by a stone in the late 1800s byJames Dawson; from this and von Guerard's painting, it can be deduced that the level of the lake has dropped considerably in the last 100 years.[3]On the south side of the lake there is a yacht club and toilets. There is a boat ramp available for the boaties.
The smaller lake to the north of Lake Bullen Merri has a maximum depth of 20 m (66 ft). The two lakes are linked by an overflow channel in the common wall at an elevation of 175 m. There is a 19th-century record of water from Bullen Merri overflowing into Gnotuk.
The crater is 2 km across and although the lakes have the same level of their lake-beds, the level of water is lower in Gnotuk. Lake shore terraces indicate previous higher levels and lake floor sediments and fossils show a record of past fluctuations in salinity, water level and climate.[4]
There is no direct public access to the lake.
On the low-lying land between the two lakes is Camperdown's major sporting complex. There is an 18-hole golf course, two cricket ovals (one with a turf pitch), an extensive equestrian course, tennis courts and a bowling green.
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