Description
Leschenault Estuary is an estuarine lagoon that lies to the north of Bunbury, Western Australia. It had in the past met the Indian Ocean at the Leschenault Inlet - but that has been altered by harbour works for Bunbury, and the creation of The Cut north of the historical inlet location.The estuary is approximately 13.5km in length and has a maximum width of approximately 2.5km. The total area of the estuary is 25km2 The lagoon is separated from the ocean by a thin peninsula of sand dunes called the Leschenault Peninsula.CatchmentThe catchment area below Wellington Dam for the estuary covers 1981km2. The catchment includes part of the Swan Coastal Plain, the Darling Scarp and the Darling Plateau.The Collie and Preston Rivers are the main catchment rivers and enter the estuary from the southern end and with the catchment runoff discharging into the Indian ocean via the cut in the peninsula.Other rivers in the catchment area include the Brunswick River, Ferguson and Wellesley as well as numerous other creeks, streams and irrigation drains.Seven local government areas are located within the catchment including Bunbury, Collie, Capel, Dardanup, Harvey, Donnybrook-Balingup and Boyup Brook. The catchment has a total population of approximately 65,000 people.
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