Cuttagee Lake

Cuttagee, New South Wales

Cuttagee Lake is an ideal spot for young families because it offers a relatively safe, fun environment with a range of water depths and current speeds to suit all swimmers from toddlers to adults. The main feature of the lake is a wide, ankle deep sand bar which is great for water play. Part of the sand bar is elevated above the water's edge, where most people lay out their towells and beach tents. Above: Under the bridge to the estuary mouth at Cuttagee Lake (Order this image)

Conditions at the lake can vary depending on whether the mouth is open or closed, and if the mouth is open, whether the tide is moving in or out. The mouth can be closed for years at a time during drought. The water is usually salty, but freshens up a little when the mouth is closed. The lake is swimmable at all times, but when the mouth is open on an outgoing tide, you have the added fun of being able to float under the bridge and out to Cuttagee Beach. Bring a flotation device to hold onto while you cruise along. Above: A calm Cuttagee Lake when the estuary mouth was closed (Order this image)

The main danger here are the rocks with sharp edges. It's easy to avoid them because they are generally visible in the water. If you are touching down with your feet, make sure it's in a sandy area. On my most recent visit there were hundreds of hermit crabs along the sandbar, which I had not seen on previous visits. They did their best to avoid you by hiding in the sand, but some kids were getting freaked out by them. They may have been around in such large numbers because the river mouth was closed.

Parking is on the side of the road on the southern side of the bridge. There are no facilities at Cuttagee Lake, so please take your rubbish with you to keep it in pristine condition.

Here is a video that I took when the lake was open on a fast, outgoing tide. Heaps of fun. Sorry about the wayward finger that pops up in the corner of the screen, and the sound quality is a bit ordinary as it was one of my earlier videos.

Before you head out, make sure to read the swimming safety information and check with the managing authority for any current change of conditions. The marker indicates the approximate location of where I swam. If the map is not zoomed in locally, as can sometimes occur when loading, simply click or tap on "View Larger Map" below.
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