Highland Water and Open Shores at Lake Leake

Overview

Lake Leake is a man-made highland lake in Tasmania’s Northern Midlands, east of Campbell Town. It was created in the 1880s as a permanent water supply for Campbell Town and remains part of the Elizabeth River system, with water brought in from the Snowy River and released downstream toward the Midlands. Around part of the lake, a small conservation area of just under 55 hectares protects a stretch of shoreline and bushland beside the open water.

Highlights

The character of Lake Leake comes from its broad expanse of water, exposed shoreline and the sense of space that comes with a big inland lake on the eastern Tasmanian plateau. The contrast between open lake surface, low surrounding hills and patches of native vegetation gives the area a quiet, spare kind of scenery that feels very different from the coast or the island’s higher alpine country.

It is also a place shaped by water itself. As a substantial inland storage, the lake has a strong visual presence in an otherwise dry Midlands setting, and that mix of reservoir, wetland edge and upland country is what makes it distinctive.

Best Time to Visit

Late spring through autumn is usually the most appealing time to see Lake Leake at its best, when longer daylight and milder weather make the open shoreline and surrounding country easier to enjoy. November and December are a particularly lively time on the water, with warmer conditions and more activity around the lake edges.

Plants and Animals

Although Lake Leake is an artificial impoundment, it supports freshwater ecosystem values of its own. The lake and its margins include riparian vegetation with threatened flora species and priority plant communities, and the waterbody is known habitat for platypus. Short-finned eels are also recorded in the lake, showing that even a highly modified water storage can still support native aquatic life alongside its broader wetland edge vegetation.