Khappinghat Creek is situated on the mid-north coast of New South Wales near the township of Wallabi Point. It is classed as a lagoon with an entrance that is intermittently open and closed to the ocean.
Khappinghat Creek and its entrance at Saltwater Beach support a rich fabric of undisturbed habitats and hold spiritual significance to local First Nations people, with several sites related to the Dreamtime located here.
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 2 sites on a monthly basis over summer in Khappinghat Creek as part of a collaborative program with MidCoast Council.
The most recent sampling was completed over the 2023–24 summer. The results of the monitoring program, including a detailed water quality report card for Khappinghat Creek, are available on the MidCoast Council website.
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.
Physical characteristics
| Estuary type | Lagoon |
|---|---|
| Latitude | –32.01 (ºS) |
| Longitude | 152.57 (ºE) |
| Catchment area | 90.7 km2 |
| Estuary area | 1.2 km2 |
| Estuary volume | 885.1 ML |
| Average depth | 0.9 m |
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
Khappinghat Creek drains a moderately disturbed catchment. Around 70% of the land remains forested and a lot of this land is managed in conservation areas or by Forestry Corporation. Urban areas and rural residential–grazing areas each make up about 14% of land use.
National and marine parks
- Talawahl State Conservation Area is the largest conservation area in this catchment. Khappinghat Creek is surrounded by Khappinghat Nature Reserve and meets the sea within Saltwater National Park.
- This estuary does not flow into a marine park.
Community involvement
- Manning Coastcare Group is the umbrella organisation for a set of local volunteer groups that do environmental work, one of which one is based near Khappinghat Creek at Wallabi Point.
Aerial view of Khappinghat Creek
Local government management
Local councils manage estuaries within their area. Where an estuary is attached to a marine park, marine park management teams are responsible for ensuring compliance with marine park zoning.
MidCoast Council manages this estuary.
Threatened species
This estuary provides habitat for the threatened eastern osprey.
Read more about the biodiversity in our estuaries.