Lake Macquarie is a natural estuarine lake with an area of some 110 square kilometres and a catchment of about 600 square kilometres. Approximately 15% of the catchment is located within the Central Coast Council area including the suburbs of Mannering Park, Kingfisher Shores, Chain Valley Bay, Summerland Point, Gwandalan, Point Wolstonecroft and Crangan Bay.

The Lake Macquarie Coastal Zone Management Plan 2015-2023 focuses on the estuary and its management actions and its implementation plan – essentially a snapshot document. The estuary part of Lake Macquarie focuses on the waters and foreshores, but also considers actions in the catchment that have the potential to significantly affect the health and amenity of the lake.