Brisbane Water is the northern arm of Broken Bay

Broken Bay

Broken Bay is a large inlet of the Pacific Ocean located about 50 km north of Sydney on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, and is the first major bay north of Sydney's Port Jackson.- Geography :...

 on the east coast of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Brisbane Water is named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, Governor of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 between 1820 and 1825. The towns of Gosford

Gosford, New South Wales

Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...

, Davistown

Davistown, New South Wales

Davistown is a south-eastern suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the City of Gosford local government area.The suburb is serviced by a small shopping centre, Paringa Mall, and the Davistown RSL....

, Woy Woy

Woy Woy, New South Wales

Woy Woy is a coastal town and a southern suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the southern reaches of Brisbane Water north of Sydney...

 and Ettalong Beach

Ettalong Beach, New South Wales

Ettalong Beach is a suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, located south of Woy Woy on Brisbane Water at the point where it meets Broken Bay, about 80km north of Sydney. It is part of the City of Gosford local government area...

 line the shores of Brisbane Water, which also contains several islands including St Huberts Island.

History

Brisbane Water is part of the traditional lands of the Guringai Aboriginal

Australian Aborigines

Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...

 people. Initial English explorers of the area were assisted by "King Bungary," leader of the Broken Bay Guringai tribe who went on to assist Matthew Flinders in the circumnavigation of Australia.

Twentieth century European settlement led to the development of an extensive local ferry network, including one supplying an otherwise isolated orphanage, a commuter service from Gosford to Woy Woy and a third operation dedicated to carrying farm produce. The last commuter ferries between Brisbane Water townships ceased in 1971.

Environment

Brisbane Water is mostly shallow and tidal. The inlet narrows at "The Rip" which has a rapid tidal current. The waterways are renowned for their rich aquatic life; sea weeds, mangroves, oysters, sharks and rays, as well as good populations of fish are present in the waters.

Some 2277 ha of Brisbane Water is classified by BirdLife International

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...

 as an Important Bird Area

Important Bird Area

An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...

 because it has an isolated population of up to 10 breeding pairs of Bush Stone-curlew

Bush Stone-curlew

The Bush Stone-curlew or Bush Thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia...

s and sometimes supports flocks of the endangered Regent Honeyeater

Regent Honeyeater

The Regent Honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia, is an endangered bird endemic to Australia. It feeds on nectar and insects within eucalyptus forests. Recent genetic research suggests it is closely related to the wattlebirds.-Distribution:...

 and Swift Parrot

Swift Parrot

The Swift Parrot breeds in Tasmania and migrates north to south eastern Australia from Griffith-Warialda in New South Wales and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is related to the rosellas, with the feeding habits of a lorikeet...

 during autumn and winter, when the Swamp Mahogany

Eucalyptus robusta

Eucalyptus robusta, commonly known as Swamp Mahogany, Swamp Messmate or Swamp Stringybark, is a tree native to eastern Australia.-Description:...

trees are in flower.