Lake Dumbleyung

Statement of Significance

Lake Dumbleyung has aesthetic, historic, scientific, social and rarity cultural heritage significance. The lake is renowned for its size as well as for the association with Donald Campbell and the water speed record set in 1964. The lake has been the centre for various water recreation clubs for many years.

Physical Description

Some of the notable features of this place include: • Lake Dumbleyung is 3kms west of Dumbleyung town site • The lake covers an area of 5,560 hectares • Surrounded by agricultural land • Salt Lake Some obvious modifications include: • Increased salinity since land clearing began Dumbleyung Lake is a very large, permanent, saline lake and is the largest deep water lake in the south-west of Western Australia. It lies at the end of the Coblinine River System in a valley between rounded hills, which in the north and south are approximately 280m high. The banks are quite steep, being about 10m near the basin edge. Water is derived mainly from the Coblinine River System which enters Dumbleyung Lake in the south-east. Other inflow comes from creeks, notably the Meinmuggin Gully and Boolanalling Gully Creeks. When the water level becomes extremely high the lake may overflow from its west into the upper reaches of the Blackwood River system via Gundaring Lake and the Beaufort River, however this has only occurred three times this century. The lake is near permanent, drying out in summer/autumn in only four of the thirteen years (1979-81 and 1988) that it was monitored. Maximum water depth recorded was 4.57m and the September mean was 2.35m. Salinity varies from brackish to extremely saline or briny with a September mean that is more saline than sea water (48 ppt). Dumbleyung Lake is fringed by low open forest that has been dead for many years; only that nearest the high water mark is living because it is rarely inundated and/or near seepage of fresh/brackish water. Areas of dead trees are most extensive in the south-eastern and north-eastern portions of the Lake eg, where the Coblinine River enters the Lake. Samphire underlies the dead forest and sedgeland underlies some of the living forest. The samphires include HALOSARCIA PERGRANULATA and SARCOCORNIA QUINQUEFLORA, whilst on slightly higher ground are CHENOPODIUM sp, ENCHYLAENA TOMENTOSA and ATRIPLEX SEMIBACCATA. The sedges include CYPERUS VAGINATUS and JUNCUS PALLIDUS. The surrounding area supports either open forest, open scrub or has been cleared. The trees comprising the living forest are mainly CASUARINA OBESA, paperbark (MELALEUCA CYMBIFOLIA), EUCALYPTUS RUDIS and an undescribed paper bark (M Aff PREISSIANA). The aquatic plant RUPPIA sp is sometimes abundant. Dumbleyung Lake is a particularly valuable site because it supports large numbers of waterbirds and a large variety of species, eight of which are listed on international migratory treaties; eight are listed on the Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) and eight are listed on the China Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA). However, only five species have been recorded breeding there: the black swan, Australian shelduck, grey teal, pink eared duck and Eurasian coot. This is probably due to the scarcity of live, wooded forest on the fringes of the Lake. Up to twenty-eight freckled duck have been recorded on Dumbleyung Lake in 1985-86 and 1989 and they were mostly found in the flooded dead trees in the south-east of the Lake. To put this into a State context, five annual surveys (1986-90) of between 872 and 1,398 wetlands produced only seventy-three to 151 records of freckled duck in the south-west of the State.

History

Lake Dumbleyung is one of the largest natural lakes in Western Australia. It is formed as a result of internal drainage and surface discharge and run off from the surrounding undulating countryside. Surface flow is predominant in winter and spring. The water at low levels can be extremely saline. The salinity levels have increased over the years since land clearing began in earnest in the 1940s, with rising ground water carrying salt from the soil profile to the surface of the land. Many trees stand dead as testimony to the struggle that area has had with environmental changes over the years. The lake was first recognised in 1843 by white explorers Landor and Lefroy. They recorded the name of the lake as Dambeling, a derivation of the Aboriginal name they thought was given to the lake. Many questions arise about its meaning. When the name changed to Dumbleyung two hypotheses for the meaning of Dumbleyung included "the camping place at the lake" and "playing at a game called dumbung" (an Aboriginal game similar to hockey played with sticks). The lake has changed from pre settlement days, as it can no longer be traversed at certain times of the year, as was once the case. Flooding of the lake has occurred occasionally over the years. Particularly memorable, is the flood of 1945 which flooded the Wagin and Katanning Roads leaving Dumbleyung cut off, the Dumbleyung Hotel bottom floor under water and saturated and soil eroded farms. An event of historical significance occurred on the lake in 1964 when Donald Campbell broke the world water speed record in his boat 'Bluebird'. This took much preparation as the lake had to be dragged to clear snags, roads had to be widened and surveyors had to be called in to measure the distance accurately. Many townspeople and farmers volunteered their services to help so the whole exercise had strong community support. Lake Dumbleyung has been used for recreational purposes such as duck hunting, swimming, skiing and yachting (Dumbleyung Yacht Club), though most have now ceased owing to the saline water conditions. The view from Pussy Cat Hill gives the most scenic vistas of the lake.

Uses

Creation Date

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