Dumbleyung Lake
Encyclopedia
Dumbleyung Lake, also widely known as Lake Dumbleyung, is a salt lake in Western Australia
. It is located at 33°20′00"S 117°39′00"E, in the Great Southern region of Western Australia
. With a length of 13 kilometres (8 mi) and a width of 6.5 kilometres (4 mi), it covers a total area of 52 square kilometres (20 sq mi).
The explorers Henry Landor and Henry Maxwell Lefroy are usually credited with the discovery of Dumbleyung Lake, although it appears to have been shown on a map in 1839 with the name Kondening Lake. Grazing leases around the lake were first granted to George Kersley in 1875.
Dumbleyung Lake received world recognition when Donald Campbell
broke the world water speed record
on it on 31 December 1964, travelling at 444.66 km/h (276.3 mph) in his boat Bluebird K7
. A granite memorial to Campbell can be seen at Pussy Cat Hill, a prominent feature and vantage point to view the entire lake area.http://www.dumbleyung.wa.gov.au/
In recent times, the increased soil salination
has made the area unsuitable for grazing. Today the lake is mainly used for aquatic recreation. Despite the extreme salinity of the lake, it provides a habitat for many varieties of water birds, and since 1963 has been protected by the Dumbleyung Lake Nature Reserve.
The lake is recognised as a DIWA
wetland as it is a drought refuge
for waterbirds and a moult
ing area for the Australian Shelduck
.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It is located at 33°20′00"S 117°39′00"E, in the Great Southern region of Western Australia
Great Southern region of Western Australia
The Great Southern region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is a section of the larger South Coast of Western Australia and neighbouring agricultural regions....
. With a length of 13 kilometres (8 mi) and a width of 6.5 kilometres (4 mi), it covers a total area of 52 square kilometres (20 sq mi).
The explorers Henry Landor and Henry Maxwell Lefroy are usually credited with the discovery of Dumbleyung Lake, although it appears to have been shown on a map in 1839 with the name Kondening Lake. Grazing leases around the lake were first granted to George Kersley in 1875.
Dumbleyung Lake received world recognition when Donald Campbell
Donald Campbell
Donald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s...
broke the world water speed record
Water speed record
The World Unlimited water speed record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle. The current record of 511 km/h was achieved in 1978....
on it on 31 December 1964, travelling at 444.66 km/h (276.3 mph) in his boat Bluebird K7
Bluebird K7
Bluebird K7 was a turbo jet-engined hydroplane with which the United Kingdom's Donald Campbell set seven world water speed records during the 1950s and 1960s. Campbell lost his life in K7 on January 4, 1967 whilst making a bid to raise the speed record to over on Coniston Water.-Design:Donald...
. A granite memorial to Campbell can be seen at Pussy Cat Hill, a prominent feature and vantage point to view the entire lake area.http://www.dumbleyung.wa.gov.au/
In recent times, the increased soil salination
Salinity in Australia
Soil salinity and dryland salinity are two problems degrading the environment of Australia. Salinity is a concern in most states, but especially in the south-west of Western Australia....
has made the area unsuitable for grazing. Today the lake is mainly used for aquatic recreation. Despite the extreme salinity of the lake, it provides a habitat for many varieties of water birds, and since 1963 has been protected by the Dumbleyung Lake Nature Reserve.
The lake is recognised as a DIWA
A Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia
A Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia is a list of wetlands of national importance to Australia. Intended to augment the list of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, it was formerly published in report form, but is now essentially an online publication...
wetland as it is a drought refuge
Drought refuge
A drought refuge is a site that provides permanent fresh water or moist conditions for plants and animals, acting as a refuge habitat when surrounding areas are affected by drought and allowing ecosystems and core species populations to survive until the drought breaks...
for waterbirds and a moult
Moult
In biology, moulting or molting , also known as sloughing, shedding, or for some species, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body , either at specific times of year, or at specific points in its life cycle.Moulting can involve the epidermis , pelage...
ing area for the Australian Shelduck
Australian Shelduck
The Australian Shelduck, Tadorna tadornoides, is a shelduck, a group of large goose-like birds which are part of the bird family Anatidae, which also includes the swans, geese and ducks. The Anatidae article should be referred to for an overview of this group of birds.This is a bird which breeds...
.
External links
- Dumbleyung Lake in the Gazetteer of AustraliaGazetteer of AustraliaThe Gazetteer of Australia is a register of the location and spelling of geographical names across Australia. It is compiled by the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping and derived from state, territory, and Australian government agencies....