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Government Dam Reserve Mt Barker
A clean, shady oasis for residents and visitors that combines conservation, recreation and education values for the community
 
Photo dated 3/12/98 Mt Barker Government Dam Reserve. Deeply entrenched around the fringes of the lake, these weeds pose a challenge.
The dam is located at the Northern entrance to Mt Barker and is bounded by Albany Highway, McDonald Avenue and Frost Oval that incorporates a horse racing track and a football oval. The "A" class reserve is vested in the Shire of Plantagenet and is zoned for "Recreation". Elders describe it as a meeting place for Noongars, who used it as a swimming and Gilgie (similar to prawns) fishing area and as a social gathering place. There are no preserved records of the reserve being significant to Noongars. It has no other recorded cultural past.
The Railways Department of Western Australia built the dam by wheelbarrow in 1889 to provide a constant supply of fresh water for the steam trains. The dam was also used as a source of water during the summer when resident's personal water supplies ran dry. Farmers used it to obtain water for stock during periods of drought and the children of the town also used it as a swimming hole. The water in the dam comes from a spring that previously ran into the creek on the site. Additional water comes from road and surface run-off from the town through an overgrown and unkempt drain. Drainage also comes from Frost oval and the road reserve for the proposed Northern By Pass road. The water quality is quite good in the absence of any filtration; this is possibly due to the spring water that does not seem to dry up even in the summer months. However blue algae in the summer is probably the result of higher nutrients.
The Government Dam Reserve is recorded on the Municipal Heritage Inventory, LGA No: 11. Its proximity and access to the town, tourist and residential arrears make the reserve ideal for walking, picnics and recreation. It is valued as a place to observe natural heritage. Although degraded, the flora and the fauna are still of interest, particularly the water birds. It is a beautiful part of Mount Barker's Green Belt. The dam is a cool and shady refuge for people and fauna in the summer. This area could be quite a resource for photographic records, such as wedding parties. Once restored, it will be a wonderful resource for re-vegetating similar systems, for example drainage lines, ditches and water compression basins. The dam is used for the irrigation of 3 or 4 nearby ovals and a Caravan Park.
Common animals of the Shire are Possums, Bandicoots, Chuditch, Echidna and Kangaroos, most of these have been seen on the reserve. Turtles were common, but have not been seen for the past year. Gilgies can still be fished from the water. Water taken by the Aboriginal TAFE students in 1999 indicated a large number of aquatic animals in the water. Ibis and Ducks are commonly seen in the reserve. Owls, Twenty Eights (a species of parrot) and Willy Wagtails are all common visitors, so are the immigrant Kookaburras.
The management objectives for the reserve were identified at public workshops. They are:
1. to ensure the plants, animals and ecological process of the area are restored as far as possible;
2. to manage the area to enable indigenous plants and animals to be reintroduced:
3. to conserve the bushland's landscape, minimising the degree of human disturbance;
4. to maintain or develop linkages with other nearby bushland arrears;
5. to encourage surveying and monitoring in order to better inform management of the site;
To achieve this it is necessary to:
6. control weeds;
7. manage fire;
8. define appropriate uses and access;
9. undertake earthworks; re-vegetate;
Green Skills under the watchful eye of Dorothy Redreau, the Shire of Plantagenet, Mt Barker residents, the Noongar community of Mt Barker and some TAFE students have been working away at the removal of the weeds within the area. The Shire of Plantagenet has sprayed the grass around the dam to enable natural regeneration.
Rushes and sedges and other local plants have been ordered for replanting, however there is still much to do this year and a tree-planting day is planned for early in August 2000.
A management plan for the area has been prepared and was presented to the Shire of Plantagenet and interested persons in the Council Chambers on Friday 14th of July.
John Seeber is the editor of this page Email jseeber@wn.com.au
The information contained herein was obtained from the management report compiled by:
Dorothy Redreau
Green Skills Inc Rural Town Reserves Coordinator.
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