Towerrining Lake, Natural lake and heritage site in Shire of West Arthur, Western Australia.
Towerrining Lake is a natural lake spanning about 180 hectares within a 256-hectare nature reserve characterized by low hills and varied soil composition. The reserve features areas of sandy gravel and clay, creating diverse environmental conditions across the site.
Thomas Bannister, the first European to visit the site in 1832, described it as a "rushy lagoon". By 1909 farmers were rapidly selecting land around the lake for cropping and pastoralism. The last recorded Indigenous Australian settlement there was in 1938, when temporary camps were built to gather bush foods. Clearing enlarged the lake through the 1940s, and it began turning saline in the 1960s.
The Noongar peoples have held deep ties to this lake for thousands of years, gathering here and practicing traditional ways of life. The permanent water source has long served as a meeting place central to their community.
The site provides jetties, boat ramps, restrooms, and change facilities for visitors who come to enjoy water activities. Powered camping sites are available for those wishing to stay overnight, with water skiing permitted in designated daylight hours.
BirdLife Australia lists the lake as an Important Bird Area for its blue-billed ducks, and 171 bird species have been recorded around the water, alongside 14 frogs, 43 reptiles and 23 mammals. The long-necked tortoise is among the reptiles found here.
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