Save the Beeliar Wetlands

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What are the Beeliar Wetlands

Beeliar Wetlands is the name given to two chains of wetlands that extend from Blue Gum Lake in the City of Melville, through the City of Cockburn to the Spectacles in the Town of Kwinana.

Some of the features that make Beeliar Wetlands so valuable to the community include:

  • Cultural and historical significance – The name Beeliar comes from the original group of Noongar people who lived in the area from the Swan and Canning Rivers down to Mangles Bay in Rockingham. North Lake and the area between North Lake and Bibra Lake are of great significance to the local Noongar people, in a mythological and archaeological context.
  • The diversity of water – The wetlands were formed thousands of years ago in the depressions between ancient sand dunes, creating a surface expression of water. The western chain of wetlands is saline because of its proximity to the ocean while the eastern chain is fresh.
  • International recognition – Thomson’s Lake, part of the eastern chain, is a Ramsar Wetland, part of an intergovernmental treaty for the protection of internationally significant wetlands.
  • A delicate equilibrium – The wetlands work together to provide ongoing habitat for a variety of wildlife. For example, when North Lake loses its water, swans will escort their developing cygnets to Bibra Lake. Later in the season, birds from many of the lakes move to Yangebup Lake where water remains. Similarly, large numbers of Australian ibis spend their days feeding at North Lake but then return to Booragoon Lake to roost at night.

    Similarly the ‘dry’ bushland and wetlands work in concert to provide habitat for many species. For example the banjo frog lives in the bushland and then moves to the wetlands to breed.
  • Extensive recreational facitilites – Bibra Lake in particular offers great value to the community with facilities for passive recreation including bushwalking, picnics, and bird-watching.

Find out more about what you can do to save Beeliar Wetlands.