Lake Walyungup is a large salt lake in the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It’s only a few minutes from my home and one of my favourite places to explore.
“Walyungup” for the regional Nyoongar aboriginals means “place where Nyoongars talk” but the salt encrusted expanse makes it look like a harsh glaring desert even in the middle of winter, a desert where the shimmering mirage is actually two large shallow salt lakes.
In summer the wind blows hard enough to push the local land sailors up to 100km/60mph. That same wind blows across the water creating rows of foamy bubbles on the lee edge of the lake. When the foam gets too high, the wind blows off bubble clumps that race like tumbleweeds across the saltpan.
As the heat of summer evaporates the water, grey scum collects on the lake making it impossible to distinguish where water and land meet. Unsuspecting animals walk out onto a spongy crust, up to a foot thick, only to find their weight finally breaks through into the sucking fetid sludge underneath.
The wildlife supported by this sparse environment includes Western Australia’s state emblem, the black swan, as well as Western Grey kangaroos and perhaps some freshwater long necked tortoises.
Micro-organisms are the only thing that thrives on the lake. They’ve been building their thrombolite homes out of calcium and carbonates from the groundwater for millions of years and the local government works hard to conserve this amazing environment.
