Loch McNess (

Nyoongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

:''Wagardu Lark''), also known as Yanchep Lake, is a

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

located near

Yanchep Yanchep is an outer coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, north of the Perth CBD. It is a part of the City of Wanneroo local government area. Originally a small crayfishing settlement, it was developed by entrepreneur Alan Bond in the 1 ...

in the northern part of the

coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Coa ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia. Loch McNess is part of the

Wanneroo wetlands The Wanneroo wetlands are a series of wetlands, swamps and lakes that occur on the Swan Coastal Plain of Perth, Western Australia. They are linked very closely to the Gnangara Mound. They are in part, incorporated into the Yellagonga Regional P ...

, a chain of lakes, and is part of the

Yanchep National Park Yanchep is a national park in Western Australia, north of Perth adjacent to the locality of the same name Yanchep. The park is noted for its caves, native bush and koala colonies. It also offers cultural educational programmes offered in partne ...

. Water from the lake is used to refill the underground lakes in some nearby caves.

Description

The lake is named after Sir Charles McNess, a wealthy Western Australian

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. Galaxiidae (fish) and Gilgies (freshwater crayfish) are endemic to the region. Introduced species include mosquitofish (

Gambusia ''Gambusia'' is a large genus of viviparous fish in the family Poeciliidae (order Cyprinodontiformes). ''Gambusia'' contains over 40 species, most of which are principally found in freshwater habitats, though some species may also be found in br ...

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...

study nutrients and plankton in the lake. The lake is also known as ''Wagardu Lark'' by the

aboriginals and along with the caves is of significant cultural importance. Since European

colonisation Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...

of the area and specifically with the building of Gloucester Lodge on its shores in 1933 it has traditionally been used for boating outings. There is no longer sufficient water in the lake for boating.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNess Lakes of Perth, Western Australia Wanneroo wetlands

Description

See also

References