Lake Clifton, Western Australia

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Lake Clifton
Western Australia
Lake Clifton SMC 2008.jpg
Lake Clifton thrombolites
Lake Clifton, Western Australia
Coordinates 32°48′40″S115°41′13″E / 32.811°S 115.687°E / -32.811; 115.687
Population759 (SAL 2021) [1]
Established1920
Postcode(s) 6215
Area79.5 km2 (30.7 sq mi)
Location
LGA(s) Shire of Waroona
State electorate(s) Murray-Wellington
Federal division(s) Canning
Localities around Lake Clifton:
Clifton Herron West Coolup
Preston Beach Lake Clifton Waroona
Preston Beach Myalup Wagerup

Lake Clifton is a small town located on the east side of the lake of the same name in the Peel region of Western Australia just off the Old Coast Road, between Mandurah and Bunbury at the north end of the Yalgorup National Park. At the 2021 census, Lake Clifton had a population of 759. [2]

Contents

History

Lake Clifton is named for Marshall Waller Clifton, who arrived in Western Australia as Chief Commissioner of the Western Australian Land Company, settled at Australind, and was later a member of the Legislative Council.

Explorers Dr Alexander Collie and Lieutenant William Preston RN first came across what are now Lakes Preston and Clifton while exploring the coastline between Mandurah and Bunbury in 1829. After the introduction of convicts to the Swan River Colony in the 1850s, the "Old Coast Road" south of Mandurah was rebuilt. For most of its length, the road went through well-timbered, sandy limestone country of little value to agriculture. The area's first European settler was John Fouracre, who built a house in this area in 1852 and had established a wayside inn and changing station at Wellington Location 205 in 1854. [3]

The townsite of Lake Clifton was developed in 1920 as a result of the W A Portland Cement Co. seeking to mine a lime deposit there. A railway to Waroona was built [4] and the local Progress Association sought the declaration of a townsite for the company's employees. The town was initially gazetted as Leschenault in 1921, but this name was seen as too confusing because of the name's connection with Bunbury. It was then renamed Garbanup, but the Railway Department complained as this was too similar to Dardanup, so in 1923 it changed again to Lake Clifton. For a short period it was a busy company town, but the mine closed at the end of 1923 and the railway was removed and transported to Lake Grace for use in a railway to Newdegate. [5]

Present day

Yalgorup National Park observation walkway Lake clifton gnangarra 03.jpg
Yalgorup National Park observation walkway

Lake Clifton contains basic accommodation and shopping, and a community hall offering a range of activities. A couple of roadhouses for passing trucks and motorists are located on Old Coast Road, while rural residential estates have sprung up at Tuart Grove.

The Yalgorup National Park was established in the 1970s to protect the coastal lakes, swamps and tuart woodland in the area. The area is also central to waterbird migration patterns. At the edge of Lake Clifton, rock-like structures called thrombolites (similar to stromatolites) can be seen, built by tiny micro-organisms believed to resemble the earliest forms of life on Earth. Scientists have suggested their presence here may be due to upwellings of fresh groundwater high in calcium carbonate. An observation walkway has been constructed to allow visitors to view these fragile structures. [3] An action has been started by the French artists "Art Orienté objet" in 2011 to list Lake Clifton as a World Heritage Site. [6]

Transport

The main road route through the area is the Old Coast Road (Highway 1, Mandurah to Bunbury). Perth-Bunbury buses operated by Transwa under the Public Transport Authority also stop here. It is also the terminus of the Forrest Highway.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yalgorup National Park</span> Protected area in Western Australia

Yalgorup National Park is a national park in Western Australia, 105 km south of Perth, and directly south of Mandurah.

Bunbury is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, approximately 175 kilometres (109 mi) south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's third most populous city after Perth and Mandurah, with a population of approximately 75,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandurah</span> Coastal city in Western Australia

Mandurah is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated approximately 72 kilometres (45 mi) south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's second most populous city, with a population of 90,306.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waroona, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Waroona is a town located in the Peel region of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, between Pinjarra and Harvey. The town is the seat of the Shire of Waroona. At the 2016 census, Waroona had a population of 2,934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boyanup, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Boyanup is a town on the South Western Highway in the South West agricultural region, 195 km south of Perth and 18 km south-east of Bunbury, Western Australia. The town is located on the Preston River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinjarra, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Pinjarra is a town in the Peel region of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, 82 kilometres (51 mi) from the state capital, Perth and 21 kilometres (13 mi) south-east of the coastal city of Mandurah. Its local government area is the Shire of Murray. At the 2016 census, Pinjarra had a population of 4910.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brunswick Junction, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Brunswick Junction is a town in the South West of Western Australia, situated along the South Western Highway between Harvey and Bunbury. It had a population of 772 people at the 2016 census, down from 797 at the 2006 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Harvey is a town located in the South West of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, 140 kilometres (87 mi) south of Perth, between Pinjarra and Bunbury. It has a population of 2,750. Harvey Town is known for its dairy industry and oranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Western Highway</span> Highway in Western Australia

South Western Highway is a highway in the South West region of Western Australia connecting Perth's southeast with Walpole. It is a part of the Highway 1 network for most of its length. It is about 406 kilometres (252 mi) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarrahdale, Western Australia</span> Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Jarrahdale is a small historic town located 45 km south-east of Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Range. The name is derived from its situation in a jarrah forest. Established in the late 1800s as the state's first major timber milling operation, it played a key role in the development of Western Australia through the exportation of jarrah around the world. At the 2016 census, Jarrahdale had a population of 1,192. Since 2001, the historic precinct has been managed by the state's National Trust organisation alongside private residential and tourism-oriented developments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bouvard, Western Australia</span> Suburb of Mandurah, Western Australia

Bouvard is the second southernmost suburb of Mandurah, Western Australia, and is 97 kilometres (60 mi) south of the state capital, Perth. Its local government area is the City of Mandurah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bussell Highway</span> Highway in the South West region of Western Australia

Bussell Highway is a generally north–south highway in the South West region of Western Australia. The highway links the city of Bunbury with the town of Augusta and is approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) in length. The highway is signed State Route 10, except in Busselton where the construction of the Busselton Bypass in 2000 resulted in this stretch being changed to Alternate State Route 10 with the Bypass signed State Route 10.

Binningup is a town on the coast of the South West region of Western Australia between Mandurah and Bunbury. At the 2016 census, Binningup had a population of 1,227.

Myalup is a town located on the coast in the South West region of Western Australia between Mandurah and Bunbury. At the 2006 census, Myalup had a population of 144.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston Beach, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Preston Beach is a small town located in the Peel region of Western Australia just off the Forrest Highway, between Mandurah and Bunbury in the Yalgorup National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herron, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Herron is a small suburb located in the Peel region of Western Australia just off the Old Coast Road, between Mandurah and Bunbury just beyond Mandurah's urban area. It is on a narrow strip between Lake Clifton and Yalgorup National Park to the west, and Harvey Estuary to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrest Highway</span> Highway in Western Australia

Forrest Highway is a 95-kilometre-long (59 mi) highway in Western Australia's Peel and South West regions, extending Perth's Kwinana Freeway from east of Mandurah down to Bunbury. Old Coast Road was the original Mandurah–Bunbury route, dating back to the 1840s. Part of that road, and the Australind Bypass around Australind and Eaton, were subsumed by Forrest Highway. The highway begins at Kwinana Freeway's southern terminus in Ravenswood, continues around the Peel Inlet to Lake Clifton, and heads south to finish at Bunbury's Eelup Roundabout. There are a number of at-grade intersections with minor roads in the shires of Murray, Waroona, and Harvey including Greenlands Road and Old Bunbury Road, both of which connect to South Western Highway near Pinjarra.

Pinjarra Road is a major west-east road connecting the two major centres of the Peel Region, Mandurah and Pinjarra. Mostly a dual carriageway, it also forms the termini of both the Kwinana Freeway and Forrest Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifton, Western Australia</span> Town in Western Australia

Clifton is a small uninhabited locality located in the Peel region of Western Australia, between Mandurah and Bunbury. Adjoining the nearby suburb of Herron. It lies on a narrow strip between Lake Clifton and Yalgorup National Park to the east, and the Indian Ocean to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yalgorup Important Bird Area</span> Important Bird Area in Western Australia

The Yalgorup Important Bird Area comprises a group of parallel, linear wetlands, with a collective area of 59 km2, on the Swan Coastal Plain of south-west Western Australia between the cities of Mandurah and Bunbury. It is an important site for waterbirds.

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Lake Clifton (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. ↑ "2016 Census QuickStats: Lake Clifton". quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  3. 1 2 Dept of Conservation and Environment. "Yalgorup National Park". Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2006.
  4. ↑ Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, March, 1984, pp 49-54
  5. ↑ "History of country town names – L". Western Australian Land Information Authority. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2007.
  6. ↑ "Maison Artiste" . Retrieved 6 October 2011.

Further reading

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