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Lake Leschenaultia
Updated: 54 minutes ago
We thought we would look at the history of how the water source for the Eastern Railway became the much-loved Lake Leschenaultia. There is a huge amount of history about this location.
The lake was originally constructed as a water source for the Eastern Railway. Early steam trains required large quantities of water, and as the goldfields and areas east of the Avon Valley had only minimal supplies, the government had to provide additional watering points.
The water was pumped from the lake to storage tanks at Chidlow’s Well Station and used to replenish the storage tanks to refill the steam engines. Henry Stoker was the pumper at the Lake from 1898 to 1910 when he was replaced by John Taylor. The pump keeper’s house was moved from the lake and re-erected next to the Chidlow Station Master’s House in 1923.
In 1949 the lake was officially named after the blue leschenaultia flower which locals likened to the colour of the water on a bright sunny day.
By 1947 salinity levels had risen too high for the water to be used in the steam engines and the Railways Department leased the area near the dam wall to the Mundaring Roads Board for recreation purposes and it soon became a popular picnic place.
Between 1950 and 1952 the Lake became a recreational reserve and was opened to campers. By 1961 construction of a shop , tea rooms and a caretaker’s residence was underway.
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Scout group at Lake Leschenaultia in1948 with 2 tents pitched P2011.59 Another photo of the Scout group in 1948 P2011.58 Motorcyclists at the dam which became Lake Leschenaultia in 1937 P2005.026 A weekend kiosk at the Lake c1950...more next week on this P2025.39 Alice Hill's ( Bertola) Wedding Photos at Lake Leschenaultia 1940s P2005.192 Arthur Todamn and daughter Moria, with dog Judy on the Jetty. P2005.177
The photo of the kiosk sent us to a book written by Florence Edwards called “The Joys and Sorrows of a Migrant Family” in which is a chapter on their time in Chidlow. They came from Narrogin and moved to a property in Chidlow, believed to be on the corner of Rosedale and Clifton streets.
They worked on improving a neglected orchard from which they picked and packed fruit into cases, which went to the railway station to be sent to the markets. In 1950 Florence asked the Shire if she could open a kiosk at the lake. She paid 10 shillings a week and it was open from September through to April and she sold lots of produce from the orchard and later sweets and cold drinks. As the crowds at the lake increased, the Shire decided to build a shop. Later Bill and Penny Rebbetttes took over the café which they called Stokers and they also hired out canoes. We are also looking for more information on this era of tourism along with the Miniature Railway.
We also found these photos from The Western Mail on 15 September 1932, when a hike was taken on the previous Sunday by a group from the Railway Department from Chidlow to the Lake. The reporter stated that “The fears of those who prophesied the despoilation of the bush were unfounded. As commendable restraint was exercised in plucking wildflowers and there were no instances of hooliganism!”
The then called Chidlows Dam was officially opened on Sunday 17th December 1933. An article in Trove states that the lake had been acquired for a nominal rental from the Railway Department by the Greenmount Road Board. On the day, the band of the Fremantle Naval Reserve under the conductorship of Mr. Lionel McKenzie, gave a programme of music during the afternoon. We have number of photos of the lake but not that one as yet. We would love to see any of our reader's early photos. We are also hunting down early photos of Stokers Café if anyone has any to share with us.
Lastly we have a photo of the miniature railway which was started in 1990 by Sid Shepherd, Bob Moss and Bill Angwin which operated for 10 years before the tracks and trains were removed to Toodyay, where it is still operating.
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