Government House Lake (Rottnest)

Government House Lake is a saline lake on Rottnest Island in Western Australia. It is partly reclaimed on its southern shore, for the Rottnest Island Airport. Adjacent lakes are Pearse Lakes to the west, Serpentine Lake to the south west, and Herschell and Garden Lakes to the north.

The view south over Government House Lake, with the stone jetty visible in the foreground.
Map
Government House Lake is a salt lake on Rottnest Island.

The Government House Lake, and the other lakes of Rottnest are often mentioned in passing, in anecdotal reminiscences about the island.[1]

Various features have been constructed since European settlement of the Island in the 1800s. In the 1930s a stone jetty was constructed (also identified as "old bathing groyne" on recent maps),[2] with steps leading down to it cut into the limestone cliff. Apart from the airport it also had a war time railway, and recent tourist railway run south of its shore.

In the 1920s yachting occurred on the lake.[3][4]

In 1930 a Klemm aeroplane facilitated the first aerial photographs of the island and the lake.[5]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "ROTTNEST—PAST AND PRESENT". Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 6 January 1912. p. 11. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  2. ^ "ROTTNEST ISLAND IMPROVEMENTS". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 17 October 1933. p. 16. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  3. ^ "YACHTING". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 5 April 1926. p. 10. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  4. ^ "YACHTING AT ROTTNEST". Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 30 December 1926. p. 7 Supplement: Western Mail. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  5. ^ "THE FIRST AERIAL PICTURES OF ROTTNEST ISLAND". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 21 January 1930. p. 12. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
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32°00′10″S 115°32′17″E / 32.00278°S 115.53806°E / -32.00278; 115.53806