About Lake Monger Reserve

Managing Lake Monger Reserve

Keep active at Lake Monger

Managed by the Town of Cambridge, Lake Monger Reserve is located 3.6km north-west of Perth's CBD in the suburb of Wembley. With an area of 109 hectares, it is made up of a 38 hectare regionally significant recreation reserve visited by local, interstate and oversees visitors, and a 71 hectare conservation wetland which is an important habitat and permanent drought refuge for a range of fauna.

The lake and a significant part of the reserve are registered with the Department of Indigenous Affairs as an Aboriginal heritage site of historic and mythological significance to the Aboriginal people.

The Town's vision for the reserve is:

"For Lake Monger Reserve to be recognised as a conservation wetland and a significant recreational facility enjoyed and managed with the community"

Awards

In recognition of improvements achieved to lake water quality, fauna habitats and ecological restoration to the eastern section of the Reserve, the Town of Cambridge, in 2002, won a WA Environment Award for the category of "Protection and Sustainability of WA's Natural Environment".

Visitor Facilities

The best way to get to Lake Monger Reserve is via the visitor facility car park at the Powis Street end of the reserve. The facility provides visitors easy and safe access to the reserve, with a car park that can easily accommodate car, coach and bus parking.

Visitors to the Lake Monger Reserve enjoy:

• easy access to car parks and toilets;
• shaded playgrounds including a playground accessible to children of all abilities;
• flood lit picnic areas that include free push button barbecues;
• path around the lake for bike riding, walking and jogging (10kph limit);
• a nature trail with lookouts throughout the rehabilitation areas to the east of the reserve, to view nature at work including open vegetated nutrient stripping channels, bird nesting sites and lake views;
• open parkland areas for kite flying/ball games;
• a dog exercise area to the south east of the reserve near the Vincent Street freeway on ramp; and
• an educational facility where students and members of the public can be informed of the environmental background and restoration of the lake through interpretive signage. 

History

Before European settlement, Lake Monger was an important camping and hunting ground for the Aboriginal people. The area was valued for its food resources and mythological significance and the indigenous people hunted for kangaroo, emu, snakes, tortoise, mudfish, gilgies and waterbirds and their eggs, to name a few.

Aboriginal camps were still located to the south and west areas of the lake in the 1860s and a bush camp, although not in its original state, was still in use in 1923. Towards the end of the 1800s, settlers began moving into the area. The indigenous people of the area called Lake Monger Reserve, Lake Galup.

After European settlement, it became known as either Large Lake or Triangle Lake before being named Monger's Lake in 1931, after the early settler and pioneer John Henry Monger. In April 1932 it was changed to its current name of Lake Monger and more recently to Lake Monger Reserve to recognise the surrounding parkland.

Land reclamation began in the early 1900s, with rubbish being dumped near the shore, between 1905 and 1963. Later, silt was also dredged from within the lake to fill in the swampy areas. The changes made to the area resulted in the lake retaining water all year round and therefore becoming an increasingly popular recreational venue. During the early part of the century, Lake Monger was a major venue with rowing, yachting and swimming.

These days, the lake and surrounding grass and rehabilitated areas are valued for their aesthetic qualities, passive recreational pursuits and as a habitat for an abundance of waterbirds.