Dumbleyung

 

The town of Dumbleyung is a farming and mining center near the 13 km by 6.5km Lake Dumbleyung.  The name is thought to derive from the Nyungar word “Dambeling”, meaning a large lake or sea.

Dumbleyung made world headlines in December 1964, when Donald Campbell broke the world water speed record on Lake Dumbleyung, recording a speed of 442.08kmh in The Bluebird.  A plaque of Pussy Cat Hill, overlooking the lake, honors Campbell.

However, Lake Dumbleyung now is a much quieter place.  A fascinating variety of birds make their home on the lake, much of which is a nature reserve, and can be observed from the lookout and scenic drive.  Dumbleyung is 40km east of Wagin by a sealed road.

The town is the starting point for the Dumbleyung Historic Schools Trail comprising of four scenic drives which trace the early development of schools in the district. 

The smallest Wheatbelt town of Kukerin, 39km east of Dumbleyung, is the home of the Tracmach Vintage Fair held each September.  The Fair features more than 100 working farm machines and creek-bed vehicle trials.  The Wheatbelt Wildflower Drive, which commences in Kukerin, includes the attractive Tarin Rock Nature Reserve.

 Photo courtesy:  webshots

Lake Grace

 

First explored by John Septimus Roe in 1848, Lake Grace gained its name from the shallow salt lake 8km to the west.

The restored Inland Mission Hospital, established in 1925 by John Flynn, is the last A.I.M. Hospital in Western Australia.

To the east of Lake Grace is the starting point for Holland’s Track, which was cut by prospector John Holland in 1893 in his rush to get to the gold-fields at Coolgardie.  The wheel tracks left by the wagons of the prospectors who followed Holland can still be seen.

Newdegate, 50km east of Lake Grace, is a picturesque town noted for its springtime wildflower displays and a two-day machinery field event each September.

Lake King, further east across a large salt lake, is the starting point for a sand track which crosses Frank Hann National Park on the road to Norseman and the Eastern States.

The Roe Heritage Trail which retraces part of J.S. Roe’s explorations in 1848, begins south of Lake King and covers natural reserves, historical sites and panoramic views from a granite formation, Mr. Madden.

Photo courtesy:   abc.net.au