Lake Muir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Muir |
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Lake Muir in October 2010
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 Lake Muir
Location in Western Australia
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| Location | South West, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 34°26′49″S 116°44′54″E / 34.44694°S 116.74833°E |
| Primary outflows | Deep River |
| Catchment area | 384 km2 (148 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Designation | Muir-Byenup System Ramsar Site |
| Max. length | 11 km (6.8 mi) |
| Max. width | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Surface area | 46 km2 (18 sq mi) |
| Surface elevation | 170 m (560 ft) |
Lake Muir is a freshwater lake, with a larger surrounding wetlands area, that is located in the South West region of Western Australia. The lake lies near Muirs Highway, north of Walpole and southeast of Manjimup.
Flora and fauna
A 14-square-kilometre (5.4 sq mi) section of wetland around Lake Muir has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it provides habitat for 10 or more pairs of endangered Australasian bitterns. The wetlands within the IBA are shallow with extensive beds of dense sedgeland and fringing stands of shrubland and woodland. Lake Muir has been excluded from the IBA as it is unsuitable for bitterns but it has supported large numbers of Australian Shelduck and may prove to be globally significant for that species.
History
Lake Muir was named after brothers Thomas and John Muir, the first European settlers in the Warren district, who settled at Deeside, 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the lake, in 1852 and built a rush hut there in 1856.
Historically the area was a Game Reserve, with a duck shooting season. The Department of Environment and Conservation (CALM) started monitoring the wetlands system in 1980 in order to manage the duck shooting.
On 5 January 2001 a 106 square kilometres (41 sq mi) area was designated, under the Ramsar Convention as Ramsar site 1050, a wetland of international importance, acknowledging its rich ecological diversity.
