Lake Condah, also known by its Gunditjmara name Tae Rak, is in the Australian state of Victoria, about west of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and north-east of Heywood by road. It is in the form of a shallow basin, about in length and wide. The lake is located in the Newer Volcanics Province, a geologically-defined area of western Victoria with the youngest volcanoes in Australia, not far west of the Budj Bim (Mt Eccles) volcano. It lies just outside the boundary of Budj Bim National Park, but within the Budj Bim heritage areas, including the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, added to the

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

in 2019. The area is known for the extensive aquaculture systems created by the local Gunditjmara people.

Location and description

The closest town is Heywood, some west of Melbourne. The lake is shallow, and about 4km long and 1km wide. It lies within the Budj Bim heritage areas, an area known for the ancient aquaculture systems created by the Gunditjmara at least 6,600 years ago to trap short-finned eels (''kooyang'') and other fish. See also attached documents: National Heritage List ''Location and Boundary Map'', and ''Government Gazette'', 20 July 2004.

History

The lake was probably created by

lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

s during or after an eruption of Budj Bim. It is not a crater lake, but a shallow basin on the lava plain. The volcano last erupted about 36,900 years BP. The Kerrup-Jmara ("people of the lake") are a clan of Gunditjmara Aboriginal people, who lived around the shores of the lake, which they called Tae Rak, for thousands of years pre-dating the arrival of Europeans, and had specific responsibility for it. Lake Condah was first happened upon by European settlers in 1841, when David Edgar and William Thompson Edgar were travelling through the area. Edgar gave it the name Lake Condon. Anglican pastoralist Cecil Pybus Cooke, who in 1849 acquired Lake Condah station, changed the name of Lake Condon to Lake Condah in the mistaken belief that it meant "

black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large Anatidae, waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent ...

", which lived on the lake. The Gunditjmara people were driven off their lands by the new settlers, and some were relocated to Lake Condah Mission, although not without resistance, in the Eumeralla Wars. Damaging floods in 1946 led to the construction of a large drain along the swampland, which was connected to the spring at the Mission that flowed into Darlots Creek, completed in 1954. Various plans to restore water to the lake were proposed in the late 20th century, until after March 2008, when Lake Condah was returned to Gunditjmara people. The Lake Condah Restoration Conservation Management Plan was completed in a way that ensured that cultural heritage values were maintained, and works were completed in 2010, winning the Civil Contractors Federation Earth Award.

References

{{Lakes of Victoria Condah