WEST AUSTRALIANA –

Lake Muir, southeast of Manjimup, is a wetland of international significance. When Andrew Muir migrated from Scotland, Aborigines around Mt Barker told him that there was ‘big water’ to the west. The lake is about is about 14km long and 7km wide. Andrew Muir took up land in 1856 on the banks of the lake which now bears his name. Three times since European settlement, the lake has overflowed into the headwaters of the Deep River. Sometimes it dries, but the water must have been so fresh that good grass provided grazing for cattle and sheep. There have been changes to the lake over the years. There have also been tremendous changes in the lifestyle of the settlers in the district. Though this story focuses on the Muir family, it is representative of many families who took up land in the south west of Australia.

pp. 108 illusts First Edition #200326