Lakeside

Lakeside National Park is a 5,716-hectare protected area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, east of the Perth metropolitan area. The park protects a chain of inland lakes, salt lakes, and surrounding wandoo-woodland vegetation in the agricultural landscape of the Western Australian wheatbelt. Inland lake systems in the wheatbelt are significant waterbird habitats, particularly for species that breed colonially. The park is managed by DBCA.

The salt and freshwater lake system supports colonial waterbird breeding, with pelicans, cormorants, ibis, and spoonbills nesting in large numbers during favourable water conditions. Brolgas and black swans are resident. The surrounding wandoo woodland supports western grey kangaroos, echidnas, malleefowl (in undisturbed areas), and a diverse bird community including Carnaby's black-cockatoo. Reptile diversity is high in the dry rocky-soil woodland.

Wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo) woodland dominates on red-brown clay loam soils — a distinctive open woodland with a sparse grass-forb understorey. Salt lake margins support samphire (Tecticornia) communities and halophytic chenopod shrubs. The spring wildflower display on granite outcrops and sandy rises includes everlastings, velleia, and native daisies.

The park overlies the Yilgarn Craton — ancient Archaean granite-gneiss basement. The lakes occupy topographic depressions in the broadly flat wheatbelt landscape. Salt lakes form where evaporation concentrates salts from shallow groundwater. Secondary salinisation from dryland farming has elevated water tables in parts of the wheatbelt, expanding salt lake areas.

Semi-arid Mediterranean climate with hot summers and cool winters with 350–450 mm of annual rainfall. The lake system is highly responsive to rainfall variability, flooding extensively in wet years and drying to salt crusts in drought years. This variability drives boom-bust cycles in waterbird breeding.

The Lakeside area lies within Ballardong Noongar country. The lake system was an important seasonal resource for Noongar people. European settlement of the wheatbelt transformed the landscape from the 1890s, with most native vegetation cleared for cereal farming.

Lakeside National Park was proclaimed to protect the significant lake system and remnant woodland. The park is one of few substantial reserves in the central wheatbelt, providing a biodiversity refuge in a heavily cleared landscape.

Birdwatching at lake margins, particularly during breeding seasons (August–January). Bush walks through wandoo woodland. Wildlife observation for kangaroos and emus. Spring wildflowers.

Located east of Perth in the Wheatbelt region. Access via the Kalgoorlie highway network. Minimal facilities. Free entry. Nearest towns provide basic supplies.

Dryland salinity from surrounding cleared agricultural land is increasing secondary salinisation, potentially degrading freshwater habitats. Invasive weeds including cape tulip and Patterson's curse are problematic. Wandoo decline syndrome — a poorly understood dieback affecting wandoo trees — poses a long-term threat. Fox predation affects ground-nesting waterbirds and malleefowl.