Lake Eacham (Queensland)

Infobox lake
lake_name = Lake Eacham
("Yidyam" or "Wiinggina")
image_lake = Yidyam.jpg
caption_lake = View of Lake and Lake's edge from a Queensland National Parks viewing platform.
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location = Atherton Tableland, Queensland
coords = coord|17.2855|S|145.625|E|type:waterbody_region:AU-QLD|display=inline,title
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basin_countries = Australia
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depth = 65.5 m (215 ft)
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Lake Eacham [ [http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/property/placenames/detail.php?id=10992 Queensland Government Placenames Database] Accessed 15 November 2007.] : (originally "Yidyam" or "Wiinggina" [http://earthsci.org/aboriginal/Ngadjonji%20History/antquity/history2.htm Ngadjonji - Earthwatch web page.] Accessed 5 November 2007.] ) is a popular lake of volcanic origin on the Atherton Tableland of Queensland, Australia, within the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics of Queensland.

Origins

Lake Eacham ("Yidyam") and the nearby Lake Barrine, were formed approximately 12,000 years ago by molten magma. Magma from the center of the earth rose to the surface and heated the water table. The steam that resulted from the boiling water was trapped underground, until massive explosions signalled its release. Huge cracks appeared in the ground and the trees that once lathed the mountainside were levelled and burnt. Eventually, over hundreds of years, water filled the craters and the trees grew back, creating the tranquil lake used today by families and tourists for recreation. The lake is fed by underground springs so it maintains a constant water level and is unaffected by drought. [http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park/index.cgi?parkid=173&noback=1 Lake Eacham, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service] ]

The local Ngadjon -jii (Aboriginal peoples), name this lake "Wiinggina" and tell a parallel, matching story of the Lakes origins, as follows [http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/parks_and_forests/find_a_park_or_forest/lake_eacham_crater_lakes_national_park/lake_eacham_crater_lakes_national_park__nature_culture_and_history Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service "Lake Eacham Nature, Culture, & History" webpage.] Accessed 4 April 2008]

"Two young fellas were trying to spear that wallaby. But they missed and hit a flame tree. That’s a sacred tree. The young fellas not supposed to be out hunting. They weren’t initiated. Their elders told them to stay put, not go out hunting. But they didn’t listen. When they pulled their spear out, part of a grub came out with the spear, which was a witchetty grub. They started cutting down that tree to get more grubs. When they cut down that tree, the ground began to shake. Those two fellas had made Yamini (rainbow serpent) angry. Then the sky turned orange, then all these people back at the camp, the earth went from underneath them, sucked them in, whoosh, they all got drowned. Where they were camped became Bana Wiingina (Lake Eacham)." (Warren Cannendo, Ngadjon-Jii)

This story, in all it's local versions, is part an indigenous oral history and mythology believed to be an oral record recalling those volcanic events that occurred 12 000 years ago, making it a oral record more than 10 000 years old.:

Recent History

Back in 1886, Lake Eacham (Yidyam) was included within original survey plans sudividing the whole of the Lake Eacham area into farming blocks.

By 1888, however, the scenic value of the lake was recognised, and both the lake plus a narrow band of 'shoreline' rainforest were formally proclaimed "scenic reserve".

For almost 50 years (1888 - 1936) the Lake was managed, used and enjoyed as a scenic reserve, with, at times, boats and boating; a guest house; speed boats; and watersking.

In 1934, the Queensland Government declared the lake and immediate surrounds be protected and managed as a National Park.

A Closed Ecosystem & A Near Extinction

Lake Eacham ("Yidyam") is isolated from any other watercourse (making it an enclosed catchment). How any fish arrived there to begin with is a mystery, but somehow, the Lake Eacham rainbowfish ("Melanotaenia eachamensis") found its way into the volcanic lake. Unfortunately for the small species, other larger native fish were introduced into this closed system and eventually, these larger fish ate the Lake Eacham Rainbowfish into extinction - well, at least as far as the lake was concerned. [http://www.wettropics.gov.au/pa/pa_rainbow_fish.html Wet Tropics Management Authority's Story of the Lake Eacham Rainbow Fish] Accessed 11 November 2007]

As it turned out, hobbyists had been collecting the fish from the Lake Eacham National Park (illegally) and were very successful at breeding them. It actually came to pass that these private collections became the source stock to reintroduce the fish to the lake. However, the cause of the species' demise was still living in the lake and proceeded to eat up the entire population of introduced stock. But the story doesn't end there. Fish researchers working in the Wet Tropics rivers and streams have found the Lake Eacham Rainbowfish in the Tully, Herbert and Johnstone Rivers and Dirran Creek

Protected Area Status

Lake Eacham ("Yidyam") is the centerpiece of the 4.89 km² (1,210 acres) Crater Lakes National Park, with a dense rainforest and thousands of small animals. It is therefore a protected area under Queensland State legislation ("Nature Conservation Act" 1994), and, as such, the natural and cultural resources most closely associated with the Lake are protected and managed by the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The lake has an average depth of 65.5 metres (215 ft) and is considered by locals as being ideal for swimming, canoeing, bushwalking, and bird watching. No motor boats are allowed on the lake. It features a pontoon great for diving into the deep water. A large grassy area is terrific for picnics, sunbathing, or just watching children as they play in the shallow water near the edge of the lake. There is a circuit walk around the lake that takes around 45 minutes. There are also a few families of turtles that can usually be seen just to the left of the pontoon

ee also

*Mount Hypipamee Crater
*Lake Barrine
*Lake Tinaroo
*Lake Euramo (Ngimun)

External links

* [http://earthsci.org/aboriginal/Ngadjonji%20History/antquity/history2.htm Ngadjonji - Earthwatch web page.] Accessed 5 November 2007
* [http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/property/placenames/detail.php?id=10992 Queensland Government Placenames Database]
* [http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park/index.cgi?parkid=173&noback=1 Lake Eacham] , Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
* [http://www.wettropics.gov.au/pa/pa_rainbow_fish.html Wet Tropics Management Authority's Story of the Lake Eacham Rainbow Fish] Accessed 11 November 2007
* [http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=57857 Recording of tourists swimming at Lake Eacham, Freesound]

References