Full lake keeps sport club busy
Asports club based at Green Lake near Horsham is exploring further opportunities to capitalise on a return of water to the lake.
Green Lake Water Sports Club secretary Justin Brilliant said the lake was generating considerable community interest and use and it would be important to capitalise on the appeal.
“We have a few projects on the go and are always exploring opportunities for events and attractions in the future, especially if everything starts to open up more as society gets on top of the pandemic,” he said.
The club is an extension of Horsham Yacht Club and Mr Brilliant said public interest in using redeveloped clubroom reception facilities at the lake had been ‘mind-blowing’.
“The rooms have been booked out for functions from December through to February and we’re now taking inquiries for beyond March,” he said.
“At one stage, at the start of December, we had about 42 booking requests from one social-media post and the popularity has continued. We’ve actually had to knock back a lot of requests.
“The activation of the use of the lake has been incredible. Apart from our busy clubrooms, barely a day goes by when there hasn’t been boats on the water, swimmers or picnickers out there. All sorts of people are dropping in to experience the environment.
“It has more than justified Horsham Rural City Council support in getting water for the lake this year.
“It has also given us a good grounding to push for more regular flows into the lake.
“The clubrooms have been subject to major refurbishments during the past few years and with water in Green Lake has provided a new event experience for locals and visitors alike.
“The truth is we were never in any doubt this would be the outcome when we were part of a lobby group trying to guarantee water for the lake.”
Green Lake, sitting next to the Western Highway on the southeast approaches to Horsham, received an allocation of recreational water as part of a financial arrangement between Gwmwater and Horsham Rural City Council last year.
The success of efforts to win a water allocation for Green Lake has generated speculation about the future of other drying or dry district lakes including Lake Toolondo and Natimuk Lake and Stawell district’s Lake Lonsdale.
Supply and storage are subject to vastly different catchment and management circumstances involving stock, domestic and environmental allocations.
Lake Toolondo, south of Horsham, is a considerably larger impoundment to Green and directly tied to levels at Rocklands Reservoir. Natimuk Lake is separate from the regional supply system with an independent wetland catchment, and shallow Lake Lonsdale, subject to significant evaporation, is part of Mt William Creek.
All three boast considerable recreational and environmental attributes.