Lake Bookaar Recreation Reserve Committee of Management

11/07/2026

Did you know our local Lake Bookaar is recognised on the world stage? Bookaar is only a ten minute drive from our town of Camperdown.

🌏 Lake Bookaar is a protected wetland of international importance as part of the Western District Lakes Ramsar site, which has been designated since December 15, 1982.

​This interconnected system of nine lakes serves as a vital drought refuge for approximately 70–75 wetland-dependent bird species.

Because of our unique environment, which ranges from freshwater to hypersaline, we provide a diverse habitat that supports over 1% of the world's population for certain bird species, including the Australian shelduck, chestnut teal, and banded stilt.

Our Lake Bookaar and up to 20% of its reserve that borders onto the lake requires special attention, as it's classed as the Ramsar overlay.

Bookaar Committee are aware that this area must be carefully planted out with recognised indigenous plants, such as Sweet Hound's Tongue and Chocolate Lily.

There are approximately 20 known local species growing here.

​So proud to be home to such a globally significant sanctuary! Come visit us soon!!!

✨ Volcanic Lakes and Plains Corangamite Shire Council Courthouse Camperdown Information Centre

10/07/2026

At the heart of Lake Bookaar, our Committee of Management and our wonderful 'friends' work together to nurture every part of our 12-acre space.

From maintaining the historic school, hiring it out, hosting social events, leasing long term our school house, maintaining the campsite to preserving our local environment, we are proud to embrace the many facets of this special hub.

07/07/2026

It's wonderful to see our community hub, the old school being hired out by artists.

Don't forget about this Wednesday the 8th, the once a monthly arty get together.

✨ A Joyous Arty Occasion ✨

​Wednesday, July 8th Old Bookaar School | 700 Darlington Road, Bookaar

​Calling All Creatives!

​Whether you’re a painter, a crafter, or a dreamer, come join our monthly gathering at the historic Old Bookaar School. We meet to share our projects, swap ideas, and celebrate all things art in a warm, relaxed atmosphere.

​The Details
​Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
​Cost: $10 (Contributes to room hire)
​What’s Included: We’ve got the tea, coffee, and refreshments covered!
​It’s a casual day dedicated to creativity and community. Just bring your latest project and your passion. We can't wait to see what you're working on!

02/07/2026

🌋 Walking on an Ancient Volcanic Timeline at Lake Bookaar! 🌋

​Did you know our beautiful local landscape was actually shaped by rivers of fire? 🔥

​Lake Bookaar sits right in the heart of Western Victoria's famous Newer Volcanics Province, an area known for its unique "stony rise" country. Millions of years ago, fluid basalt lava spread across these vast plains. As it cooled, it created natural dips and hollows that eventually filled with water to become the lakes and wetlands we love today.

​🚶‍♂️ A Rare Look Beneath the Surface
​Usually, you only see bits of the ancient rock meeting the water's edge along the reserve track. But during a recent dry spell, the receding water offered a rare treat—completely exposing the raw basalt lava formation underneath!

​It transformed a regular afternoon walk into an incredible, atmospheric trek straight across a prehistoric timeline. It’s pretty amazing to think about the massive geological history sitting right under our feet.

Ps our Lake now has water once again

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Volcanic Lakes and Plains

24/06/2026

Great memories

JOCK WOULD HAVE LOVED IT!
Can a funeral be a great event? Yes, it can - when it's for Ronald S. (Jock) Hay.
The Bookaar community did him proud. As well as Jock's family of sister-in-law Marlene and nephews Paul and Andrew, the Darlington Cemetery and the Bookaar School were crowded with friends and neighbours who had known and loved Jock for all the years he had lived in the area. The photo shows only a small portion of the gathering at the cemetery - and there were many more who turned up at the wake afterwards. Pat Mahony on the left was the MC and Marlene is standing at the microphone on the right. There'll be more photos and a proper obituary in our quarterly newsletter "Past Matters" at the end of July.

24/06/2026

What lays beneath our soil- a fascinating story about inland Corangamite.

A decade ago a bore was sunk 45 metres deep on private property bordering the Eastern side of Lake Bookaar.

Joan Mahony made an incredible discovery, she recorded her findings. Joan had discovered seashells in Bookaar!!!

​While Lake Bookaar itself is a modern saline lake on the surface, drilling 45 meters underground in this region of Western Victoria cuts directly through the upper volcanic basalt and hits ancient, highly fossiliferous marine bedrock. Millions of years ago, this entire region was covered by a warm, shallow sea.

Identifying the Shells & Fossils
​The sketches by Joan Mahony depict distinct marine organisms typical of Australia's ancient Tertiary sea beds:

●​High-Spired Gastropods: The elongated, coiled snails resemble Turritella, a classic marine sea snail commonly found in these deep Victorian fossil beds.
​Ribbed Bivalves: The fan-shaped, heavily ridged shells shown in the middle are marine bivalves (clams/mollusks), resembling species like Glycymeris or ancient scallops.

●​Marine Bryozoans & Corals: The circular fragments with intricate, web-like patterns are likely fossilised marine bryozoans (lace corals) or solitary stony corals rather than traditional shells.

●​Tubular Structures: The various smooth and ridged tube-like pieces drawn across both images are likely scaphopods (tusk shells like Dentalium) or fossilized marine worm tubes (Ditrupa).

The explanation of why those specific drawings represent sea shells rather than freshwater species relies on established geological data for the Victorian Volcanic Plain and the Corangamite Shire.

Public geological survey data for regional Victoria documents that beneath the relatively young, surface-level volcanic basalt plains lies the ancient Otway Basin. When boreholes or shafts are sunk deep underground (such as the 45-meter depth noted in the artwork), they puncture past the volcanic layers and enter Tertiary marine sedimentary strata (like the Gellibrand Marl or Port Campbell Limestone).

​Australian Paleontological References: The specific identification comes from standard Australian fossil identification frameworks. These document the exact marine life that thrived when a shallow, warm ocean covered southwestern Victoria millions of years ago.

Please join our Page -Our Journey Continues
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Corangamite Shire Council

24/06/2026

Volunteers can achieve incredible things—especially with the backing of an amazing community! 🌟

Have you joined our Page?
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578800514907

​Many of you already know and love our public Crown land reserve at Lake Bookaar, with its mowed pathways leading down to the lake and camping grounds. All done by volunteers!!

Did you know we are also a Ramsar-listed site? That means our lake is a globally recognised, protected sanctuary for local flora and fauna. 🌿🦉

​Right at the heart of this beautiful landscape sits our community hub—the old Bookaar School. The original classroom was built in 1908, followed by a second in 1960. At over 118 years old, that history is starting to show on the external walls and antique windows.

​Those charming old walls hold the memories of generations of school kids. Since 1993, the school has found a second life, buzzing with social events, art workshops, exhibitions, and private hires.

We are incredibly driven volunteers, many whom work full-time, we are passionate about preserving this community-owned asset so it shines brightly for generations to come. We're currently working tirelessly behind the scenes researching funding and grants to make it happen.

​✨ Want to go on this journey with us? Follow our page to get updates on all the exciting improvements happening at both the reserve and the community hub!
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578800514907

23/06/2026

Update

Jan Barnes couldn't make last week’s working bee but Jan went over this morning, whipper-snipped around the camp area toilets & cleaned out the gutter…...Thankyou so much Jan, it demonstrates any day can be a workday!!......................................................................

We've had so much help lately that we omitted to thank Pat Mahony for repairs to letterbox.

We hope we haven't forgotten anyone else!!

Every job, small or big truly lightens our load.

21/06/2026

A Beautiful Day of Progress at the Reserve! 🌾✨

​We went for a walk yesterday at the Reserve, and it was incredibly relaxing following the wonderful footpaths that Jane maintains. 🚶‍♂️💚

​If you take the path from the Lookout roundabout, it leads you beautifully to either the lake or the camping area.

Along the way, it was great to see the stakes identifying the exact spots we have been marking our local indigenous plant sightings. 🌿🔍

​Once we reached the Camping Reserve, we couldn't help but admire the incredible work our community has put in lately.

Check out what’s been achieved:

​🔥 The big burning heap is now a deep pile of ash.

​🪵 The entire area has been cleared of deadwood, and the grassed areas have been beautifully slashed.

​🚧 The old gates got some love and are finally much easier to open!

​🛠️ Neville worked his magic and repaired one of the toilets.

​🧹 Jan did a fantastic job clearing around the outside of the loo and cleaning out the spouting that feeds the toilet's water tank.

​Walking back, I felt so proud of everything we’ve achieved together. We have such a bright future ahead for this space—especially with our planned Ecological Burn coming up in 2027/2028, which we hope will bring back even more of our special indigenous plants. 🌸

​A massive thank to everyone who keeps showing up for our community hub. We couldn't do it without you!

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