Remnants of Green Lake Hotel.

out at Green Lake
DRYING UP: The final flow from Green Lake in March 1968.
ALL THAT REMAINS: Remnants of Green Lake Hotel.
1935: Strong south westerly winds
across a full Green Lake during
June caused severe erosion and loss
of trees planted on the northern
bank by the Rotary Club in 1933.
They were replaced by almost 100
young willow trees planted just
above the full supply level in the
hope of arresting the damage and
also creating a picnic area.
1937: In April, a cairn was
unveiled on the roadside at Green
Lake to honour famous explorer
Major Sir Thomas Mitchell who
passed the lake in 1836. The cairn
and the event were sponsored by
Horsham Rotary Club. School
children from Wonwondah,
Horsham, Haven, Drung,
Dadswells Bridge and Mrs
Bodger’s Private School at
Horsham attended the function.
Following the official ceremony,
children received bags of lollies
donated by Langlands, Cooks and
Coles. Mr H.W. Radford acted as
chairman, and Mr H. Lamb MLA
was the guest speaker.
1949: Permission was given by the
SR & WSC, to use Green Lake for
speed boat racing. At this time there
were three speedboats in Horsham;
belonging to the Finlayson Bros
and Brian and Don Douglas of
Wawunna Road.
The boats were a runabout racer
with a high compression V8 motor,
and two hydroplanes powered by
twin two-stroke engines developing
22 bhp. An application was also
submitted to the Victorian Speed
Boat Association, inviting them to
visit Horsham to assess if Green
Lake was suitable to hold speedboat
race meetings on.
1949: The outlet structure and
associated works at Green Lake
were closed to the general public
after several acts of vandalism. This
outlet which conveyed water to
Dock Lake was a popular spot for
fisherman to gather bait; when
flowing, it was known to produce
copious quantities of fish and
yabbies.
1950: A notice appeared in the
HOME DELIVERY phone 5382 0181
Pictures: CONTRIBUTED
Horsham Times calling for all
persons interested in the formation
of a Horsham Speedboat Club to
attend the inaugural meeting to be
held at J.A. Finlayson’s Garage in
Hamilton Street.
1955: Erosion of the lake’s
northern bank prompted the
Wimmera Shire Council to seek
advice from the Minister for Water
Supply Mr Mibus. Cr. J.C.M.
Carter had accused the State Rivers
of overfilling the lake.
In reply, SR & WSC divisional
engineer Mr Claude Evans said:
‘‘In the past, as much water as
possible had to be stored to supply
the demands of the WimmeraMallee, but now that Rocklands
Reservoir has been completed, a
lower level may be possible in
Green Lake.’’
In an attempt to arrest the
erosion, Mr I. Tulloch and some
Longerenong College students,
planted two rows of kikuya grass
along the top of the northern bank.
1957: Horsham Rotarians held a
working bee at Green Lake to plant
600 seedlings supplied from the
Wail Nursery. The new reserve,
surrounded by a rabbit-proof fence
was east of Green Lake on land
made available by district farmer
Mr R.F. Blake.
1958: After being abandoned for
five years, the Horsham Speedboat
Club was reformed. Office bearers
were: Commodore, Wes Barnett;
Vice Commodore, Ray Harris;
Secretary, John Arnott; Treasurer,
P. Ward. Committee members were
I. Baum, I. Harris, W. Norwood.
In April, Horsham Angling Club
was becoming concerned for the
survival of fish in Green Lake. The
receding water level was due to no
inflows while earthworks were
carried out on the Burnt Creek
Channel which supplies the lake.
Water Commission engineer Mr
Richardson promised flows into the
lake would resume as soon as
possible.
1958: About 1500 spectators
watched Horsham Yacht Club’s
first races to be held on Green Lake
when 17 sailing boats and seven
powerboats competed in the events.
Water Supply Minister Mr W.J.
Mibus opened the club by unfurling
its new pennant.
1962: Wimmera Shire counsellors
convened a meeting of groups with
an interest in Green Lake in July.
Those present were: City engineer:
Mr I. Clingin, Cr McIntyre, shire
secretary Mr K.H. Lovett; Cr
Levitzke, Cr Huf and shire
president Cr A.R. Gross.
1965: Horsham Yacht Club’s new
£1100 headquarters was officially
opened at Green Lake by Wimmera
Shire President Cr Kranz on
Sunday, February 23.
Commodore Ian Anderson
welcomed visitors and a sail past
turned into chaos when a severe
storm produced strong winds and
choppy water; several yachts
limped to shore with torn sails and
damaged hulls.
March, 1968: Prolonged dry
conditions across the Wimmera
during 1966, 1967 and 1968
resulted in only dregs of water left
in Green Lake. An attempt was
made by SR & WSC workers to
excavate a channel to obtain the
remaining water in the middle of
the lake. This project failed when
heavy rain fell resulting in the
excavating machine becoming
bogged and a bulldozer was
required to retrieve it.
1969: In June, a Fisheries and
Wildlife research team released
1160 Murray Cod between five and
12 inches in length into Wimmera
Lakes including: The newly filled
Green Lake, Collins Lake near
Edenhope, Carpolic Lake between
Edenhope, Goroke and Miga Lake.
This release was an experimental
stocking, aimed at breeding cod in
Wimmera Lakes after a statewide
lake survey.
1973: Wimmera Shire workmen
started the construction of 122
metres of concrete wall along the
northern foreshore of Green Lake in
an attempt to reduce erosion; the
reinforced rectangular blocks used
were precast at the Shire’s depot. A
Government Unemployment Relief
grant of $7000 was spent on the
work.
October, 1974: After three years in
recess, the Horsham Power Boat
Club was reformed at a meeting
held in the Horsham Fire Brigade
Hall.
This meeting followed the
refilling of Green Lake and other
lakes in the Wimmera; there were
nine members in the club.
1975: A gang of workers on the
Wimmera Regional Employment
Scheme completed the erosion
protection wall in May. The
structure was referred to locally as
the Great Wall of Green Lake.
1976: Members of the 15th
Transport Coy, Royal Australian
Corps from Melbourne and Stawell
held exercises on Green Lake in
May.
They launched and operated
amphibious troop and cargo
carrying vessels during a mock
amphibious attack by an imaginary
enemy force.
1977: Horsham Angling Club
officials released 900 callop or
yellow belly into Green Lake and
the Wimmera River.
The release was stage one of a
two-pronged attempt to introduce
yellow belly and freshwater catfish
into Wimmera Lakes and streams.
More than 1000 catfish were also
released into Wimmera waters in
February.
The fish were purchased by the
club from Narrandera Freshwater
Hatcheries in NSW for $300.
In October the Annual Wimmera
Speedboat Spectacular was held on
Green Lake and two of the world’s
fastest speedboats — Miss Bud and
Solo — both powered by spitfire
engines made by Rolls Royce,
reached speeds of up to 160kmh.
The program carried prizemoney
of $5000. Proceeds from the day
were distributed by Horsham Apex
Club to various local charities.
1979: Horsham Angling Club
released 1000 yellow belly into
Green Lake at a cost of $300.
Twenty boxes containing the fish
were conveyed by car from
Tocumwal by Bob Carine, Rod
Garth and Clarrie Taberner.
Wimmera Shire Council
approved the expenditure of
$50,400 for developments at Green
Lake. Developments included a
pump house and new pumping
plant, tree removal, parking area
development, a water supply and
sprinkler system, preparation of
ground and sowing with grass, post
and rail fence and rearranging
existing tables. Future proposed
work included overhead lighting.
In August the Minister of Youth
Sport and Recreation approved
$8500 to be spent on a carparking
area, lawns and a reticulated water
supply on the foreshore.
1982: Horsham Angling Club
committee member Chris Barber
released 5000 yellow belly into
Green Lake.
The fish came from Hanwood
Fish Farm near Griffith, NSW.
Anglers licence fees paid for the
release and 5000 yellow belly were
also released into the Wimmera
River in February.
1983: Green Lake, now established
yellow belly water, received a
release of 10,000 additional fish
from the Hanwood Fish Farm; they
were released by the Fisheries and
Wildlife Division in March.
1985: Fisheries and Wildlife
Officers combined with the
Department of Conservation
Forests and Lands, liberated 10,000
golden perch into Green Lake in
April. The six-month-old fish were
flown from Condobolin, NSW in 40
plastic bags.
Horsham Angling Club members
Andrew Carine and Chris Barber
assisted in the release.
Green Lake Cemetery Trustees
commenced compiling records to
preserve the history of the cemetery
which were to be held in the
Wimmera Shire archives.
One of the first burials at Green
Lake was that of a migrant worker,
no name was engraved on the headstone and the grave was outside the
cemetery area. Another headstone
revealed that five children from the
Gorman family had all died within
a week. Some of the cemetery
records date back to the mid 1870s.
It was reported that many names
in the cemetery have relatives still
living in the Horsham area.
At the time, the trustees hoped to
complete the work in early 1986
and it was proposed that a map with
plot names and a register would be
available for public viewing.
1986: By September, work at Green
Lake was listed as a major priority
for the Wimmera Shire Council’s
1986-87 Community Employment
Program; the work included
repairing the seats and the provision
of rubbish bins.
A $12,000 Bicentennial grant
was used on the first stage of major
developments at Green Lake. These
included cleaning the beach and
extension to the erosion protection
wall which was started in 1973.
Other developments proposed were
a watering system, a toilet block, a
carpark, grass sowing, and other
facilities such as the provision of
tables and bins.
Onlookers on the beach watched
in horror as a body was dragged
from the water at Green Lake, an
inquest was held into the death of a
farmhand from Murra Warra who
had drowned in November.
1989: Horsham Angling club
members released 500 murray cod
into the southern side of Green
Lake in January. The cod, from the
Uarah Warm Water Fish Hatchery
in NSW were about 25mm long and
had the potential of growing up to
27 kilograms.
1990: The first identified outbreak
of toxic blue green algae or microcystis was detected in Green Lake
in January.
This resulted in the erection of
signs by the Rural Water
Commission warning people not to
drink the water and prohibiting
swimming, boating, and fishing. In
April, an attempt was made to
reduce further outbreaks of the
algae in Green Lake by a flushing
method, the Rural Water
Commission transferred 1500
megalitres of water into Dock Lake;
this water was later released into the
Wimmera River when there was a
sustained flow of water present.
The Rural Water Commission
lifted bans on boating and fishing in
Green Lake when it announced that
the algae microcystis had abated,
but as another species, anabaena
was still present the bans on
swimming, drinking, and
showering remained until July.
1991: Wimmera residents became
concerned with a mussel plague
along the waters edge of the beach
area at Green Lake with many
people suffering cuts to their feet
and up to nine people in one day
had visited the Wimmera Base
Hospital.
Conservation and Environment
Department Officers commented
that the sands at the lake were ideal
for the mussels and that a large
population of them existed there.
Horsham and Jardwa Apex Clubs
organized a powerboat spectacular
at Green Lake and 26 events were
held, carrying total prizemoney of
$10,000.
Boats were present from the
Melbourne Runabout and Speedboat Club, the Victorian Speed-boat
Club, and the Mt Gambier Aquatic
Club.
1993: The presence of blue green
algae again caused the closure of
Green Lake for all uses when high
counts of both microcystis and
anabaena were detected by officers
of the Rural Water Corporation.
The lake was re-opened in March
when tests proved that the algae
was rapidly decreasing.
Another outbreak resulted in the
lakes closure in December
following the sighting of algae on
the water surface from the air by
Natural Resources Department
officer Mr Jim McGuire. The lake
remained closed until May, 1994.
1994: Wimmera Base Hospital staff
warned people using Green Lake to
take care against cutting their feet
on mussels when ideal breeding
conditions had again produced
thousands of mussels along the
foreshore. Edges of the mussel shell
were as sharp as razor blades and
there was danger of infection to
people who experienced cut feet.
1995: Following persistent rainfall
over the Grampians catchment area
in August, the Wimmera Mallee
Reservoir System was holding 77
per cent of their capacity. Green
Lake was over full and discharging
water to maintain safe supply level.
1997: Once again blue green algae
in Green Lake had exceeded safety
levels and it was closed to the
public for all uses.
1998-2003: During this period the
water level in Green Lake had
continued to fall since its last filling
in 1995, eventually drying up.
Those familiar with weather
patterns since early settlement
agree that it was the driest period
since the 1885-1903 droughts
devastated the Wimmera-Mallee.
The Wimmera had experienced
extremely dry weather conditions in
the late 1900s and early 2000s, until
a brief reprieve in 2003 when
average rainfall patterns returned.
Green Lake in her dry, barren
state with stark dead trees on her
bed caused problems by the growth
of fairy grass. An accumulation of
this weed was ignited by a vehicle
exhaust and burnt out a large area
on the Dock Lake side of the
Western Highway and destroyed
the local football clubrooms,
interested authorities proposed
eradication of the problem by a
mowing and spraying program.
2006: Green Lake’s bed remains
dry and with Grampians reservoirs
holding 5.3 per cent in December,
one wonders if it will ever resume
its status as Horsham and district’s
major recreation lake.
Monday December 18 2006 THE MAIL-TIMES PAGE 29