The Lake Monger Story: The Reserve is located 5km north of Perth. Perth is built on a series of reclaimed wetlands. Most have now been drained, however Lake Monger was retained for ecological, and recreational purposes. Before Mr John Monger settled in the area during the 1830's, the lake was called Lake Galup, by the local indigenous people. They used the lake as a camping and hunting ground for over forty thousand years. Things changed over time. By the 1920's the lake was used for swimming, yachting, fishing, and as a trendy picnic spot. With a kiosk, boat house, jetty, and bathing sheds, Lake Monger was a favourite place for the people of Perth.
The Black Swan is the only entirely black coloured swan in the world, which explains why they startled Willem de Vlamingh when he first saw them in 1697. Everybody thought swans had to be white, so a statue commemorating this historical moment has been erected on the Swan River. We can only be thankful that Willem de Vlamingh never visited Lake Monger, as his Post Traumatic Swan Disorder would have been too much to handle.
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