Traditional usage Before European settlement the lake was used by
Aboriginal people as an important site for turtle hunting, with campsites occupied for long periods. It is associated with the
Waugal, a powerful and important water serpent in
Noongar mythology that created rivers and lakes, and maintains the flow of waters to its resting places.
European settlement The first non-Aboriginal settlement occurred in 1885, when William and Alfred Skeet were granted a 'Special Occupation' license for adjoining the lake, as well as licences to cut and sell timber. Farming around the lake began in 1893; much of the land was cleared, crops were trialled along with
dairy and
poultry farming. By 1898, the area around the lake had been set aside for a township with recommendations made for its subdivision. The Jandakot region started producing vegetables,
apiary products and dairy produce for the Fremantle markets. From the 1920s agriculture gave way to sheep and cattle grazing, which continued through the next 50 years. During the 1940s the west side of the lake was heavily grazed by livestock, particularly during the drier summers when the lake's fringing vegetation served as supplementary fodder. As a result, the land on the west side of the lake lacks native
understorey plants and is infested with introduced plants such as
arum lilies. The lake was
gazetted as an A-class Nature Reserve in 1957 for the protection of flora and fauna, as well as for recreation, particularly
sailing. The population in the Forrestdale area increased rapidly in the late 1960s as the townsite blocks to the north-west of the lake were taken up. Since then the population has gradually increased to about 1350.
Protection Originally Lake Jandakot, it was renamed Forrestdale in 1973. It was listed on the
Commonwealth Register of the National Estate in March 1978. With the similar
Thomsons Lake to the west, it forms the
Forrestdale and Thomsons Lakes Ramsar Site, designated under the
Ramsar Convention on 7 June 1990 and recognising it as a wetland of international importance. In 1998 the purpose of the reserve was changed to simply "Conservation of Flora and Fauna". It is registered as Nature Reserve 24781, vested in the Conservation Commission of Western Australia and managed by the Department of Conservation and Land Management. It is mainly used for
birdwatching, nature walks,
horse riding and general recreation by surrounding residents. ==Description==