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This is a large freshwater lake covering about 46 square kilometres. It is rarely full and most of the time you will be lucky to see
water anywhere near the main viewing platform.
A large rest area with toilets, seats and tables includes a walkway to the lake. This rather impressive structure (according to locals)
cost around $1,000,000.00 to construct. Now if it had led to the shore of a lovely water-filled lake, it would probably have been worth
all that money but the lake is almost always dry and if any water can be seen, is it usually far to the south.
Some very impressive signage tells you all about the birds you might expect to see if there was some water near the viewing platform
but any waterbirds are going to be far off on the horizon if there are any there at all.
The Muirs Highway runs across the top of the lake. To the west is Manjimup and to the east, Mount Barker.
The area is still an important bird habitat for forest species and the endangered Australasian bitterns is known to inhabit the area.
Brothers, Thomas and John Muir, were the first Europeans to settle in the Warren district and the lake was named in their honour.
The lake was used as a Game Reserve in the past and duck hunting was popular here. There area has been managed by CALM / DPaW since 1980.
Earthquakes have occurred in this area with at least 3 being recorded in 2018.
The lake is part of the Muir-Byenup wetland system and is recognised under the Ramsar Convention as wetlands of international significance.
The convention was signed as the area has the following important attributes:
1. More than 600 native plants species and three nationally vulnerable, wetland-dependent orchids.
2. Six nationally vulnerable fauna species (Balston's pygmy perch, Muir's corella, forest red tailed black cockatoo, chuditch, numbat and quokka).
3. Supporting more than 20 000 waterbirds. It is one of the most important moulting sites for Australian shelducks in southern Western Australia. The little bittern, spotless crake, Australasian bittern, black swan and Eurasian coot all breed at this site.
4. Supporting ten bird species identified under the international migratory species agreement.
5. The only wetland complex of its type in Western Australia in near pristine condition.
There are a number of threats to the area including rabbits, deer, horses, pigs, foxes and weed species luch as typha, watsonia, Paterson's curse and cape tulip.
The rest area is a great stop off for anyone travelling the Muir Highway but don't be too surprised if there is no water visible when you reach the end of the walkway.
Another rest area not far east is next to the Frankland River and here you will usually find a stretch of water under the bridge.
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