Project Insight
The old trout ponds are situated a 5-minute walk upstream from the Pemberton Pool. Here they have remained buried and forgotten under thick vegetation for decades. SFFAC’s mission is to recover the ponds, promote the history and tourism values.
Our good friend and now club committee member Bruce Williamson brought to our attention the existence of the old ponds and their historical importance in early 2021. Bruce is a passionate fly fisherman and history buff, and his enthusiasm soon rubbed off on club members. The club began restoration work on May the 9th, 2021. This work was pivotal in galvanising our freshly formed club and providing direction and purpose. Our members, through many working bees since, and three successful community grants, have uncovered 90% of the old ponds and provided informative signage and a safe walking trail from Pemberton Pool. Our work continues today with many more tasks ahead. Busy bees normally run on the last Sunday morning of every month.
BRIEF HISTORY
These ponds represent a leap forward in the history of trout acclimatisation in Western Australia. Funded by the late John MacCallum Smith and built by the Pemberton-Warren Trout Acclimatisation Society with help from local community volunteers and mill workers, these two parallel sets of ponds and connecting races were gravity fed from a dam at the head. They founded the beginning of trout propagation independence for WA and removed the need of trapping wild fish or obtaining trout from Victoria, with the broodstock easily contained and controlled within these holding ponds.
As a result, angling tourism blossomed for Pemberton and the ponds were a popular attraction with regular hatchery tours for visitors. By the 1950s, problematic stream flows and the emergence of modern recirculation systems saw the need for a new hatchery facility being built at the site of the current Freshwater Research Station.
Follow the below link for more history by Bruce Williamson
https://troutinthekarri.com
Works Begin May 9th 2021
Shire of Manjimup Community Grant funding
The club was successful with a community grant from the Shire of Manjimup and works commenced on 28th Oct 22. Tree loppers removed problematic trees from dam wall. Funding was also used for trail construction commencing on 2nd May 2023, connecting Pemberton Pool to the ponds.
Pemberton Trout Festival 6th Nov 2022
Poster courtesy of Recfishwest
