Water Dwelling
At this tranquil location we look across the dam to the Year 8 Centre. Completed in 1995 it was designed to maximise use of natural light and energy efficiency. If you look carefully you might notice that the trees on the opposite bank and at the far end of the dam are species that thrive in wet or swamp areas, Swamp Tea Tree (Melaleuca leucadendra), Candlebark Gum (Eucalyptus rubida) and Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis). The trees next to you face north and prefer a drier environment and so we see Red Box Gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemus) along this side of the dam.
Whilst there are carp that live in the water there are also turtles who have a small beach habitat here. This is also an excellent spot to view a vast array of waterbirds and grassland birds coming to feed at different times of the day. The Little Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax melanoluecos) is at home here as well as the Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa). Late in the day you may see the fork-tailed Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena) flitting about over the surface of the water and if you listen carefully later in the day you might also hear frogs in the shallows along the bank.