Bush-bashing ‘hoons’ leave long-lasting damage to lake

Gen Harvey at Wagin Lake after the incident. Credit: Tom Shanahan

Wagin residents are fuming after a driver allegedly “bush-bashed’ across a wildlife reserve before getting a vehicle stuck in the middle of Wagin Lake.

A group of people in four cars allegedly ventured on to Wagin Lake last Sunday before one of the vehicles got bogged and leaked mechanical fluid.

The car was dragged out sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning, causing damage to the embankment of the lake.

Wagin Woodanilling Landcare natural resource management officer Gen Harvey said she was “wild” after the incident.

Ms Harvey said it was frustrating for people who were dedicated to protecting the area’s natural attributes to see that people had shown little respect for the environment.

“It gets to me that people live in ignorance. For them to drive that car out there they must have seen the signs we have put up and chose to ignore it which shows they have a complete lack of care,” she said.

“The car sitting there would be leaking oil, petrol and other fluid into the ecosystem which could have a negative impact on the vegetation and birds at the lake.”

She said the incident caused disturbance to the surrounding neighbourhood and, more importantly, long-lasting damage to the “fragile” ecosystem at the lake.

“They probably killed a bunch of burrowing frogs and other small wildlife under the surface of the lake just by driving over them,” she said.

The bogged vehicle stuck in the middle of Wagin Lake. Credit: Tom Shanahan.

In a Facebook post, Ms Harvey did not mince her words.

“If you are choosing to drive your car on your lake, you are choosing actively to kill the wildlife,” she said.

“If you don’t care about where you live, what does that say about you as a person if you don’t care about your home?”

Ms Harvey said in spite of some assumptions, the lake was a significant wildlife reserve.

“It is really important to acknowledge and recognise that even though it is salt lake it still does provide really important habitat and refuge for a big variety for birds and small mammals,” she said.

Anyone with information on the incident can call Wagin Police on 9852 0000.

The vehicle was dumped on the side of the lake after it was retrieved. Credit: Tom Shanahan