Wellington Dam was my final destination after visiting the Pile Road Scenic View Point. From there we returned to Perth through the South-Western highway with two stops along the way: both times for a tea break in the lookout area. Wellington Dam is at a distance of 35km from our previous destination. There were two routes: one road overlooking the green lush rolling hills and bushlands, and the other route through the Wellington forest. During our 35-minute drive, there was an intermittent shower but when we reached the Wellington Dam Lookout Area, there was heavy rain. We waited for a moment to see the real beauty of the dam.
Wellington Dam is located in the town of Collie, in the south-western part of Western Australia. The town is notably known for its coal production. Apart from the mining of coal, the shire of Collie has a lot to offer from magnificent rivers to lakes to biking trails in the mountains and hills. Wellington Dam was constructed in the 1930s to provide drinking water for the town. The dam also provides water resources needed for agriculture and industrial development for the town. Rather than being just a water supply project, it has been an incredible part of the local community where they can enjoy their outdoor life, fishing, kayaking, and hiking.
The lookout area of the Wellington Dam is one of pivotal points from where the immense beauty of the dam can be explored. The area offers a stunning view of the water reservoir surrounded by lush greenery and the rolling hills as you can see in the picture above.
And not to forget about the central point of attraction of the place, is the large-scale Aboriginal art painted on the wall of the dam. The artwork was done by Guido van Helten, an Australian artist. You can see more of his mural art on his Instagram account. I think this should be the biggest mural art built on a dam in the world. More about the artist's inspiration for building a mega mural art can be explored from this site.
The art in all pays a respectful homage to the traditional owners of the land and to the region's Indigenous heritage (Noongar people). In the artwork, one can see the children enjoying the water signifying that the dam has formed an important aspect of people's life. To the far right side, you can see a man playing with two of his children. Some of the artworks like the man holding babies in the far right side have been inspired by the resident's photographs. This is the place where history, art, and community come together to foster a strong bond and connection in life.
We didn't check about the closures in the area while going there. It seems like ongoing developments were going on. The mural art as expected drives more tourists into the area making roads, parking areas, pedestrian footpaths, and bridges to be unsafe. Thus requiring a safety update most of the areas had been restricted to the public with developments expected to finish by mid-2026. So we weren't able to explore most parts of the dam. Furthermore, the rain was sure to hit anytime making it difficult to explore the vicinity around.
We waited for the rain to subside so that we can take a final view at the dam but to our surprise there was a magical rainbow in the sky. We could also see both the rainbow ends. Thus we could see full arch of the rainbow. It was a memorable moment. There's a lot more to explore here in Wellington than just the dam. I am.hoping to make a future trip there again but that time I am gonna visit most places there.