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Narrogin Railway Dam is a pleasant recreation area on the south side of town.
It is accessed from Federal Street and Mokine Road.
Narrogin was not much more than a railway siding when the first Beverley to Albany train came through in 1899 but just three decades later it was a large bustling town.
The dam was built to service the steam trains and at one time Narrogin was the largest junction outside of Perth.
The dam was constructed in 1912 but the water was only for railway use. This was despite ongoing water shortages in town until a pipeline to Wellington Dam was built in 1954.
After World War Two a displaced persons camp was established near the dam and houses immigrants coming from Europe. Many were to remain in Narrogin and become an important part of the community.
In 1991 a jet boat course was excavated on the northern side of the dam and water from the dam was pumped in prior to any events. Jet boating fell out of favour rather quickly and the course was abandoned after just a couple of years.
The course was resurrected in 2020 with an event being held in October of that year.
The dam has good picnic and barbeque facilities with shelters, seats and tables and free barbeques.
Strangely though, there are no toilets which is unusual in a popular picnic area. The nearest pubic toilets are in town.
Self contained recreational vehicles are welcome to stay at the dam for up to 72 hours. A maximum of 10 vehicles are permitted to overnight at any one time.
There is a pleasant walk trail around the edge of the dam and the best tine to visit is late winter and early spring when the wildflowers are in bloom. There are strategically placed seats around the dam so you can sit, relax and just enjoy the peaceful surrounds.
If you are walking here on a cool dewy morning, keep an eye out for the homes of the tent web spider that live in some numbers here. When the dew adorns the webs theit tent like structure is easy to see in the early morning light.
Dogs are allowed as long as they are on a leash but swimming in the dam is prohibited. Campfires are also prohibited here.
There is a population of western long necked turtles in the dam. Redfin perch, Gambusia fish and frogs also inhabit the dam.
Birds are attracted to the water so bird watching is another activity that is popular here.
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