Donald Campbell

In 1964 Englishman Donald Campbell attempted to break the water speed record on Lake Bonney. The Lake proved too small and the waves created by the boat were dangerous. Campbell’s boat Bluebird reached a speed of 347.5 kilometres an hour, but the world record was not broken.

Campbell was successful in breaking the record on Lake Dumbyleyung, Western Australia, in the same year travelling at a speed of 444.7 kilometers per hour.

On the foreshore of Lake Bonney, you will see a placque that commemorates the site of the boatshed used by Donald Campbell to house his hydroplane Bluebird K7 whilst he was at Barmera attempting to set a World Water Speed Record on Lake Bonney.