Driving to work this morning, I saw some beautiful reflections on Lake Hayes.

The lake will often have a glass like surface which reflects the surrounding hills, making a very pretty landscape! It's no coincidence that Lake Hayes as well as a few other lakes in the district picked up the the nickname "the mirror lakes".

Lake Hayes was named originally after the discoverer, Donald Hay. So it used to be known as "Hay's Lake". But, somehow over the years it began being spelt as "Hayes"... I wonder if the spelling got confused with a well known scoundrel called Bully Hayes, who moved to the area during the late 1800's?

Bully Hayes, ran a hotel in Arrowtown during the late 1800's, and had a bad reputation due to cheating at cards, and other shady business dealings. It was rumoured that he had his ear cut off as punishment for crimes he had committed in the past, so he wore his hair rather long to conceal this. He married the daughter of a rival hotel owner, and the father was so outraged he issued a reward for anyone who would cut Bully Hayes' hair to reveal the missing ear.

Do you know any other interesting facts about Lake Hayes?

Have you walked the track around Lake Hayes?

Have you heard about Bully Hayes before?

Answer my questions and comment on this blog below!