[1] In 1839, Pierre Rocher dredged the mouth of the Papkuils River and used water drawn from the Auroraberg Mountains to make better pasture for his cattle behind the dunes.

[1] In the process, he unwittingly established ideal bird habitat.

During the Cape rainy season, the lagoon fills an area of 110 ha (270 acres) and is around 6 km (3.7 mi) long and up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) deep.

[3] 183 species of birds (including 70 of waterfowl) can be found here,[3] including, among others, the great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), the African oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini), and the greater flamingo.

There is also a hatching ground for the Cape shoveler (Anas smithii).