Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia at about fifteen metres below sea level and the largest lake on the continent, covering nearly ten thousand square kilometres when full, which happens rarely. Most of the time it is a salt pan. Water reaches it from monsoon rain falling in Queensland months earlier and travelling down the Cooper and Diamantina channels, and when a major filling occurs the lake becomes an inland sea that draws pelicans and waterbirds in enormous numbers to breed, hundreds of kilometres from any coast. Scenic flights from William Creek and Marree are the standard way to see the scale, since ground access shows only an edge.

History

The lake lies mostly in the lands of the Arabana, for whom it holds deep significance in their Dreaming, with the Dieri tied to its eastern part and the Kuyani to its southern end; Edward John Eyre was the first European to see it, in 1840, and colonists named it after him. In the 1860s the explorer Peter Egerton-Warburton found it dry and terrible in its stillness, and on 17 July 1964 Donald Campbell set a land speed record of 648.73 kilometres an hour on its salt flats in Bluebird CN7. It was renamed in December 2012 to include its Aboriginal name, Kati Thanda, and the Federal Court recognised Arabana native title over it that year (Wikipedia, Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre).

The landscape

• The salt pan - a vast white crust below sea level in normal years.
• The flood years - water spreading across the lake with waterbirds arriving.
• The scenic flights - the only way to grasp the lake's scale.
• The Lake Eyre yacht club - the Marree institution that sails only when it fills.

When to go

April to October for tolerable temperatures; filling events are unpredictable and follow northern monsoon rain by several months, so checking current conditions is essential. Summer heat here is dangerous and roads close after rain.

Good to know

The lake is dry far more often than not, and driving out to see a salt pan disappoints many. Flights are expensive but are the only way to see it properly. Roads are unsealed and close after rain. Driving on the lake surface is prohibited.

Nearby

William Creek and Marree are the access towns; the Oodnadatta Track runs between them.

Key facts