Lake Argyle

Lake Argyle was created in 1972 when the Ord River was dammed, flooding a valley and creating Western Australia's largest reservoir and the second largest in Australia by volume, holding around ten thousand gigalitres at normal levels and considerably more in a big wet, many times the volume of Sydney Harbour. Islands in the lake are the tops of former hills, and the water supports an estimated twenty-five thousand freshwater crocodiles, along with large populations of waterbirds and short-eared rock-wallabies on the rocky islands. Sunset cruises are the standard way to see it, usually ending with passengers swimming from the boat. The old Durack homestead was moved stone by stone before the flooding and stands beside the lake.

History

The Dravo Corporation finished the Ord River Dam in 1971, a wall 335 metres long and 98 metres high, and it was opened the next year, its lake named after Argyle Downs, the station it partly drowned; the construction camp's post office ran from 1 March 1969 to 15 November 1971. In 1996 the spillway was raised by six metres, doubling the capacity, and in 1990 Lake Argyle and Lake Kununurra were listed as Ramsar wetlands (Wikipedia, Lake Argyle).

What you'll find

• The inland sea - a vast reservoir with drowned hills as islands.
• The freshwater crocodiles - an estimated twenty-five thousand in the lake.
• The sunset cruise - the standard boat trip ending with a swim.
• The Durack homestead - the relocated stone house from the flooded valley.

When to go

May to September for the dry season; the wet brings extreme heat and humidity, though the lake is at its fullest afterwards. Cruises run year-round with reduced schedules in the wet. Sunset trips book out in the peak season.

Things to know

Freshwater crocodiles are present in large numbers; swimming from the boat is standard practice and considered safe, but it makes some people uncomfortable. Summer heat is extreme. Accommodation options are limited to a resort and caravan park.

Nearby

Kununurra lies north; the Northern Territory border is just east.

Key facts