Highlights

Australia’s largest salt lake, Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda has a catchment area from three states and the Northern Territory. The north lake itself is huge, covering an area 144km long and 77km wide, and at 15.2 metres below sea level, it is the lowest point in Australia. The south lake is 64km long and 24km wide. Flood waters cover the lake once every eight years on average. However, the lake has only filled to capacity three times in the last 160 years.

You may feel a sense of isolation standing on the dry lake edge and seeing nothing as far as the eye can see – yet with heavy rains and the right conditions the lake comes dramatically to life. When there’s water in the lake, waterbirds descend in the thousands, including pelicans, silver gulls, red-necked avocets, banded stilts and gull-billed terns. It becomes a breeding site, teeming with species that are tolerant of salinity.

Away from the lake, the park features red sand dunes and mesas. They rise from salty claypans and stone-strewn tablelands.

The Lake Eyre Basin is one of the biggest internal drainage systems in the world. The basin is equal in size to the area of South Australia and overlies most of the Great Artesian Basin. The floodwaters that flow into the lake are the result of high monsoon rainfall that usually falls over south west Queensland.

Each time the lake floods, the salt crust which forms much of the surface of the lake begins to dissolve until the salt level in the water reaches saturation point. When the lake starts to fill, the surface water is fairly fresh and drinkable because the heavier salty water is close to the lake bottom. From the air, water salinity variations can be seen as remarkable swirling current patterns.

Activities

• Sight-seeing
• Photography
• Camping
• Picnics

Facilities

• Camping grounds
• Picnic areas
• Car park
• Toilets