Lake Eyre
If you'd like to see a landscape like nothing you've seen before, visit South Australia's Lake Eyre National Park.
Lake Eyre is an extensive 'salt sink' and has only filled to capacity three times in the past 150 years. When Lake Eyre does fill, it becomes the biggest lake in Australia, our "inland sea" teeming with wildife.
See Lake Eyre from the air!
The best way to see Lake Eyre is from the air. Book in advance to make sure you don't miss out. The SA Visitor & Travel Centre can help you do this. Telephone 1300 764 227 or email them now.
Lake Eyre tours
A number of tour operators can help you to see magnificent Lake Eyre including:
William Creek Scenic Flights
About the Bush by Jingo
Banksia Adventures
Ahern's Tours & Charters
Aussie Heritage Tours
Heading Bush
Heron Airlines - tours from New South Wales
Just Cruisin 4WD
Murray River Expeditions
The massive Lake Eyre system covers an area of 9,690 square kilometres, or roughly the size of Holland. Nearly one-sixth of Australia's landmass drains into Lake Eyre, but it has filled to capacity only three times in the past 150 years.
When water flows in to part-fill the lake via great inland rivers including the Diamantina, Cooper Creek and the Warburton, the spectacle is breathtaking.
Seasonal rainfall attract waterbirds such as Australian Pelicans, Silver Gulls, Red-necked Avocets, Banded Stilts and Gull-billed Terns. Driven by instinct, thousands of pelicans, banded stilts and gulls flock in from as far away as north Queensland to breed and feed on the teeming fish. There are many theories, but no-one is quite sure how birds as far as 2000 kilometres away instinctively know that the lake is full. Their antics above the pink waters of Lake Eyre make for an awesome sight.
Lake Eyre National Park is also home to interesting reptiles such as the Lake Eyre Dragon and (after rain) tiny forms of aquatic life such as Brine and Shield Shrimp.
More often than not though, the lake is dry - even then it's a sight to behold.
The brilliant white salt crust is 460mm thick in some places, and estimated to weigh 400 million tonnes. With salt flats as far as the eye can see, it's not hard to imagine British speed ace Donald Campbell setting a land speed record of 403.1 miles per hour on the lake in 1964.
Perhaps the best and safest way to take a look at Lake Eyre is from the air on a charter plane out of William Creek, Marree or Coober Pedy, although you can access the lake margin (in 4WD vehicles only) from Muloorina Station near Marree or a turn-off near William Creek.
This park can be accessed only by four-wheel-drive vehicles.
More information on Lake Eyre
Read about visiting Lake Eyre National Park, and how to obtain a Desert Parks Pass, at the Department of Environment and Heritage's Lake Eyre website.
More South Australian tours
You can find other great South Australian holiday ideas by using the red 'Search For' box to the left of every page of suothaustralia.com. Simply choose 'tours' from the drop-down category list. You can also choose what region you're interested in. And see some top tour ideas here - the list is updated regularly.
