Which of these is the largest lake in Australia?

Lake Eyre is the largest lake in Australia, covering 9,500 km2 (3,668 sq mi). When the lake is full, it has the same salinity level as the sea, but as the lake dries up and the water evaporates, salinity increases. The lake was named by Europeans in honour of Edward John Eyre, who was the first European to see it, in 1840. The lake's official name was changed in December 2012 to combine the name "Lake Eyre" with the indigenous name, Kati Thanda. The native title over the lake and surrounding region is held by the Arabana people.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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9 Comments

JRW

Stephen Farrelly, Lake Torrens is also a 'salt lake' located in South Australia.

Micki Horton

judy, I wondered the same thing.

judy

I am an Australian and correctly named Lake Eyre. Why was Sydney Harbour pictured in the question?

David Stokes

Lake Eyre is a salina and the remnant of an inland sea that covered much of northern South Australia. Sadly it is shown on maps blue, which has led to a number of deaths when people expected to find fresh water and found nothing but mud and brackish salty water polluted with the bodies of rotting fish and dead birds. I saved a Japanese cyclist on the road south of the lake with just one 500ml (pint) empty bottle, wandering around looking for drinking water in the late 1990s. The temperature was 41 degrees Celsius.

Jennifer Dyster

Remember piling into the back of a Landrover to go and see it in the 1960s when it had water in it and one of our parry caught a fish.

Carmel Herbert

On December 31st 1964, after breaking the world land speed record in Lake Eyre, South Australia and with only hours to spare, Campbell broke the world water speed record on Lake Dumbleyung in his jet propelled hydroplane boat, Bluebird. This gave him him the two world records in the same year – a feat that has never been achieved before or since.

Julie Allen

The extremely level surface of the salt crust has been used in attempts to break world land-speed records, notably in 1964, when Donald Campbell drove at a speed of more than 400 miles (644 km) per hour in Bluebird II.