Lake Eyre

Lake Eyre National Park, Australia

Lake Eyre officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, contains the lowest natural point in Australia, at approximately 15m below sea level (AHD), and, on the rare occasions that it fills, is the largest lake in Australia covering 9500km2. The shallow endorheic lake is the depocentre of the vast Lake Eyre basin and is found in Northern South Australia, some 700km north of Adelaide. 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 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. Native title over the lake and surrounding region is held by the Arabana people.