Kati Thanda Lake Eyre

The first European to discover the lake was Edward John Eyre and the lake was named after him. However for the local indigenous people, the lake was always called Kati Thanda.

In December 2012 the official name was changed  to Kati Thanda Lake Eyre National Park and is managed by the Arabana people and representatives of the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.

Largest Salt Lake in Australia

Lake Eyre North and Lake Eyre South cover an area of 9690 square kilometres. The two salt pans are the lowest areas of the drainage system called Lake Eyre Basin. This basin covers well over 1.1 million square kilometres.

Kati Thanda is also the lowest point below sea level in Australia. While the shoreline is around 9 metres below sea level, the deepest section is found at Belt Bay and Madigan Gulf measuring 15.2 metres.

Flooding Events

Researches have shown that a minor flood occurs every 2 to 3 years and a major flood every 10 years. The wet and dry periods in this arid desert environment are very unpredictable. Therefor which river flows and possibly brings water to the lake varies. Flood waters can take 3 to 10 months to reach Kati Thanda.

Floods happened in 1886-87, 1889-1890, 1916-17, 1950, 1955, 1974-77, 1999-2001, 2004, 2007 and 2009-2012. We have seen some water, mainly in North Lake Eyre and in the northern rivers in Jan, April and May 2015; Jan, Feb, April and August 2016. 2019 was fantastic for Channel Country while last year, 2025, was a big flood for Lake Eyre and Channel Country. In strong La Nina years the lake can fill and who really knows, a huge flooding event could just be around the corner.

New flood event in 2026 – it is happening right now locally at Lake Eyre and in the channels in the northern region.

Important Bird Area

The variety of plants and animals are driven by flood events. As the waterholes and rivers fill, the desert magically comes back to life. Algae, invertebrates, frogs and fish multiply, grasses and wildflowers bloom. Several millions of birds make their way to Lake Eyre and you can find well over 80 bird species in the area.

The Australian Pelican, Banded Stilt, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Silver Gulls, Red-necked Avocets and Caspian Terns are some of the birds found here. Birds will breed in huge numbers side by side in response to the abundant water and food resource. Once the lake dries, birds and other animals move to waterholes. Plant and animal populations keep declining, birds will  eventually migrate.