Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre

Kati Thanda Lake Eyre, Australia'S Largest Lake And The Lowest Point On The Continent, A Vast White Salt Pan That Floods Into The Country'S Biggest Inland Sea Only A Handful Of Times A Century, Usually Seen Dry And Most Often From A Scenic Flight Out Of William Creek Or Marree · William Creek, South Australia

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre sits in South Australia's far north, reached through the remote outpost of William Creek or the town of Marree on the Oodnadatta Track. It is Australia's largest lake by area and the lowest point on the continent, sitting about fifteen metres below sea level, yet for most of any given decade there is no lake there at all - only a vast white salt pan stretching to the horizon. The basin fills with any real volume of water only a handful of times a century, and even a partial flood, which happens somewhat more often, draws birds and photographers from across the country. Nearly all visitors see it from a scenic flight out of William Creek or Marree, since there is no formed road onto the lake bed itself and the crust can hide dangerously soft mud beneath. On the ground, the Halligan Bay lookout gives a dry-season view across the pan without needing to fly. This is a landscape best understood as usually dry, occasionally extraordinary, and not a conventional lake visit.

South Australia's far north, reached via William Creek or Marree on the Oodnadatta Track, William Creek, South Australia, Australia

The surrounding Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park has no gate and no fixed opening hours, but there is no staffed visitor centre on site, only a small information point at William Creek and at Marree. Scenic flights operate during daylight hours only and depend entirely on weather, with no flights in high wind or poor visibility and reduced schedules outside the cooler months. The Halligan Bay access track can close completely after any rain, since the surrounding clay pans become impassable, and this closure can last days. Fuel and basic supplies at William Creek and Marree keep limited hours and are sometimes the only fuel for well over one hundred kilometres in any direction.

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