Lake Eyre

Lake Eyre is Australia's largest salt lake and the world's largest salt pan. Lake Eyre is 9,450 square kilometres all around and is sixteen metres below sea level and six metres deep when filled. It is dry most of the time, but only fills when it rains a lot, usually once every ten years.

Lake Eyre is located in North East South Australia near the Tirari Desert. It is placed in a park Called Lake Eyre National Park. This park takes up all of Lake Eyre North and the Tirari Desert.

In 1840 Edward John Eyre visited Lake Eyre as the first white man, because of this it was named after him. In 1964 Donald Cambell drove his Blue Bird over Lake Eyre's salt pan for a land speed record.

In 1989 it was filled up when Cooper Creek had flooded in 1989 to 1990. Overnight the lake transformed into a area for wildlife.

Lots of bird life and animal life comes because of the flooding.Birds come such as: Black Swans, Gulls, Pelicans and cormorants.

Mammals also come such as: hopping mice, Marsupial moles and kangaroos. (Kangaroos and Marsupial moles are Marsupials and hopping mice are normal mammals.)

Lake Eyre last flooded in 1989. It also flooded in 1950. It is also filling at the moment, (which is the year 2000.)

In 1989 it was filled up when Cooper Creek had flooded in 1989 to 1990. Overnight the lake transformed into a area for wildlife.

The plants that grow around lake Eyre are: The Sturt Desert Pea, Samphire, Saltbush, Bluebush with some Acacia and cassia.

Millions of years ago the middle of Australia was covered with water and there was a big ditch under the water where Lake Eyre is. Very slowly the water started the to let the patch of Australia that it was covering show for the first time, the only part the water did not leave was the salt lakes in Australia. One of the patches it left the water in was Lake Eyre. The water evaporated but left the salt behind to form beautiful salt crystals to change into different crystals each time the lake flooded and dried.