Lake Eyre is Australia’s largest salt lake, and the 13th largest lake in the world.

The lake is located 647 kilometres north of Adelaide. It is the lowest point in Australia at 15 metres below sea level. The lake is 10 and half times saltier than sea water, or two and half times denser than the Dead Sea. The drainage basin takes up 15% of the continent, extending from the north of South Australia into the south-east of the Northern Territory and the south-west and central Queensland.

Lake Eyre North (144 kilometres long and 77 kilometres wide) and Lake Eyre South (64 kilometres long and 24 kilometres wide) have a combined area of 9,690 square kilometres and are joined by a 15 kilometre stretch called the Goyder Channel.

Lake Eyre is typically an arid desert environment and one of the harshest environments in Australia; a thick, white, crusty salt pan in the middle of the South Australian outback. It is rare for the lake to fill completely, however even partially filling the lake creates a watery oasis where thousands of migratory waterbirds breed, wildflowers and grasses bloom and set seed, insect populations increase and mammals and reptiles take advantage of the abundant food sources.