Eyre, Lake

Eyre, Lake, shallow salt lake, 3,430 sq mi (8,884 sq km), central South Australia state, Australia; largest lake in Australia. The lake, 39 ft (12 m) below sea level, is the continent's lowest point. Located in the arid interior of Australia, the lake is frequently dry. During the winter rainy season, numerous stream beds carry floodwaters into the lake. A move in 1995 to designate the lake's basin as a world heritage site pitted environmentalists and the federal government against the state government and parties concerned with pastoral and mining rights.

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Eyre, Lake

Salt lake, northeastern South Australia. With a total area of 3,700 sq mi (9,600 sq km), Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, 50 ft (15 m) below sea level. The lake consists of two sections: Lake Eyre North, 90 mi (144 km) long and 40 mi (65 km) wide, is joined by the narrow Goyder Channel to Lake Eyre South, which is 40 mi (65 km) long and about 15 mi (24 km) wide. Lake Eyre is normally dry, and it fills completely only (on average) twice a century. When filled, the lake takes about two years to dry up again. The region is within Lake Eyre National Park.