The spectacularly rare sight of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre full of water and teeming with fish and birdlife is on full display for anyone who can get to northern South Australia in the next few weeks. It’s the largest salt lake in the country, and it’s only reached capacity 3 times in the past 160 years - but locals have warned the show won’t last long… So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll take a look at why the lake is unique, what’s caused the temporary oasis to spring up, and the impacts climate change might have on it in the future…
SPONSORED: Search for ‘The Business Of’ in your podcast app, have a listen and hit follow.
Squiz Recommends:
Reading: This piece published in The Guardian about the effects of climate change on the lake and how it stands to impact the Arabana people.
Watching: An ABC documentary called Lake Eyre… It’s all about the lake and its ecology when it floods, and it’s billed as one of the most extensive coverages of the cycle of life in the desert. Tragically, ABC journalist Paul Lockyer, cinematographer John Bean, and pilot Gary Ticehurst died in a helicopter crash while filming the documentary back in 2011… The ABC has put out a commemorative edition in tribute to the crew, and it’s available on iView.
Perusing: And here are some of the latest images of the full lake taken by local pilot Trevor Wright.
Email us: Got a topic you want us to tackle? Send us your Shortcut suggestions to
[email protected].
Squiz Shortcuts is your back story to the big news stories…
Want the email version? Sign up for the Shortcuts newsletter here
Australia