By John Pedler
Published: Monday, March 4, 2024
The diversity of South Australian landscapes is matched by the state’s wide variety of lakes.
From the desert and Murray River to the Adelaide Hills and Limestone Coast, we take a look at a mixed bag of five SA lakes.
1. Fresh water in a parched desert
A vast freshwater lake in the middle of the desert is a rare treat. Located among sand dunes 100km north-west of the tiny town of Innamincka, Lake Coongie is one of outback Australia’s most remarkable places.
Fed by water from Queensland’s channel country, via Cooper Creek, the lake is part of an extensive freshwater wetland within Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park.
Due to the diversity of birds that call the region home, it’s been declared a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.
To help maintain the pristine environment, motorboats, campfires, fishing and generators aren’t allowed inside the park. Activities like bushwalking, kayaking, and sitting lakeside with a cool drink and birdwatching binoculars are fine.
This is four-wheel-drive-only territory and travellers must be fully prepared for a remote-area trip.
Bookings for park access and campground sites can be made online.
The Desert Parks Bulletin provides information about road conditions and seasonal closures of outback parks.
2. Fun in the sun
Stretching 4km from the northern edge of Barmera in the Riverland, Lake Bonney has long been a popular playground for South Australians.
Water skiing, windsurfing, fishing, jet skiing, kayaking – just about every watersport gets a run here.
Although the lake is part of the Murray River system, it’s not affected by the currents that make the main channel treacherous for swimming, but swimmers should be wary of underwater snags.
Holidaymakers will find a range of accommodation options in Barmera and throughout the Riverland.
3. Wilderness so close to home
Completed in 1938, Mount Bold is South Australia’s largest reservoir. Although it’s only 36km south of Adelaide, the reservoir’s location among densely-forested hills gives it a remote wilderness feel.
You can access the dam wall lookout via Mt Bold Road. The wall is a towering structure, so acrophobia sufferers be warned.
A second viewing platform with superb views over the dam and beyond can be found at the end of the 1.4km-return Lookout Trail, which departs from Razorback Road. Intrepid hikers can head deeper into hilly terrain on the 5km-long Forest Loop and the 19km-return Wedgetail Trail.
The 5500 hectares of land occupied by the dam and surrounding woodland is home to a wide variety of birds and other animals. Keep an eye out for kangaroos, koalas, and maybe even the odd bandicoot.
Mount Bold Reservoir provides drinking water for Adelaide and the surrounding area, and it’s vital the quality of this valuable resource is maintained. Visit the reservoirs sa website for recreational use regulations.
4. Snow-white salt
About 160km long and 48km wide, Lake Gairdner (main photo: South Australian Tourism Commission) is Australia’s third largest lake. It’s only smaller than Lake Torrens at number two, with Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre at top spot.
Although the other two salt lakes are larger, Lake Gairdner arguably offers a more spectacular sight when seen from ground level. (From the air, the mind-numbing expanse of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is hard to beat).
The bleached white salt covering Lake Gairdner’s surface contrasts dramatically against the rust-red hills surrounding it. The olive-green vegetation clinging tenaciously to this arid landscape adds another bold colour to the palette.
If you’re lucky enough to arrive when a shimmer of water coats the salt, stand by for striking reflections of the clouds above.
The lake is in Lake Gairdner National Park, on the northern edge of the Gawler Ranges. There are no park fees and the only facility is a long-drop toilet at Waltumba Tank bush campground, on the lake’s south-west shore.
It’s 551km from Adelaide to the campground, including 172km of unsealed road after leaving the Eyre Highway near Iron Knob.
There’s also access to Lake Gairdner via Mt Ive Station, which offers a range of facilities for travellers.
5. A hole in one
In geological terms, the volcanic eruption that tore a hole in the Limestone Coast landscape near Mount Gambier happened barely a nanosecond ago. The creation of Blue Lake/Warwar is so recent it’s recorded in the stories of the local Buandig/Boandik people.
About 5000 years ago, superheated magma bumped into an underground water-bearing aquifer, setting off a cataclysmic blast that devastated the countryside.
Fast forward a few millennia and all that remains of this tectonic mayhem is a delightful crater lake that turns from dull grey to vivid blue every summer.
There are several theories regarding this mysterious colour change. The most popular hypothesis involves calcium carbonate precipitating out from the seasonally warming water, forming micro crystals that reflect blue light. The surrounding limestone rock provides a plentiful supply of calcium carbonate, which remains dissolved until the lake’s waters begin to heat up.
Blue Lake/Warwar is Mount Gambier’s water supply, so swimming and other water activities aren’t permitted. Escorted tours into the crater and down to the lake surface are available through Aquifer Tours.
There are plenty of accommodation options available in town.