All lakes in Australia on the map. The largest lakes in Australia

Australia, although it is called the "green continent", is actually a very arid continent with an insufficient number of rivers and fresh water. In the hot season, the already low-water rivers completely dry up, and 2-3 large rivers of the continent become noticeably shallow and turn into muddy streams. A few lakes are not fresh at all, but salty, and also significantly decrease during the dry season, sometimes turning into several separate puddles.

The greenest and most water-rich regions of the continent are located in the southeast, while in other places precipitation, underground springs and melting ice - everything that feeds rivers and lakes is a rare phenomenon. In some areas it rains less than once a year.

Therefore, the picture of the continental water spaces of Australia can be represented as follows:

Drying rivers
Lakes, mostly salty
Artificial lakes and reservoirs

Rivers of Australia

The longest and most abundant river in Australia, the Murray, flows in the very south of the Australian mainland and flows into Lake Alexandrina, connected through the strait to the Indian Ocean. Murray is fed by Murrumbidgee and Darling, the next largest.

Some of the rivers originate from glaciers in the mountains of the Great Dividing Range, others are collected from rain streams. Today, a dam has been built on the Murrumbidgee River, thanks to which the fresh water of the lake is accumulated in the artificial Yucambin Lake, which makes it possible to eliminate water shortages in adjacent settlements and provide irrigation agriculture in the valleys. The Darling River is formed from rainwater and small rivers flowing into it. Dries up during the dry season.

Rivers, which are formed by precipitation, are characterized by strong differences in water levels. For example, the Lachlan River, a tributary of the Murrumbidgee, is famous for its floods. The maximum level of water rise in it was recorded in 1870, at 16 meters.

In Australia, river navigation is poorly developed. Murray in downstream, the tributaries of the Murray and the Lachlan River become navigable only in the spring and summer. But sea vessels with a low landing cannot even enter the mouth of the Murray, sandbars prevent passage.

Queensland's longest river, the Flinders, originates in the northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range. In the summer rainy season, it is full of water, for several kilometers navigation opens on it. In winter, despite the confluence of two tributaries, it dries up.

Australian explorers did not have a rich imagination and gave names to rivers, lakes and other geographical objects in honor of their compatriots. For example, two rivers Fitzroy flow in different parts of the mainland. One is in Queensland and drains into the Coral Sea. The other is in the state of Western Australia and flows into the Indian Ocean. Only the first is named after the governor of the state, Charles Fitzroy, and the second in honor of Captain Robert Fitzroy, a member of Charles Darwin's expedition.

Creek rivers

Who, at least a little interested in Australia, drew attention to the often used name "Scream". This word refers to temporary watercourses that do not have a permanent channel and dry up during the drought season. Such "rivers" become full-flowing only during the rainy season. After heavy rainfall, they often overflow and flood the surrounding plains. But due to the hot climate, quickly evaporating, they turn into marshy unconnected lakes or disappear altogether.

lakes of australia

The few Australian lakes can be characterized by three types:

Natural freshwater lakes
artificial freshwater lakes
Salt lakes, some of which have not had water for thousands of years
Lakes formed from ocean bays

The first largest lake, Eyre, is dry and salty. It is located in the desert. It becomes largest during the rainy season, when it fills up to its maximum size. And in the dry months, on the contrary, the water level drops, and the lowest point becomes the lowest point in the country. They feed Lake Eyre, filled with rainwater from the Queensland River. In the dry season, the lake turns into 2 lakes connected by a narrow strait.

Not far from Eyre is Lake Torrens, which is conditionally considered the second largest. The fact is that in full of its banks it was filled with water for the last time 150 years ago. The water in Torrens is salty with heavily saline soil around it. There are a majority of similar water spaces of different sizes in this country. Some of them have pronounced features, such as Lake Hiller, which is inhabited by living microorganisms that make the water in the lake pink. Or Frome, covered with a crust of salt.

Such scarcity of fresh water forced the Australians to build artificial reservoirs. Western Australia has Lake Argyle, which feeds and waters the surrounding farmland. It is home to rare varieties of local fish, as well as a significant number of crocodiles. Fishing is allowed on the lake. Lake Burley Griffin was built in Canberra, now it adorns the panorama of the city, and large government institutions are built on its banks.

But Tasmania boasts lakes. All of them are freshwater and of natural origin, but some, as a result of the work carried out and the construction of dams, have significantly increased their original size. All lakes are included in the Tasmanian National Parks and Reserves, hiking trails for tourists have been laid to them, fishing is allowed in some.

Aquatic Treasures of Australia

Despite the dryness and scarcity fresh water Australia has water reserves. Huge reserves of artesian water are hidden under the firmament of the earth's surface. Underground pools make up almost 1/3 of the area of the entire continent.

Australia (from Latin australis - “southern”) is the smallest continent on Earth, which is located simultaneously in the Eastern and Southern Hemispheres. Despite the fact that Australia is washed by the seas and has access to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, it is considered the driest continent on our planet. And although there are practically no large rivers, Australia has its own developed river network, consisting of small lakes and rivers.

Rivers of Australia

On the map of Australia, many rivers are indicated by a dotted line. These rivers are not full of water, they rarely fill up, mainly after rain and often dry up. However, large rivers also flow here, all of them are concentrated in the southeast, since it is here that the largest amount of precipitation falls compared to the rest of the mainland.

Many rivers on other continents flow into the seas or oceans. In Australia, it's different. The rivers of Australia not only do not flow into the ocean, but in most cases dry up.

Murray River - the longest in Australia (2508 km.).

The Murray, together with its tributary the Darling (1,472 km.), make up the country's main river system. It originates in the Great Dividing Range and is one of the few rivers that never dries up.

Rice. 1. Murray River

Murrumbidgee River is the largest tributary of the Murray. It flows through big cities Australia like Canberra, Yass, Wooga Wooga, etc. During the rainy season, the river becomes navigable, but not completely, but only within 500 km. from the Murray River to the town of Wagga Wagga.

Lachlan - a river with a length of 1339 km, located in the central part of New South Wales. It is a right tributary of the Marrabij. The river was first explored in 1815 by J. W. Evans, who named it after the governor of the state.

lakes of australia

There are very few lakes in Australia, and they are all salty. Even the largest of them dry up during droughts or break up into many small reservoirs.

Air - most big lake Australia. Named after its discoverer, English explorer Edward John Eyre. The dimensions and outlines of this drainless salt reservoir are changeable and depend on the amount of precipitation. In summer, during the rains, it is filled with water, reaching an area of 15,000 square meters. m. and depths up to 20 m.

Rice. 2 Lake Eyre

Burley Griffin - an artificial lake in the center of the capital of Australia, Canberra. Its area is 6.64 sq. km.

Alexandrina - a lake adjacent to the coast of the Great Australian Bight. Not far from it is the largest freshwater lake on the mainland - Bonnie, as well as Gairdner - drainless lake, which is considered the fourth largest salt lake in Australia.

In South Australia is salt Lake Disappointment , and in Western Australia - lakes Mackay and Amadius . During the dry months they dry up.

Lake Hillier - considered the most unusual lake in Australia because of its pink color, which gives it a pink clay contained in it in large quantities.

There are many lake basins on the territory of Australia, but all of them are currently deprived of water and have turned into salt marshes. They are located mainly in hollows filled with water only after rains. At the same time, for a significant part of the year, these lakes are covered with a clay-saline crust. Most lakes in Australia, like rivers, are fed by rainwater. They have neither a constant level nor a runoff. In summer, the lakes dry up and are shallow saline depressions. The layer of salt at the bottom sometimes reaches 1.5 m. Most of the lakes in Australia are waterless basins covered with salt-bearing clays. In those rare cases when they are filled with water, they are silty salty and shallow water bodies. There are many such lakes on the Western Plateau in Western Australia, but the largest of them are in South Australia: Lake Eyre, Torrens, Gairdner and Frome. All of them are surrounded by wide strips of salt marshes. Numerous lagoons with brackish or salt water are developed along the southeastern coast of Australia, separated from the sea by sandbars and ridges. The largest freshwater lakes are in Tasmania, where some of them, including Great Lake, are used for hydroelectric purposes.

The largest lakes of the continent are Eyre (9500 km²), Mackay (3494 km²), Amadius (1032 km²), Garnpang (542 km²) and Gordon (270 km²; at the same time it is the largest artificial reservoir in Australia). The largest salt lakes are Eyre (9500 km²), Torrens (5745 km²) and Gairdner (4351 km²). (Appendix A)

The largest of them is Lake Eyre, which is the remnant of a vast body of water. Water in it now appears only after summer showers. In 1840, Edward Eyre discovered a salt lake in South Australia, which was later named after him. Lake Eyre, in rare cases when its basin is completely filled, is the largest lake in Australia and its lowest point - about 15 m below sea level. It is the central point of the vast Lake Eyre basin.

The lake is located in the desert of central Australia, in the northern part of the state of South Australia. The Lake Eyre Basin is a closed system surrounding the lake bed, the lower part of which is filled with a saline dense layer of soil due to the seasonal evaporation of trapped waters. The basin of the lake is the center of flow for a vast area and receives a whole system of temporary streams - screams (Coopers, Diamantina, Eyre, etc.). The lake is shallow, highly saline, its area and shape are unstable and change depending on the amount of precipitation. Usually the lake consists of two reservoirs - lakes Eyre-North and Eyre-South. But during the rainy season, screams bring a large amount of water from the mountains, the lakes become a single full-flowing reservoir. In the wettest years, the area of Lake Eyre reaches 15 thousand km2. During the dry period, which lasts a significant part of the year, the flow of water stops, the water in the lake evaporates, it breaks up into shallow reservoirs, interspersed with areas covered with salt crusts. Even in the dry season, little water remains in Eyre, which usually collects in small lakes formed on the salty dried lake bed. During the rainy season, rivers from northeast Queensland flow towards the lake. The amount of water brought by the monsoon determines whether the water reaches the lake; and if so, how deep will the lake be. The lake also experiences small to medium-sized flooding due to heavy rainfall in the surrounding areas. There is a yacht club on the lake.

From the northeast and east, the usually dry channels of Diamantina and Cooper Creek approach, which are rather deeply incised in the lower parts of the valleys due to the recent trough of the lake basin. Rare eucalyptus trees grow along the screams. south of the lake Eyre lie the residual salt lakes Torrens, Gairdner and other smaller ones. They occupy an elongated zone of tectonic subsidence, framed on the east by the Flinders and Lofty ranges, and on the west by a ledge of the Western Plateau. These lakes are also covered with a crust of salt for most of the year.

The lakes of Australia, which are quite significant in number and size, are swamps for most of the year. To the north of Spencer Bay (but without connecting to it) lies a surrounded sand dunes Lake Torrens, having a circumference of 225 km. And to the east of it is Lake Gregory, which may be divided into several separate lakes. To the west of Lake Torrensa lies on a plateau. Rising to 115 m, the great Lake Gairdner, which, like countless smaller lakes in the same area, is extremely abundant in salt and, apparently, only recently separated from the sea water. In general, there are clear signs that the southern coast of the mainland is still slowly rising from sea waters.

Lake Hillier on one of the islands of the Recherches archipelago. The water in the pond is bright pink. Its color will remain even if you pour water from the lake into a glass and look at the light. Hillier's mystery is explained in an elementary way: the lake was once formed on the site of a lagoon - it is separated from indian ocean thin strip of sushi. Sea water in the lake, under the rays of the sun, it evaporates and becomes more and more salty. In addition to bacteria and microscopic algae, no one lives in the lake. And the strange color is nothing more than a product of the vital activity of its inhabitants.

Amadius is a dry drainless salt lake in the central part of Australia. It is located approximately 350 km southwest of Alice Spring. The area is about 880 km2. Due to the arid climate, Amadius is a completely dry lake for most of the year. The lake was first explored in 1872 by Ernest Giles, who named it after the Duke of Savoy, King Amadeus I of Spain. Although the traveler originally intended to name it after his benefactor, Baron Ferdinand Müller. Amadius is about 180 km long and 10 km wide, making it the largest lake in the Northern Territory. Despite the high salt content, its extraction is not carried out due to the remoteness from established markets.

Billabong is an Australian word for a small stagnant body of water, especially an oxbow lake connected to a flowing body of water. Billabong usually forms when the course of a river or creek changes. The name probably comes from the Viraturi word bilaban, although some believe the word comes from Gaelic. Billabong is mentioned quite often in works of Australian literature, for example in the poem "Waltzing Matilda" by Australian poet Banjo Paterson, which became the unofficial anthem of Australia.

Disappointment is a salt lake in Western Australia (Australia). It dries up during the dry months. Own modern name The lake was received in 1897 and named so by the traveler Frank Hann (Eng. Frank Hann), who made a significant contribution to the study of the Pilbara region. Noticing a large number of streams in the study area, he hoped to find a large freshwater lake. But to his disappointment, the lake turned out to be salty (translated from in English "disappointment"-- disappointment).

Lake St. Clayer has been formed by glaciers over the past 2 million years. Exactly this deep lake Australia is the source of the Derwent River. The surroundings of the lake offer excellent conditions for walking.

Torrens - the second largest saline endorheic rift lake Australia, in the state of South Australia, located 345 km north of Adelaide. The indicated area of the lake is very conditional, since over the past 150 years it has been completely filled with water only once. The lake was discovered by Edward Eyre in 1839, for the next 20 years it was believed that Lake Torrens is a huge, shallow salt lake in the shape of a horseshoe, surrounding the northern Flinders ranges and blocking the path through the interior of the country. The first European who overcame this mythical barrier is A. Gregory. Now the lake is in national park Lake Torrens, which requires a special permit to enter.

Frome (English) Lake Frome) is a large endorheic lake in the Australian state of South Australia, located east of the Flinders Range. Frome is a large, shallow, drying lake covered with a crust of salt. The lake is about 100 km long and 40 km wide. Most of the lake is below sea level. The area is 2.59 km². Occasionally filled with brackish water from dry creeks originating in the Flinders Range, located west of Fromu, or exclusively with water from the Strzelecki Creek in the north. To the west, Lake Frome adjoins National park Vulkatoon Gammon Ridge Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges national park ), in the north it is connected by the Salt Creek to Callabonna Lake, in the east it borders the Strzelecki Desert, and in the south it borders the Frome Downs Pasture Farm. The amount of precipitation in the region where the lake is located is minimal, and the nearest locality, the village of Arkarula, is located 40 km to the northwest. There are two large uranium deposits in the immediate vicinity of the lake. The lake was named in 1843 in honor of the British officer and Surveyor General of South Australia, Edward Charles Frome. In 1991, in view of its "regional geological significance", Lake Frome was declared a regional nature reserve.

Lake Cynthia or Lake C- is located in south end mountain lake Cradle St. in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area. It is Australia's deepest natural freshwater lake at a depth of 200 meters. The source of the Derwent River, which eventually heads towards Hobart, Lake St. is also known for its Aboriginal name, which means “to sleep the water.” It is at Lake C that the Land Trail ends in the south. At the southern end of Lake is Cynthia Bay, which is connected by a 5 km driveway from the Highway.

Salt Lake Gairdner (Lake Gairdner) with a length of 160 and a width of up to 48 kilometers is the fourth largest after lakes Eyre, Torrens and Frome. The layer of salt in some places can exceed 1 meter. The lake is located in the north of the state of South Australia, 450 kilometers from Adelaide. Access to the lake is limited due to private pastures surrounding the lake on all sides. The most popular approaches to the lake are the Mount Ive farm to the south and the campsite to the southwest on the road between Moonaree and Yardea. Girdner is part of a system of four large endorheic lakes, the remains of an ancient inland sea that stretched north of Australia to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The lakes are located on a stone plateau, not a single river flows out of them, and they are filled only with rainwater. In summer, when not a drop of water remains, races are held on the lake. The absolutely flat surface of the lake and the long track allow you to develop tremendous speeds. The current record (as of 2008) is 301 mph. Dried salt forms crystals of various shapes. The taste is salty and bitter. Near the shore under a layer of salt - wet clay. Most beautiful lake looks at sunset and dawn - the low sun illuminates the salt crystals and emphasizes the bottom topography. In addition, at this time it is not so bright and not hot. During the day, the lake becomes dazzling white and you can do without sunglasses for no more than 2-3 minutes. It also seems that the sun is frying from all sides.

In 1832, Eyre Edward John, an Englishman, moved to Australia and took up sheep farming. In order to find new pastures, he regularly made expeditions. And in 1840, during one of them, he discovered the unique Air - this is the name that it received later in honor of the discoverer. It is located fifteen meters below sea level. This is the most low point continent.

Description of the lake

It is located in the desert, in the state of South Australia, in the very center of a vast endorheic basin. This is a closed river system that has no outlet to the ocean. The basin occupies one sixth of the entire continent and is included in the world.

At the bottom of the lake there is a dense layer of salt. During the rainy season, rivers flow towards the lake. The water brought here by the monsoon determines whether the lake will fill up and how deep it will be. The liquid that fills Lake Eyre dissolves the salts.

During a drought, the lake resembles a salt desert. Due to the fact that such periods are quite common here, there are almost no plants and animals nearby.

During the rainy season, Lake Eyre and the surrounding area are completely transformed. A blooming oasis appears on an area of about 15 thousand square meters. During this period, the lake becomes the largest on the continent. However, this does not last long. When it rains in the vicinity, flooding occurs in the area.

Unique lake in Australia

These places are of greatest interest precisely during the drought period. At this time, hundreds of scientists, tourists, photographers and naturalists come here. The surrounding landscapes are breathtaking. They resemble an amazing, but lifeless planet. Lake Eyre is definitely worth a visit. Such a walk will become one of the most exciting and unforgettable in your life.

In 1984, the amount of salt in the lake was measured. Scientists have found that it would take about 12,000 years to accumulate this amount of salt, provided that Lake Eyre and the entire area are covered with water once every eight years. According to historians, this territory of the mainland in the Tertiary period was covered with tropical forests, and the climate was very humid. Presumably at this time it was formed unique lake. During this period, regular, up to once a year, flooding of the territory could take place. In this case, the period for the accumulation of salt can be reduced to one and a half thousand years.

Dwellers of the Deep

When the lake is filled with water and the salt concentration is at its lowest, some species of fish live in it. However, they then die. Today, experts are studying the microorganisms that live in the lake. There is a theory that life conditions here are about the same as on Mars.

Almost no one lives near the lake. There is only a small settlement with eight inhabitants. Australia's largest livestock farm is also located nearby.

A very unusual yacht club is arranged on the lake. During a drought, it becomes a haven for extreme sports from all over the world. It's simple perfect place for lovers of speed.

Far, far away, in the south of Australia is its lowest point - Lake Eyre, the second name of which sounds like Kati-Tanga. And the main feature of this reservoir is that it geographically occupies more than 9,500 square kilometers, which automatically makes it the largest lake in Australia.

It is noteworthy that Air or Kati-Tanga is considered not only the largest, but also the most saline lake in Australia, and this phenomenon is explained quite simply, because we are talking about a closed system with saline dense soil at the bottom, located in a desert area where precipitation is extremely rarely. That is why the largest lake in Australia is entirely dependent on rains, occasionally raising its level from a critical level of minus 16 meters above sea level, which can be observed at the time of the next long-term drainage of the reservoir.

Even if the weather spoils this desert area with heavy rains, the maximum water level in Lake Eyre never exceeds minus 9 meters above sea level, as a result of which this point is considered the lowest on the Australian continent. This feature leads to the fact that the lake gradually shallows and dries up, becoming saltier and saltier. And even today you can see the picture of how once one large lake was divided into two parts: Air North, in the north and Air South in the south, which are still united by a thin narrow strait called the Goyder channel. It is noteworthy that a similar situation occurs at another low point on the planet - at the Dead Sea, which is also a salt lake of a closed type, gradually divided into two parts and continues to dry up rapidly.

However, a complete analogy between these two salt lakes is still not visible, since during the rainy season the monsoon can provoke a rapid flow of rivers located in the northwestern part of the Australian state of Queensland towards Eyre, as a result of which in this desert area can even small floods occur. And even in the longest dry periods, the surface of this unique reservoir never dries up completely and on the resulting snow-white salt bed one can always observe small islands of lake water, which over time necessarily increase in volume due to precipitation or river flows. As for the history of this wonderful reservoir, its discovery dates back to 1840, because it was then that it was discovered by the Australian explorer Edward John Eyre (a little later, the reservoir was named after its discoverer).

It is noteworthy that this explorer went on another expedition, pursuing completely different goals (he wanted to find a new way to the city of Perth), when he suddenly noticed how much another Torrens Lake, well known at that time to local residents, was crushed. Having gone inland along the route, Edward Air suddenly stumbled upon another salt lake, in which a critically low water level was also observed, and since then the rest of the inhabitants of the continent have finally learned about the existence of Air. If we talk about the modern history of the reservoir, then today we can safely say that it is very popular, not only among local residents, but also among tourists coming from different parts of the world who prefer non-standard rest.

So, during the period of high water on the surface of lake waters, you can easily ride boats, so locals built a fairly prestigious yacht club on the coast of Eyre. However, it is not only about entertainment, because this lake has truly cosmic landscapes, which you can admire both from the shore and by making a panoramic flight by helicopter.