Source: Press office
700 kilometers north of Adelaide, Australia, there is an extraordinary oasis nestled in the rugged landscapes of the outback. And the lago Eyre which only very rarely offers an incredible natural spectacle.
This is the event of the influx of flood waters that "repopulate" the dry basin of the lake, a spectacle that few have the privilege of witnessing during their lifetime.
But it is also, paradoxically, the attraction that has given new impetus to tourism - and therefore to the economy - of this area.
THEexceptional event it happened again last June. The influx of water has invigorated local communities as it journeys nearly a thousand kilometers from North Queensland to its final destination.
Lake Eyre, 144 km long and 77 km wide, is made up of two lakes connected by a canal. AND the largest salt lake in Australia, but it is rarely filled with water. In fact, the region in which it is located is the driest in the nation, as well as being the lowest geographical point on the continent.
The traditional 'owners' of Lake Eyre, the Arabana, have lived in this basin for thousands of years. Even today, their lake continues to be an important cultural site for Aboriginal peoples.
The lake's water level depends mainly on the seasonal monsoon and the amount of rain that falls in the lake's catchment in Queensland and the State of the Northern Territory.
The strength of tropical monsoon determines whether water will be able to reach the lake and the actual amount of water it will receive. Water from the reservoir covers its surface about once every eight years, and it has filled to capacity only three times in the past 160 years.
Floods create an astonishing natural spectacle. The air fills with the sounds of thousands of waterfowl gathering in the area. The usually bare landscape comes to life with i bright colors of wild flowers that emerge suddenly and with the bright green of the leaves.
The varying levels of salt water are visible as channels of swirling currents that extend as far as the eye can see.
Lake Eyre then turns into a large amount of water in the middle of nowhere, and the reflection of nothingness on the water makes you think of an upside-down world.
