SA: Queensland floods bring new life to Lake Eyre

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2009
SA: Queensland floods bring new life to Lake Eyre

EDS: A news story will also be filed to go with pix, keyword: Eyre Water



By Gail Liston

LAKE EYRE, AAP - The Cessna banks to the left, gliding alongside dramatic St Mary Peak
in Wilpena Pound, a natural amphitheatre of mountains north of Adelaide.

The red hills of the Flinders Ranges stretch out behind like the spine of an ancient creature.

"Isn't this something?" says Air Wilpena pilot Matt Graham into the headset. "You can't
really appreciate the majesty of this landscape in a car."

He's right about that.

Climbing up to 1,400 metres, the plane tracks northwest across the remote cattle country
of northern South Australia en route to Lake Eyre, Australia's famed salt lake that has
filled to capacity just three times in 160 years.

Those who know the area are buzzing.

This year has seen the first significant inflow of water since 2000, when the mad members
of the Lake Eyre Yacht Club last trimmed their sails and headed off for a day on the water.

Queensland's losses in the recent floods mean big gains for the parched Lake Eyre Basin,
as the flood waters wind their way south.

Everyone aboard the Cessna is keen to be the first to glimpse the crystalline surface
of the lake, especially Fraser McWaters and his wife Cecily, who have been planning this
flight for months.

"When I knew the water was coming I plotted the course so we could see the Warburton
Groove in flood," says Mr McWaters from Ulverstone in Tasmania.

"We rang up and booked. Money was no object."

Through the windows, everyone's following the contours and folds of the countryside
as they reach towards the horizon.

All the time the radio buzzes with the voices of pilots, the only sign that there are
other planes circling the lake, giving eager visitors the best view they'll ever get of
this part of Australia.

Some 90 minutes after take-off, our plane finally passes over the grand lake's smaller
sibling, Lake Eyre South, and descends to an altitude of just 150 metres, all eyes glued
on the horizon ahead.

From such a low position, the inflow can be clearly identified as watery fingers inching
across the salt to the shoreline.

"Bigger than Israel, about the size of Holland," someone mutters.

Small flocks of pelicans and seagulls take flight as they respond to the noise of the
plane, their bodies casting shadows on the blue brown water.

Over the next 60 days, thousands of waterbirds will be vying for nesting sites across
the sprawling Lake Eyre North.

Renowned bird expert Professor Richard Kingsford, of the University of NSW, says the
channel country is about to "go off" with more than 60 species of waterbirds birds known
to be heading south to the vast Lake Eyre Basin.

"Birds will be on the move in the next month or so," he says.

"After eight years of drought the spectacle will be fantastic, but I have to admit
to having concerns that the destruction of wetlands in the eastern states will have impacts
on the numbers of birds arriving."

As we pass overhead we can see terns, gulls and pelicans already staking claim to tiny
islands that emerge as the water invades - the perfect spots to rear young without the
threat of dingoes.

An estimated six million birds will make the pilgrimage this year along with other
wildlife, including camels and horses, drawn to the region by the water's scent.

The muddy water flowing into Lake Eyre North from the Warburton Groove, which is fed
by floodwaters streaming in from Queensland along the Diamantina and Georgina Rivers,
is entering the lake at a rapid rate.

But Professor Kingsford is not convinced the lake will fill this year.

Regardless, the McWaters are content with observing the effects of the inflow and the
wildlife it's already attracting.

"This is a once in a lifetime experience," Mr McWaters says. "Everyone should come and see this."

Indeed, many are.

By the time the Cessna flies into William Creek for a lunch stop there are already
10 planes parked alongside the dusty landing strip.

And the bar at the pub is full of chattering adventurers from as far away as Queensland
and Western Australia.

Scenic flights are expected to triple through to the end of July and tourist operations
from William Creek to Maree and as far south as Wilpena Pound are gearing up for a big
Lake Eyre flying season.

"Lake Eyre with water is something I never expected to see," says Matt Graham, the
Air Wilpena pilot.

"I have been flying in this area for three years, bringing scenic flights from Wilpena
every other day and I still get excited when we sight the first water in Bell Bay."

AAP str/tnf/de

KEYWORD: EYRE (AAP TRAVEL FEATURE) (WITH PIX) RPTG

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