Lake Gairdner National Park is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

associated with

Lake Gairdner Lake Gairdner is a large endorheic salt lake in the Australian state of South Australia, to the north of the Eyre Peninsula. When in flood, the lake is considered the third largest salt lake in Australia. Description Lake Gairdner is located a ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

(

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

), 436 km northwest of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. It is located just south of the

Trans-Australian Railway The Trans-Australian Railway, opened in 1917, runs from Port Augusta in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, crossing the Nullarbor Plain in the process. As the only rail freight corridor between Western Australia and the easter ...

Stuart Highway Stuart Highway is a major Australia, Australian highway. It runs from Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta in South Australia; a distance of . Its northern and sou ...

, and the

Woomera Prohibited area The RAAF Woomera Range Complex (WRC) is a major Australian military and civil aerospace facility and operation located in South Australia, approximately north-west of Adelaide. The WRC is operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), a di ...

. The national park consists of the following salt lakes (from east to west) -

, Lake Harris and

Lake Everard A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. Ordinarily, the country is totally arid, and devoid of free water, surface or underground. In the summer, it can be extremely hot. In the springtime, however, this country has great attraction for birdwatchers and botanists. There is generally very limited public access to this park, which is surrounded by pastoral leases. The easiest public access is from the main road running from

Yardea Yardea Station is a pastoral lease in the Australian state of South Australia that operates as a sheep station, now within the Gawler Ranges National Park. Paney Station became part of Yardea Station in 1904. It is situated approximately nort ...

to Kingoonya, at The Brothers Well, a concrete catchment at the side of the road at the southern end of

Moonaree Station Moonaree Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a sheep station in South Australia. It is approximately northeast of Minnipa and southwest of Woomera. The property is adjacent to Lake Gairdner in the Gawler Range. The station was e ...

(though the road signs would have you believe that you were on Yardea Station). The road is dirt, but quite good enough for two-wheel drive vehicles unless it is wet, when it is likely that it will be closed by the Highways Dept.. This region is the home country of the Kokatha people, and traces of their occupation may still be found: sacred sites are still visited for ceremonies. The national park also contains the historic

Glenloth Gold Battery Site Glenloth is a locality in Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman g ...

, located at its western end on the shore of Lake Harris, which is listed on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

as a designated place of archaeological significance.

References

External links

Lake Gairdner National Park webpage on protected planet
{{authority control National parks of South Australia Protected areas established in 1991 1991 establishments in Australia Far North (South Australia) Great Victoria Desert Gawler bioregion

See also

References

External links