Lake Indawarra is an

artificial lake A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

, created as a rubble pit for railway construction, located in the town of in the

Murray Mallee The Murray Mallee is the grain-growing and sheep-farming area of South Australia bounded to the north and west by the Murray River (in South Australia, "River Murray"), to the east by the Victorian border, and extending about 50 km south ...

region of

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 ...

. The lake was created by

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

workers in 1905 as a railway reservoir and was given its name in the 1980s. It is an important part of Tintinara's identity, a popular place for picnics, camping,

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

Etymology

The lake was named after a small competition was held by the local council whereby the local student body of Tintinara chose the name. Unlike the town name, Indawarra is a made-up variation of local aboriginal words.

Pollution and cleanup

In the early 1990s the lake filled in with sulfur rich sediment. As the lake was no longer appealing, visitors to the area started dumping their rubbish in it. The lake started drying out in summer, smelling, and habitat to mosquito larvae. In 2007, the school and various community groups decided to clean out the lake. Local community members dug out a portion of the built up sediment. Local school students planted trees and built picnic spots on one day a week. A small island was built in the middle of the lake and named it "Bird Island". Aquatic algae in Lake Indawarra

Lake Indawarra is now a suitable place for water sports again, including kayaking and snorkeling. There is a range of aquatic plants and algae establishing across the lake floor and plenty of damselfly larvae. There are also ducks breeding on Bird Island. Near the lake, there is a free campsite and there are plans for further work to clean up and reintroduce fish to the waterbody.

References

External links

Lake Indawarra concept and vegetation plan

Photo of Lake Indawarra

Tintinara Action Club project
Lakes of South Australia Artificial lakes of Australia {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub