Kumpupintil Lake (pronounced ''goom-bu-pin-dil''), formerly known as Lake Disappointment, is an

endorheic An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...

salt lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per litre). ...

located in the

Little Sandy Desert The Little Sandy Desert (LSD) is a desert region in the state of Western Australia, lying to the east of the Pilbara and north of the Gascoyne regions. It is part of the Western Desert cultural region, and was declared an interim Australian ...

, east of the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Description

Kumpupintil Lake is about long and located east of Newman. The lake typically is dry, except during very wet periods such as the 1900 floods and in many recent tropical wet seasons since 1967. It lies on the

Tropic of Capricorn The Tropic of Capricorn (or the Southern Tropic) is the circle of latitude that contains the subsolar point at the December (or southern) solstice. It is thus the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. It also reac ...

, due east of the mining town of and the . It is at the northern side of the

and south of the

Karlamilyi National Park Karlamilyi National Park lies in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, northeast of Newman and north-northeast of Perth. Proclaimed an A Class Reserve on 13 April 1977, it is the largest national park in Western Australia. The park was in ...

. The

Canning Stock Route The Canning Stock Route is a track that runs from Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of Western Australia to Wiluna in the mid-west region. With a total distance of around 1,850 km (1,150 mi) it is the longest historic stock route ...

passes down the western shores of the lake and the surrounds consist mostly of sand dunes. Its elevation is 325 metres (1066 ft) above mean sea level. The lake is important to Martu people for spiritual and ceremonial reasons, as well as being an important place for water and traditional food. The lake is home to many species of

water bird A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...

s. The discovery of a new species of

dragon lizard Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards. Overview Phylogenetically, they may be sister to the I ...

, ''

Ctenophorus nguyarna ''Ctenophorus nguyarna'', commonly known as the Lake Disappointment dragonWilson, S., Swan, G. (2013) ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia'', New Holland Publishers, Sydney, New South Wales, is a species of agamid lizard occurring in l ...

'', at the site was announced in 2007.

Mythology

In indigenous culture, ''Kumpupintil'' was off-limits to the tribes neighbouring the area, such as the Kurajarra,

Wanman One-person operation (OPO), also known as driver-only operation (DOO), one-man operation (OMO), single person train operation (SPTO), or one-person train operation (OPTO), similarly to Driver Controlled Operation, is operation of a train, bus, ...

Kartudjara The Kartudjara are an indigenous Australian people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Country The Kartudjara's traditional lands extended over from ''Madaleri'', north of Kumpupintil Lake around Well 22 down southwest towards ''Pulpur ...

and the

Putidjara The Putidjara are an indigenous Australian people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Country Putidjara territory, in Norman Tindale's estimation extended over . They were to be found south of Lake George, and east to ''Kolajuru'', and b ...

. The reason for the taboo, existing down to modern times, derives from the lake's mythological associations with the ''Ngayurnangalku'' spirits thought to live below its surface. This prohibition extended to flying over the area, since the Ngayurnangalku, ancestral cannibal beings with pointy teeth and clawlike fingernails, are deemed capable of attacking even planes that intrude over the lake's airspace.

Name

The lake known to the Western Desert Martu people as Kumpupintil was named Lake Disappointment by the explorer

Frank Hann Frank Hugh Hann (19 October 184521 August 1921) was an Australian pastoralist and explorer. Early life Hann was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Hann. Fellow explorer William Hann was his older brother. They were born in Wiltshire, England a ...

in 1897. Hann was in the area exploring the east Pilbara, around

Rudall River The Rudall River ( Wanman: ''Karlamilyi'') is an ephemeral river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The entire length of the river is located within the boundaries of the Karlamilyi National Park, which straddles the Little Sandy Deser ...

. He noticed creeks in the area flowed inland, and followed them, expecting to find a large

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

lake. The lake was typically dry and so was named Lake Disappointment. On November 11, 2020, Kumpupintil Lake was formally approved by the Western Australian Government agency Landgate as the official name, following a request from the traditional owners and the Western Desert Lands Aboriginal Corporation. The name "Kumpupintil" describes how the lake was made and is linked to a Martu creation story where Martu warriors fought mighty giants in an epic battle.

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