Lake Torrens National Park

Introduction

The 250-kilometre-long ephemeral Lake Torrens is timeless, wild and starkly photogenic. Protected within Lake Torrens National Park, this is Australia’s second largest lake but it has filled with water only once in the past 150 years. When sporadic thunderstorms do provide a little relief, sometimes turning a hard-packed salt crust to boggy brown mud, numerous birds call the lake home – banded stilts, in particular, arrive in flocks to feast on brine shrimps. Vegetation around the lake is sparse, consisting mainly of saltbush, bluebush and samphire. Original occupants of the area were the Arabunna in the north, the Kokatha in the west and the Kuyani in the east. In the bad seasons the people stayed near the springs and waterholes, in good times there was more movement – particularly for trade and ceremonial purposes. It was a territory crossed by many Dreaming tracks and there are rock engraving sites.In 1839 Edward Eyre spotted the dry salt bed of Lake Torrens from Mount Arden at the head of Spencer Gulf and named it after Colonel Robert Torrens, one of South Australia’s founding fathers. In 1840, after further exploration, Eyre concluded that Lake Torrens was part of a crescent of saltpans barring the way northwards. It was 18 years before Herschel Babbage and Major Warburton proved him wrong.Driving on the lake surface is not permitted because of the damage caused by deep wheel ruts and scars. In some spots it can be quite easy to bog or even roll your vehicle in soft patches, and this can quickly become a life or death situation in a place as remote as this. Access to the national park is via Mulgaria or Andamooka stations (permission required), see Fact File.

Fact file

Camping

No camping

Location and access

431 km north of Adelaide via Stuart Hwy and B83 to Lyndhurst then Farina Ruins to Andamooka via Mulgaria; via Stuart Hwy and B97 to Roxby Downs then Andamooka

Park Information

• Andamooka station (08) 8671 0754
• DEH (08) 8204 1910
• Mulgaria station (08) 8675 8313
• NPWSA Port Augusta (08) 8648 5300

Size

570 745 ha

Where to Stay

Andamooka (motel) (08) 8672 7007
Leigh Creek (08) 8675 2723
Roxby Downs (08) 8671 2001

This content is from the publication:

Explore Australia’s National Parks

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