FAQs

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park is located in South Australia’s Far North, 60km east of William Creek and 95km north-west of Mar­ree.

The park is acces­si­ble via two pas­toral tracks, known as ‘pub­lic access routes’. Both are suit­able for 4WD vehi­cles only.

The Arabana people are recognised as the native title holders over land including Elliot Price Conservation Park and the south-western half of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park, including Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda. The Dieri people are recognised as the native title holders over the eastern portion of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park.

Issues associated with Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda are the major focus of this plan. For this reason, the management of Dieri Country within Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park is not a major focus for this plan. However, the rights and aspirations of the Dieri people are recognised and will be respected during all management activities affecting their Country.

Co-man­age­ment in South Aus­tralia is a part­ner­ship between the state gov­ern­ment and Abo­rig­i­nal groups to man­age our nation­al parks in a way that com­bines tra­di­tion­al knowl­edge with con­tem­po­rary park man­age­ment. 

The Arabana Parks Advisory Committee is made up of Department for Environment and Water (DEW) and Arabana representatives. The committee advises the Minister on the management of the lake portion of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park, Elliot Price Conservation Park, and Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park.

Please visit the co-management page on the National Parks and Wildlife Service website for more information.

The National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 requires a park management plan for every park in South Australia. Park management plans are the primary public accountability document for each of South Australia’s parks. Management plans set the strategic direction for how parks are managed.

The draft Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park management plan includes a proposal to not allow any recreational access to the lake bed.

The change will restrict visitors from entering the lake bed on foot without permission.

The changes are being made because Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda is a special and sacred site to the Arabana people and to ensure visitor safety.

Driving, swimming, landing aircraft and boating have not been allowed on Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda since the area was declared a national park in 1985.

Thousands of people still visit the park every year, most of whom view the lake from designated viewing areas or by taking a scenic flight over it. Those opportunities will continue under the proposed new management plan.

Aside from the cultural considerations these proposed changes are also about visitor safety.

Venturing out on to Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda can be extremely dangerous. The lake is vast and has significantly variable weather conditions, making it easy to lose your sense of direction and get lost. The lake is incredibly remote and people who may get injured or lost on the lake bed cannot rely on other people being there to rescue them.

Vehicles that drive out onto the lake can break down or get bogged and leave people stranded – people have died on SA salt lakes in these circumstances.

Repeated access to the lake bed can also result in cumulative damage to the fragile ecosystem. Tyre tracks and footprints are ecologically damaging and remain in the salt crust for years until the next flood washes them away.

Yes.

There are designated visitor areas where you can enjoy the spectacular Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park. Access to the two visitor sites in Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park requires four-wheel drive. Visitors travelling by four-wheel drive are expected to be appropriately skilled and equipped for outback travel, and are expected to access information about track conditions prior to their visit. There are no public access routes to Elliot Price Conservation Park.  

Arabana people welcome you to visit and learn about their Country. They ask that you respect their cultural lore and do not enter the lake surface – wet or dry.

The Halligan Bay Point Public Access Route and Halligan Bay Point campground are closed annually from 1 December to 15 March for public safety during the summer months when temperatures are extreme and present a high risk to travellers.

This management approach is being proposed because Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda is a special and sacred site to the Arabana people and to ensure visitor safety.

Care for the welfare of visitors as they pass through Country is a responsibility that has been bestowed upon Arabana leaders by the Elders. Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda is a sacred place for Arabana people, and a central theme in Arabana dreaming. It’s a registered Aboriginal heritage site and is a highly significant cultural place for the Arabana people. It is also known in Arabana lore to be a highly dangerous place that should not be entered without appropriate cultural authority. 

Under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, it is not permitted to drive a vehicle off track, sail, swim, or land a plane without permission.

Venturing out onto Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda can also be extremely dangerous. The lake is vast and has significantly variable weather conditions.

The South Australian outback is extremely harsh and people have died in National Parks when they have left a vehicle to find help after getting bogged on a salt lake. There have also been aircraft accidents when flying too low or attempting to land on the lake. 

For these reasons, recreational walking, swimming, driving, boating and landing of planes on Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda will not be allowed. Visitors are advised to abide by the NPW Act and encouraged to respect the wishes of Arabana people by viewing the lake from the designated visitor nodes, or from the air.

A lot of people visit the lake, and repeated access to the lake bed can result in cumulative damage to the fragile ecosystem. 

In addition, while it might seem harmless to walk a short distance onto the lake bed for a photograph, we ask that you respect Arabana culture. Similar to Uluru, this is a place to admire, respect, and learn about without entering. 

The lake bed itself does not support vegetation. You can tell where the dry lake bed starts when the land flattens out and there are no plants. You’ll also likely see footprints and tyre tracks from when people before you have entered the lake bed – please don’t add to these! Their presence further highlights why it is important not to enter the dry lake bed, as these marks on the landscape will remain until the next flood.

Arabana people feel responsible for visitors to their Country and they feel it deeply when people are harmed. 

Off-road driving, boating, swimming, flying of drones and landing of planes are all prohibited under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. It is an offence to breach these laws and expiations and prosecutions may be applied. 

Arabana people and the National Parks and Wildlife Service acknowledge the need for walking, driving or boating access to Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda for essential management or emergency response activities. 

Applications to access Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda for commercial filming and photography, scientific research and commercial tours can be made to the Department for Environment and Water. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis. A permit may be granted for activities that have been determined to be culturally appropriate by the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation.

The Arabana people and National Parks and Wildlife Service acknowledge the need for walking, driving or boating access to Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda for essential management or emergency response activities.

Applications to access Lake Eyre/Kati Thanda for scientific research and commercial filming, photography and tours can be made to the Department for Environment and Water. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Anyone can apply to the department for a permit.

Australia’s largest salt lake, Lake Eyre/Kati Than­da has a catch­ment area from three states and the North­ern Ter­ri­to­ry. The north lake itself is huge, cov­er­ing an area 144km long and 77km wide, and at 15.2 metres below sea lev­el, it is the low­est point in Aus­tralia. The south lake is 64km long and 24km wide.

It is primarily a dry lake bed that, on average, experiences a small flood every three years, a large flood every decade, and fills an average of only four times in 100 years.

The best way to see Kati Thanda Lake Eyre is from the air. Scenic flights provide spectacular views across the park and showcase the seasons wildlife. Tours can be booked from Marree and William Creek.

The park is also accessible via two pastoral tracks that are suited for 4WD only. Visitors are encouraged to travel in convoy and carry reserves of fuel, water and food and avoid travelling in hotter months.

Camping is available at Halligan Bay Point, which is located on the shores of the lake. This is an exposed, flat campground with limited facilities (two toilets and two picnic shelters). There is also camping at Muloorina Station.

When at these visitor areas, you are welcome to take photographs, camp in the designated camping areas, walk along the lake’s edge and enjoy the spectacular scenery of this special place.

You may feel a sense of iso­la­tion stand­ing on the dry lake edge and see­ing noth­ing as far as the eye can see – yet with heavy rains and the right con­di­tions the lake comes dra­mat­i­cal­ly to life. When there’s water in the lake, water­birds descend in the thou­sands, includ­ing pel­i­cans, sil­ver gulls, red-necked avo­cets, band­ed stilts and gull-billed terns. It becomes a breed­ing site, teem­ing with species that are tol­er­ant of salinity.

Away from the lake, the park fea­tures red sand dunes and mesas. They rise from salty clay­pans and stone-strewn tablelands.

Yes, Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park has some basic facilities for day visitors and campers at Halligan Bay Point Campground. There are 20 unallocated campsites. Pre-booking and payment is required via the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA website. Camping is not permitted outside of designated camping areas.

The Halligan Bay Point Public Access Route and Halligan Bay Point campground are closed annually from 1 December to 15 March for public safety during the summer months when temperatures are extreme and present a high risk to travellers.

Drones are not allowed in parks without a permit. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis for commercial and scientific purposes and are subject to strict conditions, which include not entering the lake to retrieve a lost drone.

Yes, you can take photos of the lake.

The Halligan Bay Point Public Access Route and Halligan Bay Point campground are closed annually from 1 December to 15 March for public safety during the summer months when temperatures are extreme and present a high risk to travellers. 

Public Access Routes may also be closed after rain as they are not designed to withstand use after wet weather. Visitors must also be aware that the parks are remote and isolated, with minimal facilities, no drinking water, and subject to extreme weather conditions.

Please head to the National Parks and Wildlife Service Desert Parks Bulletin for more information.

Tourists are still very much welcomed and encouraged to visit the area, and the best places to view the lake are from the existing visitor nodes on the side of the lake, or from the air. These proposed changes are simply designed to appreciate and enjoy this special place respectfully.

Yearly visitation numbers can vary depending on how wet it’s been. In 2019 for example, there were around 23,000 visitors, however, in dry years its usually only around 4000