THE LAKE EYRE FLOOD OF 2019 PART 1 -REACHING THE EDGE OF THE FLOOD BY ROAD

By area Lake Eyre is potentially the largest lake in Australia. However this lake is usually a dry sand/salt depression within an arid drought affected area of northern South Australia. Many thousands of years before European explorers (Stuart, Sturt and Eyre) ventured into the area aboriginal groups had knowledge of the area. Stuart, Sturt and Eyre were convinced that they would encounter a vast inland sea.Their timing was out by about two hundred million years. However, your timing can be much better because in 2019 Lake Eyre is partly flooded. Don’t delay because the water coverage will disappear within a few weeks. Take you students on a road journey to witness the flood. Enter the outback of South Australia and look for the answer to the question which is - how can this lake experience a flood in an area of such low rainfall when it is surrounded by such arid landscapes? Take your students by road to the edge of the water. Battle the bull dust and pass through part of the Anna Creek Cattle Station (minus cattle).This unit will provide evidence of the flood but if you need convincing you’d better take to the air to find evidence of the cause of the floodwaters. (See the unit 2 in the Lake Eyre series). The attachment places students at the edge of the water alongside the pair of muddy boots recovered from a visitor who ignored the warning signs.