After months of rain and floods across Queensland, dark, serpentine channels of flowing water have reached Lake Eyre in South Australia. Photograph: Paul Hoelen/The GuardianView image in fullscreenAfter months of rain and floods across Queensland, dark, serpentine channels of flowing water have reached Lake Eyre in South Australia. Photograph: Paul Hoelen/The GuardianSouth AustraliaFlood waters pour into Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre in rare spectacle ‘supercharged by climate change’Sacred site of the Arabana people could get its most significant top-up in a generation as floods spread across the outback
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Ima CaldwellThu 8 May 2025 16.00 BSTLast modified on Thu 8 May 2025 16.22 BSTShareA pulse of flood water has surged into Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre in what could be the most significant top-up in a generation.The sacred site of the Arabana people is home to rivers and creeks that drain towards the second largest salt lake in the world. Its surrounding basin sprawls across 1.2m sq km , or just under one-sixth of Australia’s landmass.At ‘vast, remote’ Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, unwritten rules for tourists may soon become real restrictionsRead moreAfter months of record-breaking rainfall and widespread flooding across inland Queensland, dark, serpentine channels of flowing water have reached the South Australian outback.The downpours that engulfed Queensland forced some residents in remote communities to evacuate and cut others off for weeks. The flood zone covered an expanse four times the size of the UK.The water coursing south through inland river systems will dissolve the usually salty crust to produce an inland sea. Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre contains the country’s lowest point, at 15.2 metres below sea level.
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Trevor Wright, an outback pilot and owner of Wrightsair who has flown over the region since 1992, said he had never seen anything like it. “It’s amazing in the sheer volume and speed at which [the flood water is] travelling over the countryside,” he said.With cooler temperatures forecast, Wright said he expected the water to persist for months due to slow evaporation. “We’re starting to see a lot of birdlife and a fair few wild animals heading down towards the water,” he said, listing camels, dingoes and feral pigs among the early arrivals.The pilot acknowledged “catastrophic” environmental damage in Queensland, but said it was incredible to see the subsequent impact of the flood water, with native vegetation beginning to flourish and animal populations expected to boom.View image in fullscreen‘It’s an explosion of the cycle of life and death’ … Paul Hoelen has photographed the slow march of flood waters toward Lake Eyre. Photograph: Paul Hoelen/The GuardianFrom a bird’s-eye view, the water appears like a dark ribbon moving across the desert – a rare spectacle of cool tones in the hot, arid region.Images taken by Paul Hoelen overlooking the northern part of the lake reveal a kaleidoscope of blue, green, yellow and silver. The aerial photographer has documented the region for more than a decade and was among the first to capture the flood waters continuing their slow march toward Lake Eyre’s vast salt pan.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Clear Air AustraliaFree newsletterAdam Morton brings you incisive analysis about the politics and impact of the climate crisisEnter your email address Sign upPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionHoelen said it could be the largest flood event at the lake this century.The photographer said he expected the event to unfold in bursts of colour, movement and life before an inevitable, “poetic” drying out.“There will be many faces to this,” he said. “It’s an explosion of the cycle of life and death, and we’re only at the first act.”While the spectacle is captivating, experts warned of the ecosystem’s fragility.Dr Helen Scott-Orr, a former inspector general of biosecurity and chief veterinary officer of New South Wales, said the flood waters would temporarily create a “feast” for animals – including frogs, fish and migratory birds such as pelicans – but die-offs were likely when evaporation set in.“This extraordinary display of nature has been supercharged by climate change,” she said.Explore more on these topicsSouth AustraliaRiversWaternewsShareReuse this content
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