Yacht club members can finally take to the ephemeral lake in South Australian outback after tracking water from western Queensland

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

After weeks of tracking the slow progress of flood waters through outback Queensland, members of the improbable Lake Eyre Yacht Club have been able to return to the water.

Water reached Lake Eyre, or Kati Thanda, in South Australia on 15 May, two months after falling in the upper Diamantina catchment in western Queensland, some 1,000km away.

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Facebook Twitter Pinterest The headquarters of the Lake Eyre Yacht Club in Marree, South Australia. Photograph: Instagram/Shazza Macca

Two days after the water arrived, pilot Mariano Salvati from outback charter company Wrightsair spotted three yachts sailing the ephemeral lake.

Members of the yacht club have been excitedly tracking the water level of the Warburton River, which discharges into the eastern side of Lake Eyre, since April. The river became navigable in early May, reaching a height of 4.5 metres.

Satellite images showed water flowing from the Warburton into the lake last week.

Andrew Miskelly (@andrewmiskelly) Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 imagery (captured last Friday) showing water flowing into the northern parts of Lake Eyre, via the Warburton River. pic.twitter.com/dIk8Nb2yRY

The waters had been snaking down the Diamantina River, one of the main arteries of the Lake Eyre system, causing flooding in Birdsville in far-western Queensland in April and cutting off the remote town, which is 1,953km west of Brisbane and about 380km north-east of Lake Eyre.

Lake Eyre from the air – in pictures Read more

They brought relief to the channel country around the border of Queensland, South Australian and Northern Territory, which had below-average rainfall in 2017.

Images from the Nasa Earth Observatory show the area becoming green as the flood waters move through.

Adam Voiland (@avoiland) A spectacular flush of green followed flooding in #LakeEyre Basin. One of the most beautiful @NASALandsat scenes I have seen in years. Follow the link and download the full image to see all the details. Imagery by @jscarto. https://t.co/6KpANoG1MC pic.twitter.com/bULpHrL5sz

The Lake Eyre basin is the lowest natural point in Australia, falling about 15 metres below sea level. The average annual rainfall is less than 125mm, meaning the lake and surrounding creeks and streams are usually dry.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The relatively rare sight of the flooding Lake Eyre. Photograph: Instagram/Wrightsair

When full, it is the largest lake in Australia and as salty as seawater.

The flood waters that have reached the lake at present are not enough to fill it completely.