Australia rains begin to fill massive desert lake Published duration 5 January 2016

image copyright Trevor Wright image caption Pilot Trevor Wright captured these photos while flying across Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre earlier this week

Heavy rains have started to fill Australia's vast Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and are bringing the desert to life.

Pictures captured by pilot Trevor Wright show water filling dry salt plains that lie 700km (435 miles) north of Adelaide.

The area around the lake has been inundated with rain over the last week, with falls of over 150mm reported.

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fills only a few times in a century. When this happens it is Australia's largest lake.

image copyright Trevor Wright image caption Mr Wright said the usually arid area was bursting with greenery and life after recent heavy rains

Subsequent rainfall both around the lake and in its vast catchment will determine how large the lake becomes this year.

Rivers that flow from south-west and central Queensland are expected to bring water to the lake over the coming months.

The lake's spectacular bird life is a major tourist draw and the area even has its own yacht club that holds regattas when the water is deep enough.

image copyright Trevor Wright image caption Heavy rains have swollen the creeks and waterways that are filling the lake, which is located north of Adelaide

image copyright Trevor Wright image caption The filling of the lake typically brings spectacular birdlife to the region, resulting in a tourism boost