Floodwaters are causing one of the country’s rarest events in outback South Australia. 

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is a parched salt basin located at the lowest elevation in Australia, situated 15 meters below sea level, and spans approximately 9,500 square kilometers.

However, unprecedented levels of flooding from southwest Queensland and northeastern regions of the state are beginning to replenish the salt lake for the fourth occasion in 160 years.

“In these extraordinary years when the lake is full, the outback offers something unique,” SA Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said.

“This year, I have been told by William Creek locals that we will likely see the most significant fill of the lake since 1974.”

The rising water levels will rejuvenate the lake’s crust and attract a variety of species as far as China and Japan to the area. 

“When the waters rise, a huge variety of species, many of them rare, spring to life or are attracted to the lake,” Environment SA said.

“Brine shrimp hatch from dormant eggs in the arid soil, while millions of waterbirds and breeding birds from distant places like China and Japan journey to the lake, and fish present in the floodwaters will reproduce and consume the shrimp.”

The event is expected to also entice campers and photographers to the area. 

Water levels will rise from early May and vary until October.