When touring the Outback of South Australia or Queensland, the traveller will see signs like "Lake Eyre Basin - Coopers Creek Catchment" or "...Diamantina Catchment". But what does it mean?
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Diamantina River and Coopers Creek are part of the river systems of the Lake Eyre Basin, the world
largest inland drainage system, which covers nearly a sixth of Central Australia (see
map on the right). The Lake Eyre Basin is one of Australias important water resources. There are many wetlands and waterholes caused by floods in the Lake Eyre Basin with great importance for the wildlife. The Coognie Lakes are classified as Wetlands of international importance. Here 73 species of waterbirds and 13 other wetland-dependent species have been recorded. |
Source: SA Department for Environment and Heritage |
The natural, environmental, economic and cultural values are very important and need to be conserved and promoted. For this reason, the Queensland, South Australian and Commonwealth Minister signed the the "Lake Eyre Basin Agreement" in October 2000 to establish a cooperative management of water and the related natural resources of the Coopers Creek and the Diamantina river systems.
Before heading to this part of the Outback, the traveller should know something about the importance of the Lake Eyre Basin. For more information see homepage of the Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group.
