{{Short description|Salt lake in South Australia}} {{About|the lake in South Australia |the associated protected area|Lake Torrens National Park}} {{For|the recreational lake between Adelaide and North Adelaide|Torrens Lake}} {{use dmy dates|date=January 2021}} {{use Australian English|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox lake | name = Lake Torrens <br/>''(Ngarndamukia)'' | image = Stuart creek.jpg | image_size = 280 | caption = Stuart Creek with Lake Torrens in the background | pushpin_map = Australia South Australia | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_label_position = top | pushpin_map_caption = Location in [[South Australia]] | image_bathymetry = | caption_bathymetry = | location = [[South Australia]] | coords = {{coord|31|02|40|S|137|51|35|E|region:AU-SA_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}} | type = [[Salt lake]] | inflow = | outflow = [[Pirie–Torrens corridor]] | catchment = | basin_countries = Australia | designation = [[Lake Torrens National Park]] | length = {{convert|250|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref name=Ex/> | width = {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=on}} | area = {{convert|5745|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}<ref name=Warren/> | depth = | max-depth = {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name=lp/> | volume = | residence_time = | shore = | elevation = {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name=Barker/> | islands = | cities = }} '''Lake Torrens''' ([[Kuyani language|Kuyani]]: '''''Ngarndamukia''''') is a large [[ephemeral]], normally [[Endorheic basin#Endorheic lakes|endorheic]] [[salt lake]] in central [[South Australia]]. After sufficiently [[extreme weather|extreme rainfall]] events, the lake flows out through the [[Pirie-Torrens corridor]] to the [[Spencer Gulf]].
Islands on the lake include '''Andamooka Island''' and '''Murdie Island''', both near the western shore; '''Trimmer Inlet''' runs between Andamooka Island and the shore, and '''Carrapateena Arm''' is an [[Arm (geography)|arm]] extending westwards south of Murdie Island.
==Description== Lake Torrens lies between the Arcoona Plateau to the west and the [[Flinders Ranges]] to the east, about {{convert|65|km|mi|0}} north of [[Port Augusta]] and about {{convert|345|km|mi|0}} north of the [[Adelaide city centre]]. The lake is approximately {{convert|30|m}} above [[Australian Height Datum|sea level]],<ref name=Barker>Barker, McCaskill & Ward, p.173, 1995</ref> with a maximum depth of 1 m.<ref name=lp>{{cite web|url= https://www.lakepedia.com/lake/torrens.html |title=Lake Torrens, Australia - 3539.200sq km - Facts, Map|work=www.lakepedia.com |access-date=30 September 2017}}</ref> It is located within the boundaries of [[Lake Torrens National Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/Flinders_Ranges_and_Outback/Lake_Torrens_National_Park |title=Lake Torrens National Park|year=2012|access-date=9 August 2014|publisher=Government of South Australia}}</ref>
Lake Torrens stretches approximately {{convert|250|km|mi|0}} in length<ref name=Ex>{{cite web|url=http://www.exploreaustralia.net.au/South-Australia/Flinders-Ranges-and-Outback/Lake-Torrens-National-Park|title=Lake Torrens National Park|year=2010|access-date=9 August 2014|publisher=Explore Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709034959/http://www.exploreaustralia.net.au/South-Australia/Flinders-Ranges-and-Outback/Lake-Torrens-National-Park|archive-date=9 July 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and {{convert|30|km|mi|0}} in average width. It is Australia's second largest lake when filled with water<ref name=Ex/> and encompasses an area of {{convert|5745|km2|sqmi|0}}.<ref name=Warren>{{cite book|title=Evaporites:Sediments, Resources and Hydrocarbons: Sediments, Resources, and Hydrocarbons |author=John K. Warren|date=12 June 2006|page=201|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9783540323440}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/geographic-information/landforms/largest-waterbodies |title=Largest Waterbodies|date=15 May 2014 |access-date=15 March 2015|publisher=[[Geoscience Australia]]}}</ref>
Usually the Lake Torrens catchment is an [[endorheic basin]], having no outflow of water to the ocean.
Andamooka Island is the largest of several islands, lying along the western shore.<ref>{{cite web | title=Andamooka Island | website=Google Maps | url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Andamooka+Island/@-30.8687511,137.4396541,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x6a975cefe90bab59:0x6d3e91db72cc0f3!8m2!3d-30.7902658!4d137.5471862 | access-date=6 January 2021}}</ref> It is a pastoral property, but an important area for birds such as the [[red-capped plover]] and [[cinnamon quail-thrush]], and other islands host [[banded stilt]]s and others.<ref>{{cite web | title=BirdLife Data Zone | website=BirdLife Data Zone | url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-torrens-iba-australia/text | access-date=6 January 2021}}</ref> Murdie Island lies just south of Andamooka, its name of either [[Barngarla]] or [[Kuyani]] origin and identified in the 1850s. Its name, along with Carrapateena, reflect "the earliest known and identifiable cultural associations to Lake Torrens", according to a 2016 court judgement.<ref>{{cite document|publisher=[[Federal Court of Australia]]|title=Lake Torrens Overlap Proceedings (No 3) [2016] FCA 899|date=9 August 2016|author=Mansfield, J.|page=87}}</ref> Other geographic features include Carrapateena Inlet (also called Carrapateena Arm) and Trimmer Inlet.<ref>{{cite web | title=Carrapateena Arm | website=Google Maps | url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/Carrapateena+Arm,+South+Australia//@-30.9922467,137.41368,10.83z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x6a9777e547ee8b99:0x12bea60de5a06594!2m2!1d137.5987868!2d-31.1840935!1m0!3e0 | access-date=6 January 2021}}</ref><ref name=miningappl>{{cite web|url=https://kokatha.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/CIP-Kelaray-Pty-Ltd-Lake-Torrens-Murdie-Exploration-Program.pdf|title=Application for authorisation under the Aboriginal Heritage Act1988(SA): Kelaray Pty Ltd–Lake Torrens Murdie Exploration Program|series=Consultation Information Package|date=2020}}</ref>
==History== Approximately 35,000 years ago, the lake water was [[fresh water|fresh]] to [[brackish water|brackish]], but has become increasingly [[saline water|saline]] since.<ref name=Warren/>
In a 2016 case in the [[Supreme Court of South Australia]], the lake was noted as a [[Aboriginal sacred site|sacred site]] and ownership was contested by three claimant groups: the [[Kokatha]], [[Adnyamathanha|Adnyamathanha/Kuyani]] and [[Barngarla]] peoples. The court ruled<ref name="SAD90of2009">{{cite court |litigants=Lake Torrens Overlap Proceedings (No 3) [2016] FCA 899|reporter=AustLii |court=Supreme Court of South Australia |date=9 August 2016|url=http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/FCA/2016/899.html|postscript=none}}</ref> that none of the groups would be awarded [[native title in Australia|native title]] to the area, as although all three groups had 'significant and credible spiritual connection to parts of Lake Torrens' it was not possible to 'prioritise one set of spiritual beliefs over the other'. In 2020, mine exploration licences covered part of the lake with prospecting for minerals underway<ref name=lysacht2020>{{cite web | last=Lysaght | first=Gary-Jon | title=Indigenous sacred site Lake Torrens faces exploratory drilling for resources | website=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=27 September 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-28/lake-torrens-sacred-site-faces-exploratory-mining/12696750 | access-date=9 October 2020}}</ref> The first European to see the lake was [[Edward Eyre]] in 1839, who spotted the salt bed from Mount Arden at the head of the [[Spencer Gulf]].<ref name=painter/>
Eyre named the lake after Colonel [[Robert Torrens (economist)|Robert Torrens]]<ref name="Torrens">[http://www.placenames.sa.gov.au/ PlaceNames Online - South Australian State Gazetteer] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517083043/http://www.placenames.sa.gov.au/ |date=2008-05-17 }} Site is a searchable database. Accessed 3 April 2012.</ref><ref name=painter>{{cite web|title=1 May 1839 Edward John Eyre|url=http://www.sahistorians.org.au/175/chronology/may/1-may-1839-edward-john-eyre.shtml|access-date=9 Oct 2020|publisher=Professional Historians Association—South Australia|first=Alison|last=Painter|archive-date=12 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012040233/http://www.sahistorians.org.au/175/chronology/may/1-may-1839-edward-john-eyre.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> who was one of the founders of the [[colony of South Australia]]. However the Kuyani people had long called the lake Ngarndamukia, meaning "shower of rain".<ref name=lysacht2020/>
The lake filled in 1897 and again in April 1989.<ref name=Warren/> The 1989 filling resulted in the lake outflowing through the [[Pirie-Torrens corridor]] to the [[Spencer Gulf]], suggesting it likely did so in 1897 as well. It has a thin salt crust with red-brown clays beneath, which are soft and [[Salt pan (geology)|boggy]]. The area around the lake is sparsely vegetated with [[samphire]], [[saltbush]] and [[Chenopodium|bluebush]].<ref name=Ex/>
In April 2013, the full extent of Lake Torrens was gazetted by the [[Government of South Australia]] as a locality with the name Lake Torrens.<ref name="SAGG">{{cite web|title=Geographical Names Act 1991 Notice to Create Boundaries of Places and Alter Boundaries of Places|url=http://governmentgazette.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/public/documents/gazette/2013/April/2013_025.pdf|website=The South Australian Government Gazette|publisher=South Australian Government|access-date=25 January 2018|date=26 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="rackplan951">{{cite map |url=https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/7018/Rack_Plan_951_Map.pdf |title=Rack Plan 951 - Proposed Locality Boundaries for Pastoral Areas |id=Rack Plan 951 |publisher=South Australian Government |date=31 October 2012 |access-date=25 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923004500/http://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/7018/Rack_Plan_951_Map.pdf |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Protected area status==
===South Australian government=== The full extent of Lake Torrens has been protected as a national park under the ''[[National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972]]'' since 1991.<ref name=ReserveList>{{cite web|title=Protected Areas Information System - reserve list (as of 25 November 2014)|url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/b88e6e26-4bd9-4c68-8fff-9e800114eb69/park-management-protected-areas-gen.pdf|publisher=Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources|access-date=8 January 2015}}</ref><ref name=PA2014>{{cite web|title=Protected Areas of South Australia September (Map) 2014 Edition|url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/bf6977cb-f1f9-4700-9b5f-a35500fda94f/protected-areas-of-south-australia-map.pdf|publisher=Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources|access-date=15 April 2015}}</ref>
===Non-statutory arrangements=== Lake Torrens is part of an area known as the ''Inland Saline Lakes'' which has been listed in the [[Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia]] since at least 1995.<ref>{{Citation | author1=Eyles, Kathy | author2=Larmour, Geoff | author3=Young, Sarah | author4=Australia. Environment Australia | author5=Natural Heritage Trust (Australia). National Wetlands Program | title=A Directory of important wetlands in Australia | year=2001 | url= http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/18f0bb21-b67c-4e99-a155-cb5255398568/files/directory.pdf |publication-date=2001 | publisher=Environment Australia | edition=3rd | isbn=978-0-642-54721-7|pages=1, 2 & 78}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Results of search for "Inland Saline Lakes - SA065"|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/wetlands/report.pl|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia, Department of the Environment|access-date=13 May 2015}}</ref>
Lake Torrens has been identified by [[BirdLife International]] as an [[Important Bird Area]] known as the ''Lake Torrens Important Bird Area'' (IBA) because it supported up to 100,000 breeding [[banded stilt]]s during the major filling event of 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birdata.com.au/iba.vm |title=IBA: Lake Torrens |access-date=2011-08-01 |work=Birdata |publisher=Birds Australia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706102341/http://www.birdata.com.au/iba.vm |archive-date=2011-07-06 }}</ref> It may occasionally support over 1% of the world population of [[red-capped plover]]s. [[Cinnamon quail-thrush]]es are also common in the IBA.<ref name=bli>{{cite web|title=Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lake Torrens|url=http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sitefactsheet.php?id=24826|publisher=BirdLife International|access-date=5 February 2015}}</ref> ==Exploratory drilling for minerals== In April 2017 Kelaray, a subsidiary of mining company [[Argonaut Resources]], secured [[native title]] permission to do exploratory drilling for iron, copper and gold under the lake, intending to work with traditional owners to “preserve and protect” important sites. The area was drilled in 2007 to 2008 without obtaining permission of the Kokatha people, who then held native title (see [[Lake Torrens#History|History, above]]).<ref>{{cite web | last=Castello | first=Renato | title=Argonaut get Torrens mining go ahead | website=Adelaide Now | date=3 April 2017 | url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/sa-business-journal/argonaut-resources-have-secured-native-title-approval-to-begin-exploration-of-lake-torrens-anomaly-said-to-be-bigger-than-olympic-dam/news-story/bc619c6290bd235a2809485b33052d03 | access-date=9 October 2020}}</ref> In February 2018, the South Australian [[Environment, Resources and Development Court|Environment, Resources and Development (ERD) Court]] granted authority to enter and undertake mining operations (exploration) within those parts of the western area of the lake defined in an application by Argonaut.<ref name=asxannouncement/> Some drilling was done in 2019, but was paused pending a technical review relating to the [[aquifer]] below the lake.<ref>{{cite web | title=Torrens | website=Aeris Resources | date=30 June 2020 | url=https://www.aerisresources.com.au/exploration/torrens/ | access-date=9 October 2020}}</ref> In September 2020, representatives of the local Kuyani and Kokatha people raised concerns about further drilling proposals.<ref name=lysacht2020/>
In January 2021, the state government under [[Steven Marshall]] granted permission to Kelaray to conduct drilling on the lake,<ref name=lysacht2021/> over an area including Murdie Island, part of Andamooka Island, and part of Carrapateena Arm,<ref name=miningappl/><ref name=asxannouncement>{{cite report|url=https://www.argonautresources.com/site/PDF/9ec2d564-2112-4618-bd65-aec1dc4f922c/MurdieProjectFinalDrillingAuthorisationGranted|title=Murdie Project: Final Drilling Authorisation Granted|series=ASX Announcement|author=Arognaut Resources NL|date=4 January 2021|access-date=6 January 2020}}</ref> after they had made an application under Section 23 of the ''[[Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988]]'', "to damage, disturb or interfere with any Aboriginal sites, objects or remains". Mitigation strategies to protect the environment include purpose-built mats which would be used on the lake's surface to "protect the salt crust" from vehicles travelling over it, and the company intends to consult regularly with Aboriginal representatives. However Kuyani woman Regina McKenzie expressed concerns that her people were not consulted and no cultural assessments were made.<ref name=lysacht2021>{{cite web | last=Lysaght | first=Gary-Jon | title=SA Government approves drilling on sacred Lake Torrens, despite opposition from Aboriginal groups | website=ABC News |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | date=5 January 2021 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-05/sa-government-approves-lake-torrens-sacred-site-drilling/13030346 | access-date=6 January 2021}}</ref> The work, scheduled to begin in 2021, would "target iron oxide copper-gold ([[IOCG]]) copper mineralisation", similar to mines at [[Olympic Dam mine|Olympic Dam]] and [[Carrapateena mine]]s.<ref>{{cite web | title=SA Government approves application by Kelaray under the AHA | website=[[National Resources Review]] | date=4 January 2021 | url=https://www.nationalresourcesreview.com.au/projects/sa-government-approves-application-by-kelaray-under-the-aha/ | access-date=6 January 2021}}</ref> It has been called the Murdie project in Argonaut's documentation.<ref name=asxannouncement/><ref name=miningappl/>
Drilling was set to start from 15 March 2021, despite recommendations against doing so being provided to Marshall (who is also Aboriginal Affairs minister) by the state-government-appointed Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation and the [[State Aboriginal Heritage Committee]] (SAHC<ref>{{cite web | title=State Aboriginal Heritage Committee | website=Department of the Premier and Cabinet | date=4 January 2021 | url=https://www.dpc.sa.gov.au/responsibilities/aboriginal-affairs-and-reconciliation/aboriginal-heritage/state-aboriginal-heritage-committee | access-date=27 March 2021}}</ref>) and Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation (part of the [[Department of the Premier and Cabinet (South Australia)|Department of the Premier and Cabinet]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Aboriginal affairs and reconciliation | website=Department of the Premier and Cabinet | date=26 June 2020 | url=https://www.dpc.sa.gov.au/responsibilities/aboriginal-affairs-and-reconciliation | access-date=27 March 2021}}</ref>). 20 semi-trailer trucks delivered accommodation units and equipment to Murdie Island in preparation.<ref>{{cite web | last=Smith | first=Douglas | title=Mining on sacred site set to start this week, against wishes of Traditional Owners | website=NITV | date=16 March 2021 | url=https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2021/03/16/mining-sacred-site-set-start-week-against-wishes-traditional-owners | access-date=27 March 2021}}</ref> In the same week, the Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation launched legal action to put a stop to the drilling, on the grounds that it is "one of the most significant cultural sites in South Australia".<ref>{{cite web | last=Lysaght | first=Gary-Jon | title=Sacred Lake Torrens at centre of legal battle over Argonaut Resources drilling proposal | website=ABC News| publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=17 March 2021 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-18/legal-bid-to-halt-lake-torrens-drilling/13255616 | access-date=27 March 2021}}</ref>
In August 2022, the [[Chief Justice of South Australia]], [[Chris Kourakis]], overturned Marshall's decision, citing concerns that Kelaray's heritage plan and procedures would "substantially detract" from the state’s Aboriginal heritage laws.<ref>{{cite web | last=Richards | first=Stephanie | title=Chief Justice overturns drilling approval at Aboriginal heritage site | website=[[InDaily]] | date=25 August 2022 | url=https://indaily.com.au/news/2022/08/26/chief-justice-overturns-drilling-approval-at-aboriginal-heritage-site/ | access-date=28 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Ward | first=Nicholas | title=Supreme Court overturns miner's authorisation to drill at Lake Torrens | website=ABC News| publisher= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]| date=26 August 2022 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-26/court-overturns-miner-s-authorisation-to-drill-at-lake-torrens/101376098 | access-date=28 August 2022}}</ref>
==See also== {{stack|{{portal|Lakes|South Australia}}}} * [[Lake Eyre]] * {{section link|List of lakes of Australia|South Australia}} *[[Pirie–Torrens corridor]]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lake Torrens}} [[Category:Far North (South Australia)]] [[Category:Saline lakes of South Australia|Torrens]] [[Category:DIWA-listed wetlands]] [[Category:Torrens family]] [[Category:Sacred lakes of Australia|Torrens]]