When people think about the Australian Outback, Salt Lakes aren’t generally something that comes to mind. But that is precisely what you will find in the Northern Territory! Located in the southwest corner, just 50 kilometres away from Uluru lies the state’s largest Salt Lake, Lake Amadeus, or Pantu in the local First Nations language, Pitjantjatjara. There are actually hundreds of salt lakes that link together in an ancient drainage network covering a huge area. The white crust of Lake Amadeus alone is 180-kilometres-long by 10-kilometres-wide. The dry Salt Lake shines bright amongst its surrounding red desert plains and the salt lake at Curtin Springs (part of this system of lakes) has become a favourite place to explore for many of our guests here in the Red Centre on our Mount Connor 4WD adventure tour.
The History of Lake Amadeus
Lake Amadeus is located in the Amadeus basin, a site filled with the erosion material of the Petermann Orogeny, which is a geological event that lifted and folded the earth’s crust over 500 million years ago.
Local Anangu Tjukurpa, or Tjukuritja, tells how Pantu (Lake Amadeus) was created by wanampi (water snake), who dug out the ground with a stick to form the lake and drew concentric circles in the land. The first European encounter of Pantu/Lake Amadeus took place in 1872, by explorer Ernest Giles. The vastness of the Salt Lake became a barrier for Giles, who could see Uluru and Kata Tjuta, both sites unknown to Europeans at this stage, but not reach them as the dry lake bed proved a challenge for his horses.
Today, this large Salt lake is believed to contain an estimated 600 million tons of salt and the surface of the lake is usually coated in a dry salt crust due to the desert conditions of the area. In times of sufficient rainfall, Lake Amadeus becomes part of the drainage system for one of the oldest rivers in the world, the Finke river. From this point, the drained water makes the 750-kilometre trip from the Northern Territory’s MacDonnell Ranges, to Lake Eyre in the South Australian Outback.
Lake Amadeus, and its smaller companion, Lake Neale are on Aboriginal land and are held by three Aboriginal land trusts, Katiti, Petermann, and Haasts Bluff.
Visiting the Salt Lake
Unfortunately, you cannot see Pantu/Lake Amadeus from the main road (Lasseter’s Highway), as the view is obstructed by a wall of sand dunes. At SEIT Tours, however, we have the perfect opportunity to help you get up close and explore a smaller version (but still just as spectacular) at Curtin Springs.
Join us on our exclusive Mt Conner 4WD Outback Adventure tour, as our guides take you beyond the crowds to discover the Australian Outback. On this tour, you will pay a visit to what is known as ‘Fool-uru’ to many travellers, but to the locals as Artilla/Mt Conner, which is situated on a vast, fully operational, privately owned cattle station, called Curtin Springs Station. The lookout from this location is the perfect opportunity to capture a shot of the salt lake sitting directly adjacent. Our team will then bring you to discover the inland Salt Lake up close and provide the opportunity to learn more about the European history of the region.
If you are interested in learning more about this stunning site, book your tour today!