INTO THE MIRAGE

This is probably the only one of my columns I have ever written about, that never happened. Here is what I hoped to achieve: 

Early this year (2022) massive rain filled our third largest, and arguably most scenic salt lake, Lake Gairdener.  The beautiful Gawler Ranges form most of its western shoreline and there are numerous islands of varying sizes along its length, particularly the western half. I have visited several of these in the past. 

Being full for the first time in European memory, it has provided unique opportunities to study the western shoreline and some of the islands—birdlife and particularly wildlife in general.  

Some weeks back four mates and I flew out to Mt I've Station and landed on a still wet strip. The owners kindly drove us out to where to World Land Speed trials are held, periodically. Lake Gairdener has the hardest surface of any of our large salt lakes. A friend, Sue Oliver, and I walked across that particular ‘arm’ of the lake—a round distance of 7kms. The Lake was apparently three times as salty as the sea and a consistent depth of only 20” (  ) .  That was 7km doing the ‘goose-step’, not a preferred way of travel (we are not Nazis!) The shallow water put any craft with an outboard, out of the question. I eventually settled on a very weird form of propulsion… .. a jet ski pushing three very large inflatables. I was fairly confident that that would have worked.  

Why didn’t I attempt it? I am fit enough and have a number of excellent, experienced off-siders.  

The reasons were many and varied. Bureaucracies over the years have never prevented me from doing what I have done, but in this case it was a major reason. All of the Salt Lakes are National Parks.  In the case of Lake Gairdener, only a third of it is accessible, under any circumstances, for the citizens of Australia to set foot on. The previous Chairman of the Lake Gairdener Aboriginal Corporation didn’t see a problem with what I had in mind, and the present chairman was prepared to put it to his board. I offered to take any photographs that may have been of interest to them and avoid sacred sites etc. However, ‘covid’ apparently meant that their meetings were not regular affairs. National Parks were prepared to assist me with the paper-work, but to do what? … which was another potential problem. When I pointed out that ‘who else was going to investigate the opportunities that a full lake presented. 'they agreed that no-one else was likely to, or had the experience to.  But that their guidelines and rules must be followed.  This zero flexibility and increasingly suffocating attitude with bureaucracies these days, stifles any imagination or initiative that might be out there.  Other reasons including the fact that Claire and I have just too much going on in our lives at the moment. 

Having crossed Lake Eyre in 1974 and Lake Torrens in 1990, Lake Gairdener would have been the trifecta.  So my ambition to travel into the mirages on Lake Gairdener will remain just that… a mirage.