Lake Ballard
Encyclopedia
Lake Ballard is an ephemeral salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance area of Western Australia
about 50 kilometres (31 mi) West of Menzies
.
the Inside Australia exhibition was commissioned. The artist and Turner Prize
winner Antony Gormley
installed 51 sculptures over an area of 10 square kilometres (4 sq mi) on the bed of the lake. The statues were to be removed at the conculsion of the festival but remain as a tourist exhibition.
s following major flood events. The stilts nest in large close-packed colonies on low islands in ephemeral inland salt lakes such as Lake Eyre
, Lake Barlee
and Lake Ballard. The last recorded nesting on the lake was in 1995 following the aftermath of Cyclone Bobby. The lake, along with the neighbouring Lake Marmion some 20 km to the east, has been identified by BirdLife International
as a 984 km2 Important Bird Area
(IBA), because it has supported a high proportion of the known Banded Stilt mass breeding events.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
about 50 kilometres (31 mi) West of Menzies
Menzies, Western Australia
Menzies is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, east-northeast of the state capital, Perth, and north-northwest of the city of Kalgoorlie...
.
Sculptures
In 2003, to commemorate the 50th anniverary of the Perth International Arts FestivalPerth International Arts Festival
The Perth International Arts Festival is Australia's longest running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia between February-March. The program features contemporary and classical music, dance, theatre, opera, visual arts, large-scale public works, Lotterywest Festival Films and the...
the Inside Australia exhibition was commissioned. The artist and Turner Prize
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
winner Antony Gormley
Antony Gormley
Antony Mark David Gormley OBE RA is a British sculptor. His best known works include the Angel of the North, a public sculpture in the North of England, commissioned in 1995 and erected in February 1998, Another Place on Crosby Beach near Liverpool, and Event Horizon, a multi-part site...
installed 51 sculptures over an area of 10 square kilometres (4 sq mi) on the bed of the lake. The statues were to be removed at the conculsion of the festival but remain as a tourist exhibition.
Banded Stilts
The lake is used as a breeding site for Banded StiltBanded Stilt
The Banded Stilt is a nomadic stilt from Australia. It belongs to the monotypical genus Cladorhynchus. It gets its name from the red-brown breast band found on breeding adults, but this is mottled or entirely absent in non-breeding adults and juveniles. Its remaining plumage is pied and the eyes...
s following major flood events. The stilts nest in large close-packed colonies on low islands in ephemeral inland salt lakes such as Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
, Lake Barlee
Lake Barlee
Lake Barlee is an intermittent salt lake in Western Australia. It is about 150 km east of Paynes Find and west of Leonora on the border between the Shires of Sandstone and Menzies. Lake Barlee is more than 100 km wide from west to east, and about 80 km wide from north to south. The...
and Lake Ballard. The last recorded nesting on the lake was in 1995 following the aftermath of Cyclone Bobby. The lake, along with the neighbouring Lake Marmion some 20 km to the east, has been identified by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
as a 984 km2 Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
(IBA), because it has supported a high proportion of the known Banded Stilt mass breeding events.