Lake Disappointment is an ephemeral salt lake in Western Australia

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...

, which typically is dry except during very wet periods such as the 1900 floods

1900 Western Australian floods

The 1900 Western Australian floods were a series of flooding events from March to May of 1900 that affected large areas of Western Australia, primarily in the Pilbara and Gascoyne regions, though it extended to cover most of the state except the more humid Kimberley and Southwest regions.The...

 and in many recent troipcal wet seasons due to climate change

Climate change in Australia

Climate change has become a major issue in Australia due to drastic climate events since the turn of the 21st century that have focused government and public attention. Rainfall in Australia has increased slightly over the past century, although there is little or no trend in rainfall in northeast...

 since 1967. It lies on the Tropic of Capricorn

Tropic of Capricorn

The Tropic of Capricorn, or Southern tropic, marks the most southerly latitude on the Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This event occurs at the December solstice, when the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun to its maximum extent.Tropic of Capricorn is one of the five...

 due east of the mining town of Newman, Western Australia

Newman, Western Australia

Newman, located about 1186 km north of Perth and 9 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn, is a town in the Pilbara region. It can be reached by the Great Northern Highway...

, and the Jigalong community. It is at the northern side of the Little Sandy Desert

Little Sandy Desert

The Little Sandy Desert is a desert located in Western Australia south of the Great Sandy Desert and west of the Gibson Desert. It is to the east of Great Northern Highway south of Newman and approximately 200 kilometres north of Wiluna...

, south of the Karlamilyi National Park and adjacent to the Canning Stock Route

Canning Stock Route

The Canning Stock Route is one of the toughest and most remote tracks in the world. It runs to Halls Creek from Wiluna, both in Western Australia. With a total distance of around it is also the longest historic stock route in the world...

  where it passes the Tropic of Capricorn.

Lake Disappointment was named by the explorer Frank Hann

Frank Hann

Frank Hugh Hann was an explorer in Western Australia, who in 1897 named Lake Disappointment. Hann was in the area exploring the east Pilbara, around Rudall River. He noticed creeks in the area flowed inland, and followed them expecting to find a large fresh water lake...

 in 1897. Hann was in the area exploring the east Pilbara, around Rudall River

Rudall River

The Rudall River is an ephemeral river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The entire length of the river is located within the boundaries of the Karlamilyi National Park....

. He noticed creeks in the area flowed inland, and followed them expecting to find a large fresh water

Fresh Water

Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...

 lake. To his disappointment the lake turned out to be salt, and subsequently it got its name of Lake Disappointment. The lake is home to many species of waterbirds.