Lake Frome
Encyclopedia
Lake Frome is a large endorheic
lake
in South Australia
, east of the Northern Flinders Ranges
. It is a large, shallow, unvegetated salt pan
, 100 km long and 40 km wide, lying mostly below sea level
and having a total surface area of 259,615 hectares. It only rarely fills with brackish water flowing down usually dry creeks in the Northern Flinders Ranges from the west, or exceptional flows down the Strzelecki Creek from the north.
It was named after Edward Charles Frome
after his mapping of the area in 1843.
The lake adjoins Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park
to its west and lies adjacent to Lake Callabonna
linked by Salt Creek to its north, the southern Strzelecki Desert
to its east, and the Frome Downs pastoral lease
to its south. The region in which it is situated has little rainfall and is very sparsely settled, with the closest settlement to it being Arkaroola Village
some 40 kilometres north-west of its closest shore. Two significant uranium
desposits near Lake Frome are being exploited by the hydrometallurgical
process of in-situ leaching: Beverley to its north-west and Honeymoon to its south-east.
Due to its "regional geological significance" the lake was proclaimed as the Lake Frome Regional Reserve (IUCN Category VI) in 1991.
Public road access to Lake Frome is limited to a single, rough four-wheel drive
track which commences from the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park
headquarters at Balcanoona (Virlkundhunha) station 30 kilometres west. The route to Lake Frome traverses flat, stony terrain following Balcanoona Creek through the only completely protected arid catchment in Australia.. After crossing both the Moomba
-Adelaide
natural gas
pipeline and the dingo fence
the track passes over low sand dunes before arriving at the western shore of Lake Frome. The protected area through which this access track travels is declared a Cultural Use zone for hunting by the local Adnyamathanha
Aboriginal people between 3.00 pm and 5.00 am; during this period public access is prohibited.
Lake Frome forms part of the local Dreaming
story told by the Adnyamathanha
people explaining how the region's geology and species originated. According to this Dreaming story, Lake Frome was emptied of its water by the Rainbow Serpent
Akurra when he ventured down Arkaroola Creek (which flows onto Lake Frome) to drink. Due to its Dreamtime
significance the Adnyamathanha do not venture onto the lake's surface.
Endorheic
An endorheic basin is a closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other bodies of water such as rivers or oceans...
lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, east of the Northern Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
. It is a large, shallow, unvegetated salt pan
Dry lake
Dry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats...
, 100 km long and 40 km wide, lying mostly below sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
and having a total surface area of 259,615 hectares. It only rarely fills with brackish water flowing down usually dry creeks in the Northern Flinders Ranges from the west, or exceptional flows down the Strzelecki Creek from the north.
It was named after Edward Charles Frome
Edward Charles Frome
General Edward Charles Frome was a prominent British Army officer and Surveyor-general of South Australia....
after his mapping of the area in 1843.
The lake adjoins Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park
Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park
The Gammon Ranges are part of the northern Flinders Ranges, immediately southwest of and adjacent to Arkaroola Sanctuary. They encompass some of the most rugged and spectacular country in South Australia.-Geography:...
to its west and lies adjacent to Lake Callabonna
Lake Callabonna
Lake Callabonna is a dry salt lake with little to no vegetation in northeastern South Australia, approximately southwest of the junction of South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales at Cameron Corner. It is an important site for late Pleistocene fossils...
linked by Salt Creek to its north, the southern Strzelecki Desert
Strzelecki Desert
The Strzelecki Desert is located in the Far North Region of South Australia, southwest Queensland and western New South Wales. It is positioned in the northeast of the Lake Eyre Basin, and north of the Flinders Ranges. Two other deserts occupy the Lake Eyre Basin—the Tirari Desert and the...
to its east, and the Frome Downs pastoral lease
Pastoral lease
A pastoral lease is Crown land that government allows to be leased, generally for the purposes of farming.-Australia:Pastoral leases exist in both Australian commonwealth law and state jurisdictions....
to its south. The region in which it is situated has little rainfall and is very sparsely settled, with the closest settlement to it being Arkaroola Village
Arkaroola, South Australia
Arkaroola Village is the settlement and resort at the hub of a wilderness sanctuary in the Northern Flinders Ranges in South Australia, adjacent to Gammon Ranges National Park and the Mawson Plateau....
some 40 kilometres north-west of its closest shore. Two significant uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
desposits near Lake Frome are being exploited by the hydrometallurgical
Hydrometallurgy
Hydrometallurgy is part of the field of extractive metallurgy involving the use of aqueous chemistry for the recovery of metals from ores, concentrates, and recycled or residual materials...
process of in-situ leaching: Beverley to its north-west and Honeymoon to its south-east.
Due to its "regional geological significance" the lake was proclaimed as the Lake Frome Regional Reserve (IUCN Category VI) in 1991.
Public road access to Lake Frome is limited to a single, rough four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
track which commences from the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park
Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park
The Gammon Ranges are part of the northern Flinders Ranges, immediately southwest of and adjacent to Arkaroola Sanctuary. They encompass some of the most rugged and spectacular country in South Australia.-Geography:...
headquarters at Balcanoona (Virlkundhunha) station 30 kilometres west. The route to Lake Frome traverses flat, stony terrain following Balcanoona Creek through the only completely protected arid catchment in Australia.. After crossing both the Moomba
Moomba, South Australia
Moomba is a Santos-owned gas exploration and processing town located in the Cooper and Eromanga Basins, in central Australia, approximately 770 kilometres north of Adelaide....
-Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
pipeline and the dingo fence
Dingo Fence
The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence is a pest-exclusion fence that was built in Australia during the 1880s and finished in 1885, to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland. It is one of the longest structures in the...
the track passes over low sand dunes before arriving at the western shore of Lake Frome. The protected area through which this access track travels is declared a Cultural Use zone for hunting by the local Adnyamathanha
Adnyamathanha
The Adnyamathanha or Adynyamathanha are an Indigenous Australian people from the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Adnyamathanha is also the name of their traditional language....
Aboriginal people between 3.00 pm and 5.00 am; during this period public access is prohibited.
Lake Frome forms part of the local Dreaming
Dreaming (spirituality)
The Dreaming is a common term within the animist creation narrative of indigenous Australians for a personal, or group, creation and for what may be understood as the "timeless time" of formative creation and perpetual creating....
story told by the Adnyamathanha
Adnyamathanha
The Adnyamathanha or Adynyamathanha are an Indigenous Australian people from the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Adnyamathanha is also the name of their traditional language....
people explaining how the region's geology and species originated. According to this Dreaming story, Lake Frome was emptied of its water by the Rainbow Serpent
Rainbow Serpent
The Rainbow Serpent is a common motif in the art and mythology of Aboriginal Australia. It is named for the snake-like meandering of water across a landscape and the colour spectrum caused when sunlight strikes water at an appropriate angle relative to the observer.The Rainbow Serpent is seen as...
Akurra when he ventured down Arkaroola Creek (which flows onto Lake Frome) to drink. Due to its Dreamtime
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
significance the Adnyamathanha do not venture onto the lake's surface.