L plates - a small sign marked 'L', attached to front and back of a vehicle to denote a learner-driver. To get your learner licence you need to be 16 years of age or older, attend an RTA motor registry, prove your identity and pass a Driver Knowledge Test (DKT). Your Ls are valid for three years. When you are issued with your learner licence you will receive a Learner Driver Log Book so that you and your supervising driver or drivers can record your driving experience. You will have to log at least 50 hours of driving before you can attempt the test to move to a provisional licence.

La Pérouse, Jean François Galaup Comte de - (August 23, 1741 -1788) was a French naval officer and explorer whose expedition vanished in Oceania. La Pérouse was appointed in 1785 to lead an expedition to the Pacific in the Astrolabe and the Boussole, both 500 tons. La Pérouse was a great admirer of James Cook, tried to get on well with the Pacific islanders, and was well-liked by his men. Among his 114 man crew there were ten scientists. In letters received from Paris he was ordered to investigate the settlement the British were to erect in New South Wales. He arrived at Botany Bay on 26 January 1788, just as Captain Arthur Phillip moved the colony to Port Jackson. La Pérouse sent his journals and letters to Europe with a British ship, the Sirius, obtained wood and fresh water, and left for New Caledonia, Santa Cruz, the Solomons, the Louisiades, and the western and southern coasts of Australia. Although he wrote that he expected to be back in France by December 1788, neither he nor any of his men was seen again. It was not until 1826 that an English captain, Peter Dillon, found evidence of the tragedy. From the information Dillon received from the people on Vanikoro, a rough reconstruction could be made of the disaster that struck La Pérouse, which was confirmed by the find and search of the shipwreck of the Boussole in 1964. Both ships had been wrecked on the reefs, the Boussole first. The Astrolabe was unloaded and taken apart. A group of men, probably the survivors of the Boussole, were massacred by the local inhabitants. Named in his honour are La Perouse, a Sydney suburb, and the northern headland of Botany Bay.

La Trobe University - founded in 1964, it's now one of Australia's largest, most respected and fastest-growing universities. It has earned a reputation for excellent teaching and research. Its courses are recognized by international accreditation authorities, and held in high regard by overseas companies and educators. The University is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and it 's courses are recognized by the Australian Government and by major professional bodies in Australia and abroad. The University has more than 22,000 students, including over 1,700 international students from more than 60 countries, and 4,000 staff. International students have the opportunity to experience the Australian way of life, while gaining knowledge and understanding of the many other cultures that live in harmony in Australia's multicultural society.

la-di-da - 1. affected manner; pretentious; snobby; posh. 2. (especially of women) the toilet.

Labillardière, Jacques-Julien Houton de - one of the great traveller-naturalists of the eighteenth century. In 1791-1794 he was botanist on the expedition commanded by Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, which visited Tasmania and the South Seas. Labillardière was a naturalist on board the French expedition to the South Seas, undertaken in 1791-93. He published an account of the voyage in his book entitled Relation, one of the classic works of French travel literature. He also published Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen, the most comprehensive account of Australian flora at that time (circa 1804). It was based largely on his own collections, but included unacknowledged material from others, including Baudin. Labillardière broke with the methods of the traditionalists, who based their theories upon writers such as Hippocrates and Galen, to employ a more empirical approach that had affinities with such revolutionary figures as Galileo, Newton and Harvey. Labillardière is now credited as being as one of the pioneers of modern botany, and a significant figure in the development of the life sciences. Born in Alençon, France, on 28 October 1755, died in Paris, France, on 8 January 1834. Studied medicine and botany; travelled widely in Europe, including England.

Labor Party - (see: Australian Labor Party).

labyrinthodont - ancient marine amphibians, big predators lurking in the chilly water down south. In the Arcadia Formation in Queensland there are the fossils of more sorts of labyrinthodonts than anywhere else in the world. They ranged from fairly small creatures to the enormous Koolasuchus cleelandi which, at about 5m from tip to tail, was the length of a car and capable of eating small dinosaurs. The labyrinthodonts had hung on for 130 million years longer than anywhere else in the world. Not only that, this was the largest labyrinthodont ever found and it lived in a part of the world much colder than anyone expected. The smaller ones ate insects, but the bigger ones ate larger animals. Their many sharp teeth were useful for catching things like fish and perhaps unwary small dinosaurs that got too close to the water’s edge. But when the teeth of one good-sized labyrinthodont called Siderops kehli were carefully examined, all that was found were the fossilised remains of millipedes and a piece of the backbone of another labyrinthodont. The really big creature that lived alongside the polar dinosaurs, Koolasuchus cleelandi, must have eaten something more substantial than this to sustain itself and probably lived on slow-moving lung fish, with the occasional young dinosaur for a change. Like frogs they had a kind of ear called a tympanum. They also had another sense inherited from their fish ancestors – a way of sensing vibrations in the water with their body. We can be pretty confident that they laid eggs, but we don’t know if they had a tadpole stage of life like most other amphibians, which have all sorts of odd ways of breeding. So it’s hard to know for sure how labyrinthodonts bred and whether they did have tadpoles or larvae, but we do know that reproducing this way happened with other amphibians of the time. In China there is a fossil clearly showing the larva of a salamander with gills and no legs, but with a fin-like tail for swimming.

lace into - scold, reprimand, attack, abuse verbally.

lace monitor - Varanus varius, a large, mostly arboreal lizard that can grow up to 2m in length, with very powerful limbs and strong claws for scaling large trees in its hunt for birds. The monitor also has very powerful jaws for hunting on the ground. Its diet consists of insects, reptiles, small mammals and nesting birds. It is also known to feed on carrion, and several lace monitors may be seen feeding on the same large carcass. The most common color of the lace monitor is a dark blue-black with scattered white to yellow scales that form spots or blotches. Regional variations to this pattern do occur, with the lighter spots forming bands across the back in some individuals. It is found in the coastal areas and ranges of eastern and south-eastern Australia. It will defend itself against humans by inflicting serious wounds. Also known as common goanna.

lacebark - Brachychiton discolor, a medium-sized tree to about 20m - 30m. Leaves are about 100mm - 150mm long and deeply lobed. The large, bell-shaped flowers are usually deep pink and occur in clusters at the ends of the branches. The flowers are very spectacular and are followed by seed capsules which contain many large seeds. Lacebark is reasonably common in cultivation and is hardy in a range of climates, although it may be slow growing. It is partly to completely deciduous before flowering. It tolerates a range of soils. Propagation from seed is relatively easy without any pretreatment. The seeds are surrounded in the capsule by irritant hairs and are best collected using gloves. Found in rainforest from central New South Wales to southern Queensland. Not considered to be at risk in the wild.

Lachlan catchment - covers an area of 84,700sq km extending from the western perimeter of the Great Divide in the east to the vast Riverine Plains in the west. The Lachlan catchment has an estimated population greater than 100,000, producing approximately 14% of NSW agricultural production from a land area of approximately 10% of the State. The Lachlan catchment is unique in the Murray-Darling Basin, as the river terminates in wetlands and effluent creeks in the lower part of the catchment. Occasionally, the Lachlan flows into the Murrumbidgee River during significant flood events. Lake Cowal, the Booligal wetlands and the Great Cumbung Swamp are just some of the natural features that have been identified as being of national importance. There are a number of other reserves and high-quality Crown land that also contribute significantly to the resources of the catchment. The Lachlan catchment falls predominantly within the Wiradjuri Aboriginal tribal area.

Lachlan Fold Belt - a composite orogenic belt. It was affected by four episodes of folding, strong compression and uplift. The belt crops out in central, western and southern NSW and extends into Victoria and Tasmania. Being part of the Tasman Orogen, the Lachlan Fold Belt of eastern Australia belongs to a Paleozoic orogenic system that extended some 20,000km from the northern Andes and through the Pacific margin of Antarctica to eastern Australia. The Lachlan Fold Belt formed along the Gondwanaland margin.

Lachlan River - a terminal river system, only flowing out of the Great Cumbung Swamp to the Murrumbidgee River in exceptionally high flood flows. All salt generated in the upland tributary catchments above Forbes is redistributed back into the landscape in irrigation diversions, flood entrapment, or within this significant wetland environment. The Lachlan River lies within the Murray-Darling Basin.

Lachlan River tribes - an Aboriginal people of New South Wales.

Lachlan Swamp - a wetland system covering 6600ha on the Lachlan River floodplain, to the south of Sydney Harbour. The climate is semi-arid, and flooding is due to rain falling to the east of the swamp. These wetlands are a good example of river red gum with black box vegetation in western NSW. When flooded, the area supports large numbers of waterbirds, including egret colonies, the Australasian shoveler and the freckled duck. Lachlan Swamp is one of the most peaceful and historic areas of Centennial Park, and provides an insight into what the area was like before the parklands were developed. The swamps had been pressed into service as the water supply for a burgeoning city. An aqueduct was cut by hand through sandstone that ran three or more kilometres underground from these swamps to Hyde Park. Close to 2 million litres of water poured through this aqueduct every day. In 1825 the city surveyor and engineer proclaimed the water "perfectly transparent and colourless, free from every taste and smell, and so soft as to be fit for every purpose." In less than 50 years these same waters were highly polluted. Lachlan Swamp was once a myriad of creeks, swamps, springs, sand dunes and ponds fed by ground water. It only became the commercial water supply of the day because the previous original source, the Tank Stream, was reduced to the water quality of an open sewer.

lacker band - elastic band; rubber band.

lacy tree fern - Cyatheraceae cooperi derives this name from its delicate fronds. It has a slender trunk with distinctive "coin spots" where old fronds have broken off the trunk. C. cooperi fronds are bright green and lacy and tend to be very fast growing. There are several major horticultural varieties of this fern, and it is the one of the most popular tree ferns, along with Dicksonia antarctica, due to its rapid growth form, hardiness and aesthetic appeal. The lacy tree fern is naturally found in tropical lowlands along the coast of Queensland and New South Wales. Also known as the Australian tree fern.

lad - 1. familiar term for any male: e.g., Me and the lads are going fishing tomorrow. 2. daring, playful, devil-may-care, reckless man; womaniser.

lad's love - southernwood.

laddie - a young boy or lad.

ladies - women's toilet.

ladle out - hand out or distribute in a lavish manner.

Lady Elliot Island - the first coral cay on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. It is famous worldwide for the green and loggerhead turtle rookery, along with its extensive manta ray population and bird-nesting grounds. Visitors to the island can step off the beach to snorkel, swim and dive in one of the world’s richest marine eco-systems. Due to the abundant bird life, over the centuries their droppings had covered the island to a depth of more than two metres. In 1863 a mining lease was granted over the entire island, and by 1873 it had been stripped of all its guano (the bird droppings that fertilised the island) and most of its vegetation. In 1969, a businessman and conservationist built an airstrip, killed all the feral goats and began a revegetation program. In 1985, a lease for a low-key resort was granted. The resort island is also known as the Lazy Lady.

Lady Muck - a woman who affects airs and graces, behaves pretentiously, in an affected, snobby manner.

Lady Nelson - a 60-ton brig built in England in 1799, specifically for exploration purposes. She was only 15m in length at the waterline, and was equipped with three sliding centreboards thereby enabling operation in shallow waters and in many different conditions. On completion, she was selected for exploration services in the Colony of New South Wales and sailed from Portsmouth, England, on the 19th March 1800 for Port Jackson, under the command of Lieutenant James Grant. She was the first vessel to sail parallel to the entire southern coast of Australia, and the first to sail eastward through Bass Strait. She charted the coastline of Victoria, explored its inlets, and penetrated its rivers. She travelled north to Moreton Bay, Port Essington and Melville Island, and also helped to establish Lieutenant Bowen's colony at Risdon Cove, Tasmania.

ladybug - ladybird.

ladyfy - 1. make a lady of. 2. call (someone) a 'lady'. 3. having the manner of a fine lady.

lag - a habitual criminal, convict.

lagerphone - a home-made musical instrument made of beer-bottle tops, loosely nailed to a stick, which rattle when hit or tapped.

lagger - police informer.

lagoon - a shallow coastal water body, divided from the sea by a barrier of sand.

lair - 1. any person (especially a man) who is a flashy show-off, vulgar exhibitionist, public nuisance; show pony. 2. person's hiding place or retreat. 3. a favourite haunt or place to visit.

lair around/lairise - 1. behave in a flamboyant, showy, vulgar, exhibitionistic manner. 2. (Australian Rules football) to show off when in front in a game.

lairiser - vulgar exhibitionist.

lairy - vulgar; flashy; gaudy; exhibitionistic.

Lake Albacutya - fills from Lake Hindmarsh when the Wimmera River is in flood. Sustained high flows are conveyed via Outlet Creek to Lake Albacutya. The lake generally fills and empties on a 20-year cycle, the longest dry period on record being 27 years. It last filled in 1974 and held water for nine years. In extremely wet periods, the lake overflows to a series of smaller wetlands and the Wirrengren Plain in the Mallee Region. At high water mark, the lake covers 5850ha, and large numbers of water birds can be seen when there is water in the lake. When the lakebed is dry, it is colonised in places by the rare green saltbush and the almost endemic three nerve wattle). 'Albacutya' is said to mean 'where the quandongs grow'. The first land grant in the area was 'Halbacutya' station, established in 1846. It stretched from Lake Hindmarsh to the northern end of Lake Albacutya. A rabbit plague ate the station out in the late 1870s. Once occupied by the Wotjobaluk people, Lake Albacutya is located in Victoria, 72km north of Dimboola.

Lake Albert - a notionally fresh water lake near the mouth of the Murray River. It is filled by water flowing in from Lake Alexandrina at its mouth near Narrung. It is separated on the south by the Narrung Peninsula from the saltwater Coorong. The only major town on the lake is Meningie. Due to there being no significant tributaries and a high evaporation rate, Lake Albert is significantly saltier than Lake Alexandrina. Located in South Australia.

Lake Alexandrina - Australia’s largest inland lake and the largest of the Murray lakes, some 570sq km and is about 37km long and 21km wide. The Murray River flows west from the Victorian border then turns south to flow into Lake Alexandrina, which empties into the sea. In 1830 the explorer Charles Sturt named the lake after Princess Alexandrina (later Queen Victoria). Five barrages built in the 1940s across the lake's exits prevent the intrusion of seawater upstream, allowing for the development of irrigated agriculture in that area. Located in the Coorong region of South Australia.

Lake Alexandrina tribes - also known as the Ngarrindjeri. Their environment was rich with animals, plants and aquatic resources and the Ngarrindjeri groups were consequently less nomadic than Aborigines of the inland. A wide range of material culture items - wooden artefacts and basketry in particular - reflected this more sedentary lifestyle. Ngarrindjeri social structure and religious life was also distinctive. In common with other south-eastern Australian groups, Ngarrindjeri religion was characterised by Dreaming Ancestors who established laws and social practices before leaving the earth to live in the sky. Ngurunderi was the most important of these Ngarrindjeri ancestors. From the early 1830s the Ngarrindjeri people have survived the massive dislocation wrought by European settlement. While also serving as a refuge, the establishment of Christian missions like Point McLeay (Raukkan) helped weaken the culture of a people already suffering the loss of their land and their rights. Outside the missions, many Ngarrindjeri lived in town fringe camps until the 1860s, when the political situation of Aboriginal people throughout Australia began to improve with their recognition as full citizens. Today the Ngarrindjeri community, located in several country centres as well as in Adelaide itself, is one of the largest Aboriginal communities in southern Australia.

Lake Amadeus - a salty mud basin in south-western Northern Territory. The lake occupies a shallow trough filled with sediments washed from the MacDonnell (north) and Musgrave (south) ranges. It intermittently contains a few inches of water and at such times may measure as much as 145km long and 20km wide, covering some 880sq km.

Lake Amadeus and the Karinga Creek system - an ecological refuge in the Great Sandy Desert  resulting in a drainage system that provides a complex mixture of habitats characterised by dependable supplies of moisture to plants. Lake Amadeus is a major area for discharge of the Central Australian groundwater system; there is consistent groundwater seepage around most of the lake. The Karinga Creek palaeodrainage system lies 60km to the east south-east; it comprises a series of smaller saline through brackish to freshwater pans with springs and seepages emanating from the same groundwater basin as that discharging into Lake Amadeus. The vegetation varies from highly localised halophytic plants through to widely represented taxa.

Lake Argyle - the Ord River was dammed in 1971, forming a storage reservoir to supply water to one of Australia's largest and most ambitious irrigation schemes. The lake can encompass an area of more than 2000sq km, a volume of water equivalent to 54 Sydney Harbours. What was once the million-acre Argyle Downs cattle station has now been flooded, creating a unique ecosystem. Up to 90 islands throughout Lake Argyle provide predator-free nesting grounds for the Johnstone River freshwater crocodile. The lake has become a wetland of international significance, as well, as it is an ideal habitat for almost one third of Australia's bird species. Flocks of brolgas, jabiru, white-bellied sea-eagle and rare species such as the yellow chat and purple-crowned fairy-wren, are just some of the birds that visit the man-made lake. Short-eared rock-wallabies now thrive in rocky crevices close to the water's edge. Wallaroos living on the islands have adapted to feed almost entirely on aquatic plants washed onto the shore. As the lake filled, about 26 native species of fish, which inhabited small pools in the Ord River, quickly multiplied. There is now a commercial fishing industry which mainly targets the massive silver cobbler, which can reach 40kg. Other fish include the delicious sooty grunter and the amazing archer fish, which can be seen shooting down insects with a jet of water.

Lake Argyle Village - a small town beside a spectacular, artificial desert lake. The Lake Argyle Village is now nothing more than a largely disused construction camp, a hotel-motel, a camping site and a few houses on the edge of one of the most beautiful dams in Australia. The fact that the dam is also Australia's largest, with an area of 741sq km, seems irrelevant when compared to the beauty of the surrounding countryside. Located 70km from Kunnunurra and 1127km from Broome, Lake Argyle is only a few kilometres west of the Northern Territory border. The area was first settled by Patrick (Patsy) Durack in 1882. Located in the Argyle Region of Western Australia.

Lake Bael Bael - the Ramsar-listed terminal lake of the Avoca River. The water level fluctuates and it dries out in some years (dry in 2000). Summer water depths are less than 2m but can increase to 3m during winter flows. It is part of the water distribution system supplying water to orchards, vineyards and pasture between Kerang and Swan Hill. An increased flow in the Avoca River can move higher salinity and de-oxygenated water into the lake. Lake Bael Bael is situated north-west of Kerang, in the Riverina bioregion of Victoria

Lake Bathurst - lies some 27kms south-east of Goulburn in undulating country bordered on the east and west by a chain of hills and the Goulburn Plains. Part of the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal people, it was also traversed by other Aboriginal tribes en route to the coast or the Monaro during the bogong moth season. Stone artefacts dating back 20,000 years have been found at nearby Lake George. Lake Bathurst itself, like its larger neighbour, is something of an enigma. No rivers flow into it; rather, it is fed by drainage through the soils of the surrounding area, and is therefore dependent on the level of rainfall for its inflow. Hence, it fluctuates in size from a few to up to 10 square kilometres in area. The first Europeans to sight the lake were the investigative party of Hamilton Hume and James Meehan who travelled through the district in 1818. Hume named it after Earl Bathurst who, at the time, was the Secretary of State of War and the Colonies. In The Durack family who took up a lease of 250 acres in Lake Bathurst in the 1850s to raise cattle, and then went on an epic journey droving cattle thousands of kilometres to the Kimberleys in north-west Australia to help establish Australia's great cattle industry. Like most rural centres, Lake Bathurst went into decline in the years after the 1960s. The railway remains, on the Goulburn-Canberra line, but its once important goods shed and water tank are gone.

Lake Bindegolly - a notable area of diverse aquatic habitats and a vital breeding ground for a vast number of aquatic birds. The park is approximately 14,000ha in area and contains the hydrologically connected saltwater lakes, Bindegolly and Toomaroo, and an aggregation of small, ephemeral lakes to the east of Lake Bindegolly. The lakes are deeper than most in the interior and are rarely dry. During periods when the lakes are at a low level, the salinity of Lake Bindegolly can be six times higher than that of seawater. Such a range of water qualities supports a wide range of aquatic organisms, which in turn provide valuable resources for aquatic birds. Together with Currawinya Lakes further to the south, Lake Bindegolly forms an important part of an inland route for migratory birds. Located in Thargomindah, Queensland.

Lake Burragorang - what we see today is the result of a major development dating back to 1960 - the damming of the Warragamba River and construction downstream of a new dam (Warragamba) which was to provide the majority of Sydney's water supply. In the process Lake Burragorang was created, as can be seen from the two lookouts today. The valley itself is over 80km long and the lake as you see it is 600m above sea level. Trout, perch, carp and eels abound in the lake, although fishing is prohibited.

Lake Condah - one of Australia's earliest and largest aquaculture ventures. The lake is a shallow basin measuring about 4km by 1km, and its overflow reliably released fish and eels into Darlot’s Creek. The indigenous Kerrupjmara people created stone races and water canals from which they would trap the marine life with woven fibre nets. Numerous houses were built on hight ground beside the lake, particularly at the south-eastern end of the basin where it joins up with Darlots Creek. Field surveys have recorded 267 cultural sites including 129 stone huts at Lake Condah and environs. The area shows evidence, dating back thousands of years, of a large and settled Aboriginal community that was systematically farming eels and other fish for food and trade. Archaeological work done by Monash University indicates that some of the sites at Lake Condah could be dated from 4000 years up to 18,000 years BP. Lake Condah is located at the north-western edge of Mount Eccles National Park, 70km south-west of the Grampians National Park and 25km north-east of Heywood, in Victoria.

Lake Condah Mission - began in 1867 as a Church of England mission and was closed in 1919 when the government took control. Many families continued to live there into the 1950s, when they were forcibly removed from the mission site when it was subdivided for soldier settlements. Despite the loss of their mission, Gunditjmara continued to live in the area, and the mission lands were returned to them in 1987. The Lake Condah mission is deemed to be of outstanding heritage value because of the legal process under which it was returned to the community. The Commonwealth used its constitutional powers to provide benefits for a specific Aboriginal community, via the Aboriginal Land (Lake Condah and Framlingham Forest) Act 1987. The only other example is the return of the Framlingham Forest, under the same Act.

Lake Condah Sustainable Development Project - an Indigenous community initiative launched in February 2002. Its aim is to develop the Lake Condah/ Tyrendarra area as a major national heritage park and a centre for sustainable development. The project centres on restoration of the Lake Condah Mission church and re-flooding of Lake Condah to restore the wetland ecology. Lake Condah and the surrounding area are registered on Australia's National Heritage List.

Lake Corangamite - the largest permanent inland lake in Australia. In the period 1951 to 1956 high rainfall caused the level of Lake Corangamite and other nearby lakes to rise substantially and inundate thousands of hectares of freehold land. In 1959 after two state parliamentary enquiries, the Rural Water Commission constructed the Woady Yaloak Diversion Scheme to relieve flooding around Lake Corangamite. This was achieved by diverting about 50 per cent of the water that would naturally flow into the lake. Since that time the scheme has been effective in reducing water levels in the lake, which has made large areas of freehold land available for grazing with a reduced risk of inundation. Reduced inflows into the lake have, however, led to increasingly high salinity levels. Lake Corangamite, as part of the system of Western District Lakes, was nominated for listing under the Ramsar Convention in 1982.

Lake Cowal - the largest natural inland lake in New South Wales. It is part of the Wilbertoy-Cowal wetlands within a large flood plain, the Jemalong Plain. Fed by its major tributary Bland Creek and by occasional floods from the Lachlan River, the lake is ephemeral, but is substantially full for seven out of ten years. As with other large, inland wetlands, Lake Cowal provides important support when other areas are affected by drought. When flooded, Lake Cowal supports 79 breeding species of waterbirds. As floods recede, Lake Cowal drains back into the Lachlan, communicating with the Murray River.

Lake Eacham rainbow fish - now extinct in the wild, it was once found only in Lake Eacham on the Atherton Tablelands, north Queensland, in the clear shallow water at the margins of the lake among aquatic vegetation, fallen logs or branches.

Lake Eyre - Australia's largest salt lake, situated in the driest region of the country, within a major drainage system of the interior lowlands. The bed of Lake Eyre is also the lowest area in Australia, at seventeen metres below sea level. It actually comprises two lakes - North Lake Eyre and South Lake Eyre - connected by a narrow channel. Almost three-quarters of the run-off from the 1.3 million-km2 catchment finds its way, via an intricate network of channels known as the Channel Country, through three deserts towards Lake Eyre, although most is lost through evaporation or absorption. When the lake does fill, it becomes temporarily Australia's largest lake as it spreads out to 9500sq km. This has occurred only three times this century, the latest being in 1989. The salt has been washed from underlying marine sediments into the lake where it accumulates. When dry, which is its usual state, the lakebed is a glistening sheet of white salt. The lake was named after Edward Eyre, who was the first European to sight it in 1840.

Lake Eyre Basin - the world's largest internal drainage system. It covers approximately 1.2 million square kilometres of arid and semi-arid central Australia. This is about one-sixth of the continent, or the same size as the Murray-Darling system, or about twice the size of the US state of Texas. All rivers and creeks in the drainage system are ephemeral, with short periods of flow following rain, and extended periods of no flow. The volume of flow decreases downstream, with increasing aridity towards Lake Eyre and the huge dispersal system of braided channels, floodplains, waterholes and wetlands on the way. The many large permanent waterholes in the system provide vital habitat for wildlife and are important to towns, communities and pastoral holdings.

Lake Frome - a playa salt lake occupying a tectonic depression. Gypsum dunes occur along the eastern margins of the lake, and support a tall open shrubland of sandhill wattle, mulga and needlebush, with an understorey of ephemeral herbs, saltbush and bluebush. Lake Frome occurs at the southern margin of the Strzelecki Desert, the terminal lake in a chain of interconnected salt lakes. The Lake Frome region of the Lake Eyre Basin is centred on Lake Frome and extends from Lake Eyre to near Broken Hill and from Haddon Corner to south of Peterborough. The Lake Frome region contributes very little water to Lake Eyre itself but is an integral part of the overall Lake Eyre drainage basin. Beach-ridges found on the shores of Lake Frome indicate that during the Pleistocene, mega-Frome was fed from Cooper Creek via Strzelecki Creek, and that it once flowed northwards into Lake Eyre. Such an extensive body of water has important implications for interpreting the late Pleistocene climates of the region.

Lake George - on the Southern Tablelands in New South Wales, Lake George makes for an interesting study in tectonic (earth moving) processes that have resulted in a basin lower than the surrounding locality. Creeks flow into the lake, but as there is no stream exit, the area forms an internal drainage basin (Lake Eyre is a similar basin on a much larger scale). Although it was once believed possible that a mysterious force was at work, it is now known that the lake level is a result of differences between precipitation and evaporation, along with porous silt soils on the lake floor that can absorb large volumes of water.

Lake Gregory - a significant wetland located within the Tanami biogeographic region of Western Australia. As one of the most important inland wetlands i