Lake Alexandrina (South Australia)

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Lake Alexandrina is a lake in South Australia, Australia, adjacent to the coast of the Southern Ocean, about 100 kilometres south-east of Adelaide.

Lake Alexandrina is located north of Encounter Bay and east of Fleurieu Peninsula. The Murray River is the major river to flow into Lake Alexandrina. Others include the Bremer, Angas, and Finniss Rivers, all from the eastern side of the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. The lake is shallow and contains a number of islands near the southern end. The lake empties into the sea near Goolwa (the channel is known as the Murray Mouth), but when the river flow is low the entrance is often blocked by a sand-bar. The water in the lake is maintained as fresh water by a series of barrages across the islands near the Murray Mouth. Hindmarsh Island is reputed to be the largest island in the world with salt water on one side and fresh water on the other. Lake Alexandrina is connected by a narrow channel to the smaller Lake Albert to the south-east.

The lake was named after Princess Alexandrina, niece and successor of King William IV of England. When the princess ascended the throne and took the name Queen Victoria there was some talk of changing the name of the lake to Lake Victoria, but the idea was dropped.^[1]

In Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime the lake is inhabited by a monster known as the Muldjewangk.