Lake Disappointment
| Lake Disappointment | |
|---|---|
 Landsat image; screen capture from NASA World Wind | |
| Location | Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 23°30′S 122°50′E / 23.500°S 122.833°ECoordinates: 23°30′S 122°50′E / 23.500°S 122.833°E |
| Lake type | Salt lake |
| Basin countries | Australia |
Lake Disappointment (Kumpupirntily) is an ephemeral salt lake in Western Australia, which typically is dry except during very wet periods such as the 1900 floods and in many recent tropical wet seasons since 1967. It lies on the Tropic of Capricorn, due east of the mining town of Newman, Western Australia, and the Jigalong community. It is at the northern side of the Little Sandy Desert, and south of the Karlamilyi National Park. The Canning Stock Route passes down the western shores of the lake and the surrounds consist mostly of sand dunes. The native name for the area is Kumpupirntily and there are many stories involving cannibalistic spirit beings associated with it.[1]
Lake Disappointment was named by the explorer Frank Hann in 1897.[2] 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. To his disappointment, the lake turned out to be salt, and subsequently it was named Lake Disappointment.[3] The lake is home to many species of waterbirds.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ http://mira.canningstockrouteproject.com/content/kumpupirntily-story
- ↑ Nicolas Rothwell (2006). Wings of the kite-hawk. Black Inc. ISBN 978-1-86395-445-7.
- ↑ USGS – Lake Disappointment
- ↑ World Wildlife Fund (2001). "Gibson desert". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.