Visitors would no longer be able to set foot on one of Australia’s premier tourist destinations under a proposed plan to protect its cultural significance for traditional owners.
Lake Eyre or Kati Thanda (as it is known by the Arabana people) is Australia’s largest lake and a popular site for tourists,especially during flooding rains which transform the bleak desert landscape into an oasis of flowers and birds every few years.
It is a sacred site for the Arabana people,who have lived in the region for millennia and are the lake’s native titleholders.
Under a proposed management plan,all recreational access to the lake bed will be banned out of respect for Arabana culture,which considers it dangerous to visit the lake without the guidance of cultural authority.
Swimming,driving,boating and landing aircraft on the lake are already banned,but the new plan would prevent visitors from setting foot on its bed without permission.
Arabana Aboriginal Corporation chairwoman Bronwyn Dodd said her people were proud to share Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre but urged visitors to respect their Ularaka (stories),lore and culture.
“We have a responsibility to look after the lake and in turn,it looks after us,” she said. “Preservation of this lake is also the preservation of our culture.”
While many tour operators already avoid walking out onto the lake for logistical reasons,Australian Iconic Tours owner and director Flick Builder said visitors still valued the experience.
“It’s the only place in Australia where you can stand dryly below sea level,” she said. “There would be some people that would probably be a bit disappointed - that’s why it’s something I hope that we would be able to continue.”
AAP