Lake Lefroy

Lake Lefroy
Lake Lefroy
Location in Western Australia
Location Goldfields-Esperance, Western Australia
Coordinates 31°18′S 121°42′E / 31.300°S 121.700°E / -31.300; 121.700Coordinates: 31°18′S 121°42′E / 31.300°S 121.700°E / -31.300; 121.700
Basin countries Australia

Lake Lefroy is a large ephemeral salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It is north of Lake Cowan and approximately 55 kilometres (34 mi) south of Boulder.[1] The towns of Kambalda and Widgiemooltha are both located along the western shore of the lake.

Description

The lake rarely contains any water, it is a clay pan covered with a crust of salt that supports little vegetation.[2]

To access the lake permission must be obtained from Western Mining offices .

The lake was named by the explorer Charles Cooke Hunt in 1864 after fellow explorer Henry Maxwell Lefroy who had conducted an expedition in the area with Henry Landor in 1863.

In 1896 gold was discovered on the northern edge of the lake by the prospector Pierce Larkin. Approximately 106 ounces (3,005 g) of gold were found near where Kambalda stands today.[3]

The lake is widely used for land sailing, and is considered by many all over the world to be one of the best places to sail a land yacht due to its size and the texture of its surface. The lake and its surface have been used in the past for Australian land speed record attempts and also hosted the 2007 Pacrim Land Sailing Event in which competitors from all over the world descended on its flat smooth surface. In 2008, an English adventurer spent two weeks on the lake with his own designed and built yacht to attempt the world wind powered vehicle record but Mother Nature failed to help out.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary (Third ed.). Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. 1997. p. 639. ISBN 0-87779-546-0.
  2. ↑ "Lake Lefroy". Drive WA. 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  3. ↑ "Kambalda". The Key Publishers. 2003. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  4. ↑ Wind power speed record bid fails


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