Lake Dey Dey

Coordinates: 29°12′S 131°4′E / 29.200°S 131.067°E / -29.200; 131.067
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Lake Dey Dey
LocationSouth Australia
Coordinates29°12′S 131°4′E / 29.200°S 131.067°E / -29.200; 131.067
Typesalt lake
Basin countriesAustralia

Lake Dey Dey is a salt lake in South Australia. It is one of many salt lakes in the eastern end of the Great Victoria Desert. It is normally dry, except during and after periods of heavy rainfall. It is part of the geological basin known as the Officer Basin. The larger Lake Maurice is to the south. Since 1985, Lake Dey Dey is part of the lands belonging to the Maralinga Tjarutja, a southern branch of the Pitjantjatjara.[1][2] The community of Oak Valley is located nearby to the southwest.[1]

The surface of the lake normally consists of dry clay, silt or sand, covered with a salty crust.[3] The area around Lake Dey Dey is very dry. Groundwater contains high levels of salt.[4]

The lake is culturally important to the Maralinga Tjarutja people.[5] Both Dey Dey and Lake Maurice have Tjukurpa (Dreaming stories) associated with them, and some parts of Dey Dey are restricted so that only men who have been initiated have access.[6] The major Tjukurpa associated with Lake Dey Dey relates to Wati Kulpirr, an ancestral spirit represented by the eastern grey kangaroo.[2]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Odette Mazel (2006). "Restitution of the Maralinga Lands to Traditional Owners in South Australia". In Marcia Langton (ed.). Settling with Indigenous People: Modern Treaty and Agreement-making. Federation Press. p. 168. ISBN 9781862876187.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Scott Cane (2002). Pila Nguru: The Spinifex People. Fremantle: Fremantle Art Centre Press. p. 95, 108. ISBN 9781863683487.
  3. Officer Basin Energy Pty Ltd (September 2007). "Environmental impact report: geophysical operations in the Officer Basin, South Australia" (PDF). Government of South Australia, Department of Primary Industries and Regions. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-07-26. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  4. Vic Waclawik (24 February 2012). "Cyclone Zircon Project Groundwater Feasibility Study" (PDF). Australian Groundwater Technologies. pp. 8–12, 39. 1148-11-DAN.
  5. Heather McRae; Garth Nettheim and Laura Beacroft (1997). Indigenous legal issues: commentary and materials (2nd ed.). LBC Information Services. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-4552-1468-9.
  6. Australian National University (1999), Aboriginal History, vol. 23, p. 12