Lake Alexandrina

About 100 kilometers southeast of Adelaide, in South Australia, between the Murray and Mallee and Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island districts, is the freshwater lake known as Lake Alexandrina. The lake drains into the Great Australian Bight through the short, shallow hole known as Murray Mouth after bordering the smaller Lake Albert (together known as the Lower Lakes) and a coastal lagoon named The Coorong to its southeast.

The lake region remained fresh over 95% of the time with typical river inflow, despite the fact that it was previously connected to the ocean by a body of water. There would be very little mixing of fresh and salt water, either vertically in the water column or laterally across the flow stream, as a result of salt water inflows from the ocean.

Many people in the Mackenzie region are unaware of the beauty and rarity of Lake Alexandrina, a stunning example of a South Island high country lake. Lake Alexandrina's long and narrow shape is put into perspective when viewed from the summit of Mount John. The lake is spring-fed, surrounded by the region's tawny-colored dry tussock, and encircled by high mountain ranges.

Location: between the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island and Murray and Mallee regions of South Australia