​Lake Argyle 12 July 2017

Spill Creek - overflow water from the Lake. The rapids along this so called Creek are class 4 (out of a possible 5). They are raging and dangerous.

Lake Argyle - the meeting of big Waters. Our flight took us over Lake Argyle on the way to the Bungle Bungles and then back over the Argyle diamond mine. What a morning - then we came back for a late afternoon, dare I say sunset, cruise the next day!

Way down there is the Durak Homestead, one of the largest in Oz. The original Homestead was flooded when Lake Argyle was dammed. The old Homestead was shifted stone by stone and now sits close by the dam as a museum. The Duraks are famous in the area as pioneer settlers and explorers.

Just beginning the fly over Lake Argyle. It is like flying out to sea. And just 10k SE is the Tanami desert. The contrasts are mind boggling

Flooded valleys. Makes you want to ask what is an island and what is a sea.

A few stats you can skip over if you like, but for curious cats like me they were interesting. The Lake is 70k long NS and 55k wide on a diagonal line EW. I don't recall the volume but we're talking 30-50 times the volume of Sydney harbour (10000 GL sound right?). It's great volume means that the lake is classified as an inland sea. It's big! Levels peak in March and when flooded it covers 2000 sqK; a spill way releases 100,000L per sec WIW! That and the big dam control water levels. Talking of which the dam wall was started in late 1960s and now incorporates a hydro plant to generate electricity. Depth you ask ? Well it varies but between 15-40m.

This sort of sums up the lake. It's vast and awe inspiring. Puts a lot of things into perspective.

It provides a home, albeit seasonal, to 300 species of water birds and is classified as a Ramsay site. And boasts 20-30 species of fish, one of which (a catfish) is exported to Asia as silver cobbler! And 3 species of turtles. You'd be aghast to know that a group of people did a croc count and came up with 25,000 freshies but there are no salties that they know of. Good thing cos Lindsay and I went in swimming!

Talking of swimming, they host an international swim event each year. Nearly 300 entrants last year swim either 10 or 20k. Lindsay and I just bobbed with our noodles tucked under our arms and a glass of champagne in hand.

The site of alluvial diamond mine no longer operational. Diamonds were first discovered by geologist Maureen Muggeridge in the flood plains of a small creek. She traced them to the source near the current mine. There was lots of hush hush about the location as it was known in mining circles that they were searching for pay dirt. And the story goes that they set up a dummy mine base at El Questro to act as a decoy. Clever things.

The Argyle mine. No stats - sorry! But here is where some if the world's best pink and red as well as the rare blue diamonds are found. It's an area rich in minerals and beautiful rocks. On the south east side of the lake Zebra rock was and is still found. This stunningly striped rock and other beautiful silt stones were laid down around 700 million years ago.