Outback sailing group upset over regulations to stop recreational activities in South Australia’s Kati Thanda Lake

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Australia's largest Salt Lake is continuing to flood in what's expected to be the biggest fill in decades. South Australia's Kati Thanda-lake has filled to capacity only three times in the past 160 years and is home to rare wildlife and rich indigenous heritage. Traditional owners say new bans on recreational activities help to preserve the environmental and cultural significance of the lake. But an outback sailing group are opposed to the regulations, which they say are too restrictive.

Transcript

00:00The outback town of Maree is not where you'd expect to find a yacht club.

00:07But when weather events like the Queensland floods see waters flow into dry rivers and lakes,

00:12these sailors prepare their boats.

00:14It's regarded as something very special because it's such a rare event.

00:19The club's been sailing in the area for decades, including Karidanda Lake Air.

00:24But a new national park management plan has banned visitors from walking on the lake

00:28and reinforced prohibitions on vehicles and boats.

00:31It's just upsetting a lot of people.

00:33Two main reasons. One is a safety thing.

00:36Obviously it's a remote area and it's fragile.

00:38But the principal reason is one of cultural respect.

00:40Karidanda Lake Air is a sacred site for the Urabana people.

00:44There's a lot of our ancestors and spiritual beings that live on that lake.

00:49They want it protected for future generations.

00:52We're not stopping anyone from coming.

00:54We just want people to respect Urabana culture and respect the environment that they're in.

01:01There are expiations for people on the lake, for boating on the lake.

01:05And where people are caught, it will be enforced.

01:08Tourists have begun flocking to see the lake in flood.

01:12The lake covers a huge area, about 9,700 square kilometres and stretches far past the horizon.

01:19That's why locals and authorities say that the best way to see it is from the air.

01:24You can see where the water's coming in and you can see how vast lake air is.

01:32A rare sight to see with the best view in town.

01:36Is it possible to see in the air?

01:38In the air�aksška Solstvo spillationydism.

01:39There are also existing systems systems and ships.

01:41These space with lights on stars and people will replace the range of air.

01:42You have to see how far the water's coming in.

01:44They find the power inside of the kilometer of 함as.

01:45It will be straightforward.

01:46You have to see how growing my body is and the remote Earth is not going off.

01:48The name on the lake is that thebergine is?

01:50The missing demás people applied.

01:53The missingixheim Czyli organiseолжartology and Favorites all mostly people's in the same hall.

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