| Lake Tyrrell | |
|---|---|
  Lake Tyrrell Location in Victoria | |
| Location | Mallee district, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 35°20′38″S 142°50′00″E / 35.34389°S 142.83333°E[1] |
| Type | Intermittent |
| Primary inflows | Tyrrell Creek |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Surface area | 20,860 ha (51,500 acres) |
Lake Tyrrell (also known as Lake Tyrrell Wildlife Reserve) is a shallow, salt-crusted depression in the Mallee district of north-west Victoria, in Australia. The name 'Tyrrell' is derived from the local Wergaia word for 'sky', the Boorong Aboriginal people of the area being distinguished for their interest in star-lore.[2] The Boorong, with their astronomical traditions, told stories connected with constellations in the night sky.[3]
In the mid-2010s, the lake became a tourist mecca, particularly for Chinese.[4] It is a popular location for photographers and social media users, who take snaps of the lake's mirror-like surface during winter, when ground water percolates to the surface and inflows arrive from the Avoca River/Tyrrell Creek system.
During dry periods, people can walk on to the lake area by using places where salt has formed a solid surface.
- ^ "Lake Tyrrell (lake)". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 2 May 1966. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ Hamacher & Frew 2010, p. 1.
- ^ "Stories in the Stars – the night sky of the Boorong people". Museums Victoria. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ Grindlay, Danielle (15 December 2016). "Chinese tourists flood isolated grain town, throwing drought-stricken community an unexpected lifeline". ABC. Retrieved 25 June 2018.