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Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
Lake Torrens is a very large, and usually dry, saline playa lake in north-eastern South Australia. Its catchment is bounded by the western slopes of the Flinders Ranges to the east and the low, rounded hills east of Andamooka and Roxby Downs to the west. The lake has been filled only once in the past 150 years, during a major flooding event in 1989, but it has held smaller volumes of water on many occasions. The huge numbers of Banded Stilts nesting on two small island groups within the lake during this flood justifies the lake's status as an IBA. One island group consists of four small islands situated in the north of the lake off Andamooka Island. The other group consists of three small islands situated in the south of the lake. The northern group is composed of red clay topped with gibber rock and vegetated with a moderate cover of mixed salt-bush shrubs. The southern group is composed of sand deposits on a stone base with sparse, low samphire vegetation.
The IBA probably sporadically supports more than 1% of the global population of the congregatory Red-capped Plover, which was very common on all islands in the lake in 1989, with approximately 100 birds on one island in the southern group and one pair per 100m on shoreline on Andamooka Island. Approximately 6000 individuals and 1200 nests of the congregatory Silver Gull were observed in the IBA in 1989 (Bellchambers and Carpenter 1990). Cinnamon Quail-thrush are common on Andamooka Island (Bellchambers and Carpenter 1990).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Silver Gull predation of nesting Banded Stilts needs to be monitored and controlled. Evaluate the likely impact of any future proposals to explore for or harvest minerals or geothermal power and ensure that biodiversity values are considered in such proposals.
Lake Torrens National Park is contained within the IBA.
The lake is managed by South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage; Andamooka Island is a pastoral property.
Site access / Land-owner requests
Road access is through Andamooka and Mulgaria Stations at the discretion of the station managers. Vehicles must not be driven on the surface of the lake.
Keith Bellchambers provided comments.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Torrens (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-torrens-iba-australia on 23/12/2024.
