Coongie Lakes, Goyder Lagoon & Kallakoopah Creek

At the heart of Australia, a complex system of waterways drain inland, never reaching the sea. The result is an incredibly diverse landscape where deserts and vast wetlands support hundreds of species and millions of birds.

The Coongie Lakes is a freshwater wetland system located in the far North East of South Australia that includes lakes, channels, billabongs, floodplains, deltas and swamps. Country of the Yandruwandha Yawarrawarrka people, the Coongie Lakes are on the Cooper Creek floodplain—an ephemeral river that floods into Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre.

The Malkumba-Coongie Lakes region was recognised as a wetland of international importance and designated under the Ramsar Convention in 1987. It is also listed on DIWA (Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia).

When it floods, rapid plant growth and the influx of huge numbers of waterbirds to feed and breed is an incredible spectacle. Up to 100,000 pelicans have been recorded, along with ducks, cormorants, ibises, spoonbills, herons and waders.

Whilst a small area is protected within the Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park, with increasing climate and industrial pressures such as ecological damage from cattle, it's time to expand protection. This will give birds living and travelling through Australia's desert—and migrating across the world—their best chance of survival.

Goyder Lagoon is a huge ephemeral wetland, part of the Diamantina River floodplain in the far North of South Australia, and Country of the Wangkangurru Yarluyandi people. Flood waters from Goyder Lagoon flow into the Warburton River before reaching Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre.

Goyder Lagoon is listed on the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia and has been nominated as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

When flooded, it supports large numbers of waterbirds, including ducks, terns, cormorants, spoonbills, herons, ibises and pelicans. Despite its ecological significance, Goyder Lagoon currently has no formal protection.

Like Coongie Lakes, it is also threatened by increasing climate and industrial pressures, such as ecological damage from cattle. It's time to protect this magnificent place, critical for birds in Australia.

Kallakoopah Creek is a 353-kilometre-long ephemeral watercourse located in the southern Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert in South Australia. It is an anabranch of the Warburton Creek (also known as the Warburton River) and forms a critical part of the Lake Eyre Basin.

The creek is often dry, consisting of a series of pools for much of the time. It only flows during significant flood events that can bring the desert to life with sea birds and pelicans. 

It flows through Australia’s largest national park: the Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert. The landscape features vast dunefields, salt lakes, and floodplains.

The surrounding area, including the Kalamurina Wildlife Sanctuary, protects species such as crest-tailed mulgaras, dusky hopping mice, and the Lake Eyre hardyheads—fish capable of surviving in water three times saltier than the sea!