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15-565: Lake Corangamite / k ə ˈ r æ ŋ ɡ ə m aɪ t / , a hypersaline endorheic lake , is located near Colac in the Lakes and Craters region of the Victorian Volcanic Plains of south-west Victoria , Australia . The lake's salinity levels have increased dramatically as the lake level has dropped in recent decades. It is Australia's largest permanent saline lake, covering approximately 230 square kilometres (89 sq mi) with

30-644: A salinity of 43%, making it the saltiest water body on Earth (i.e. 12 times as salty as ocean water). Previously, it was considered that the most saline lake outside of Antarctica was Lake Assal , in Djibouti , which has a salinity of 34.8% (i.e. 10 times as salty as ocean water). The best-known hypersaline lakes are the Dead Sea (34.2% salinity in 2010) and the Great Salt Lake in the state of Utah , US (5–27% variable salinity). The Dead Sea , dividing Israel and

45-512: A circumference of 150 kilometres (93 mi). It forms part of the Ramsar-listed Western District Lakes wetland site. The Aboriginal name of the lake is recorded as Kronimite . The waterbody is surrounded to the south and east by rocky outcrops (known locally as the stony rises ) which were formed by lava flows from Mount Porndon to the south-west and Mount Warrion to the east. The Red Rock volcanic complex overlooks

60-483: Is no outflow) but during the wet decade of the 1950s the lake flooded and became connected via a series of wetlands and lakes to Lake Murdeduke and the Barwon River . It has never been completely dry since European settlement, and there is evidence it was an open lake for centuries prior to the 1840s when rainfall and runoff were similar to those of the 1950s. The main inflows are from Pirron Yaloak Creek flowing from

75-761: The Arctic , the Canadian Devon Ice Cap contains two subglacial lakes that are hypersaline. In Antarctica , there are larger hypersaline water bodies, lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys such as Lake Vanda with salinity of over 35% (i.e. 10 times as salty as ocean water). The most saline water body in the world is the Gaet'ale Pond , located in the Danakil Depression in Afar , Ethiopia. The water of Gaet'ale Pond has

90-504: The West Bank from Jordan , is the world's deepest hypersaline lake. The Great Salt Lake, while having nearly three times the surface area of the Dead Sea, is shallower and experiences much greater fluctuations in salinity. At its lowest recorded water levels, it approaches 7.7 times the salinity of ocean water, but when its levels are high, its salinity drops to only slightly higher than that of

105-691: The Otway plains to the south, the Woady Yaloak River flowing from the flanks of the Victorian Midlands to the north, and Salt Creek flowing from the plains to the north-west. The Pirron Yaloak has high nutrient loads due to dairy farming in its catchment. In response to the floods of the 1950s, the Woady Yaloak was diverted away from Lake Corangamite and into the Barwon River. The diversion is managed on

120-637: The Wirraway main fuselage was recovered from the lake. Hypersaline Specific microbial species can thrive in high-salinity environments that are inhospitable to most lifeforms, including some that are thought to contribute to the color of pink lakes . Some of these species enter a dormant state when desiccated , and some species are thought to survive for over 250 million years. The water in hypersaline lakes has great buoyancy due to its high salt content. Hypersaline lakes are found on every continent, especially in arid or semi-arid regions . In

135-567: The basis of a trigger level for the lake, above which the diversion is enacted. This has not occurred in recent years. Levels have been dropping for decades and it is possible that it will dry completely. In 1980 the salinity was approximately that of seawater and has since risen at least four times that of seawater. Aquatic fauna once included fish species such as short-finned eel , common galaxias , flat-headed gudgeon and small-mouth hardyhead . These may still survive in refuges such as Pirron Yaloak creek and various freshwater springs flowing from

150-562: The colonies, which have now been abandoned. After receiving substantial grants from the government to undertake conservation works, the owner of Vaugn Island used earth moving equipment to remove habitat such as rocks and remnant vegetation. The lake forms part of the Lake Corangamite Complex Important Bird Area , so identified by BirdLife International because it sometimes supports globally important numbers of waterbirds . A crashed World War II RAAF Wirraway

165-437: The functions and absorbed the staff of the then Department of Natural Resources and Environment (which managed National and State parks) and Melbourne Parks & Waterways, which itself was originally part of the former Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works , which mostly managed urban parklands, some of which were formerly MMBW facilities, such as Braeside Park . The Department of Natural Resources and Environment itself

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180-771: The ocean. Parks Victoria Parks Victoria is a government agency of the state of Victoria , Australia . Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority , reporting to the Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The Parks Victoria Act 2018 updates the previous act, Parks Victoria Act 1998 . Under the new Act , Parks Victoria is responsible for managing over '...4 million hectares including 3,000 land and marine parks and reserves making up 18 per cent of Victoria's landmass, 75 per cent of Victoria's wetlands and 70 per cent of Victoria's coastline'. Parks Victoria replaced many of

195-400: The south east shore at Alvie. The Mount Warrion flows caused the lake to form by blocking drainage to the east. As is typical of lakes in the area, the eastern flanks of the lake consist of lunettes formed by wind borne sediments blown from the lake during periods with dry climates. Flow into the lake is extremely variable and negligible in the driest years. Currently it is endorheic (there

210-640: The stony rises on the south west side of the lake. Springs on the south east side have dried – possibly due to over exploitation of the Warrion Aquifer for irrigation. More recently the fauna included brine shrimp and a species of isopod . In the past the lake has supported internationally significant numbers of banded stilts . The lake was previously an important breeding site for waterbirds. Most recently pelican colonies occurred at Wool Wool rocks and Vaughan Island. However, as water levels have dropped, prey have disappeared and foxes have gained access to

225-740: Was discovered in June 2005 in Lake Corangamite. Heritage Victoria protects all aircraft crash sites over 50 years old as historic archaeological sites, and the RAAF was briefed on the find. The site was recently exposed by receding water levels in the lake and reported by Parks Victoria officers to Heritage Victoria. The site appears intact and remains mostly submerged. The plane is believed to be Wirraway A20-406 (incorrectly attributed to A20-405 in some accounts), which crashed into Lake Corangamite, 400 metres (1,300 ft) from shore, on 17 March 1943. In August 2021

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