Lake Gairdner, Salt lake in South Australia, Australia
Lake Gairdner is a large salt lake covering approximately 1,300 square miles (3,373 square kilometers) in South Australia, featuring a white salt crust that can be over 3.3 feet (1 meter) thick in some areas.
Governor Richard MacDonnell named the lake after Gordon Gairdner in October 1857, and it formed from an ancient inland sea that once covered much of central South Australia millions of years ago.
The traditional owners, the Gawler Ranges People, obtained native title to the lake and surrounding lands in 2011, maintaining strong spiritual and cultural connections to the area that visitors are requested to respect.
Visitors should use four-wheel-drive vehicles to reach Lake Gairdner via unsealed gravel and sand roads, and must bring their own supplies including food and water since facilities are extremely limited in this remote location.
Since 1990, the dry salt flats host the annual Speed Week event where land speed record attempts exceed 300 miles per hour (483 kilometers per hour), with over 70 new records set during March 2025.
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