Lake Dey Dey facts for kids

Lake Dey Dey is a salt lake in South Australia. It is one of many salt lakes in the eastern end of the Great Victoria Desert. It is normally dry, except during and after periods of heavy rainfall. It is part of the geological basin known as the Officer Basin. The larger Lake Maurice is to the south. Since 1985, Lake Dey Dey is part of the lands belonging to the Maralinga Tjarutja, a southern branch of the Pitjantjatjara. The community of Oak Valley is located nearby to the southwest.

The surface of the lake normally consists of dry clay, silt or sand, covered with a salty crust. The area around Lake Dey Dey is very dry. Groundwater contains high levels of salt.

The lake is culturally important to the Maralinga Tjarutja people. Both Dey Dey and Lake Maurice have Tjukurpa (Dreaming stories) associated with them, and some parts of Dey Dey are restricted so that only men who have been initiated have access. The major Tjukurpa associated with Lake Dey Dey relates to Wati Kulpirr, an ancestral spirit represented by the eastern grey kangaroo.