Lake Neale facts for kids

Lake Neale is a large salt lake found in the southwest part of the Northern Territory in Australia. It sits right next to Lake Amadeus, on its northwest side. These two lakes are part of a long chain of salt lakes. This chain stretches for about 500 kilometers (310 miles). It goes from Lake Hopkins in the west all the way to the Finke River in the east. This whole area is called the Amadeus Basin.

Most of the time, Lake Neale is a dry, flat salt plain. It only fills with water for short times after very heavy rainfall. Lake Neale is on land that belongs to Aboriginal people. It is part of the Petermann Aboriginal Land Trust. The Haasts Bluff lands are also nearby to the north.

How Lake Neale Got Its Name

Lake Neale was named after a man named Frank Neale. He was a pilot who helped explore the desert in 1930. Frank Neale was part of an aerial expedition. This trip used airplanes to accurately map the desert areas. These areas were northwest of Alice Springs.

Frank Neale flew one of the two planes used for the trip. Explorer Donald George Mackay hired these planes. The team spent 24 days flying. They made 15 survey flights. During these flights, they mapped the size of Lake Amadeus and Lake Neale. They also found an even bigger lake, Lake Mackay, further north.

First European Sightings

The first European to see Lake Neale was an explorer named Ernest Giles. This happened in 1872. He had seen Kata Tjuta from far away. He was trying to reach it. But Lake Amadeus blocked his way. He also saw Lake Neale when he tried to get to Mount Unapproachable. This mountain is on the northern side of Lake Neale.

Ernest Giles was coming from the east. He did not notice a natural land bridge between Lake Neale and Lake Amadeus. So, he thought they were one very large lake. Seventeen years later, William Tietkens went on his own expedition. He corrected this mistake. He showed that they were two separate lakes.