Lake Barlee

Location of Lake Barlee

Lake Barlee from Space (courtesy NASA)

Lake Barlee is a salt lake in Western Australia. It is located at 29° 05' S, 119° 28' E, about 150 km east of Paynes Find on the border between the Shires of Sandstone and Menzies. Lake Barlee is more than 100 km wide from west to east, and about 80 km wide from north to south. It is dry for most of the year, holding water only after heavy rains.

Prospectors crossing lake Barlee, circa 1923

Lake Barlee was discovered by John Forrest in 1869. Forrest's party, who were searching for the long lost explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, became bogged while trying to cross the salt lake on 19 March. After extracting their horses from the bog, they skirted the lake for nearly a week. On 25 March, Forrest climbed a hill in the area and saw the great extent of the lake. He then named it after Frederick Barlee, the colonial secretary of Western Australia.