| Lake Bonney SE | |
|---|---|
| Coonunda or Canunda | |
 | |
  Lake Bonney SE Location inSouth Australia | |
| Location | Canunda, South Australia |
| Coordinates | 37°45′56″S140°20′35″E / 37.76556°S 140.34306°E /-37.76556; 140.34306 |
| Type | Brackishfreshwater |
| Primary inflows | Natural inflows |
| Primary outflows | Evaporation;Southern Ocean |
| Catchment area | 430 km2 (170 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Max. length | 23 km (14 mi) |
| Max. width | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Surface area | 79 km2 (31 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
Lake Bonney SE (alternative name:Coonunda orCanunda) is a coastalfreshwater lake located in theLimestone Coast region ofSouth Australia in the gazetted locality ofCanunda.[1] It has a surface area of 79 square kilometres (31 sq mi).
The lake is located 450 km (280 mi) south east ofAdelaide and 13 km (8 mi) south west ofMillicent. TheCanunda National Park lies adjacent to the lake shore.
The lake was named Lake Bonney in 1844 byGeorge Grey, the then Governor of South Australia.[2]
The name was proposed in 1916 to be changed by the Nomenclature Committee to "Coonunda Lake" but was not actioned without any reason provided. "Coonunda" or "Canunda" is theAboriginal name for the lake.[2]
In both 1972 and 1981, theDistrict Council of Barmera wrote to theSouth Australian Government requesting that the lake be renamed with its native name, i.e. "Canunda" or "Coonunda", in order to avoid being confused with the lake in theRiverland of South Australia. In response to the request sent in 1981, the Geographical Names Board renamed both lakes as "Lake Bonney, Riverland" and "Lake Bonney SE" in order to differentiate between the lakes. A further request for a name change sent in 1989 by theDistrict Council of Barmera was not approved by the Geographical Names Board.[2]
In 1983, a series of bushfires occurred in South Australia. Known as theAsh Wednesday bushfires, widespread damage was caused across the states of Victoria and South Australia. Around 21,000 hectares of forest was lost.[3] As part of the salvage, some 500,000m3 of sawlogs were stored in the lake for future milling.[4] This meant the lake was closed to the public for more than 30 years due to the hazards caused by the stored logs.[5] The lake reopened to the public after water quality improved, but restrictions still apply.[6]
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