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Rainforest Crater Lakes
General Information
- Lakes Eacham and Barrine are explosion craters, known as a maars created when
rising lava came into contact with ground water. The resulting steam caused a
violent explosion as it burst through the rocks on the surface producing a
crater. Little volcanic material is produced by this sort of explosion. It forms
a low ridge around the crater.
- The craters of Lakes Eacham and Barrine may have
been formed as recently as 10,000 years ago- their explosive creation are
remembered in the stories of local indigenous people.
- After the explosion. water
collected in the craters forming the lakes, which are up to 65m deep. The weight
of this water has caused the surrounding rocks to sag, creating a much larger
crater and lake. Wherever the water is able to drain out of an explosion crater,
a swamp, rather than a lake, forms.
- Other maars - Lake Euramo. Bromfield Swamp
and Lynch's Crater -- are up to 200,000 years old.
Script: Courtesy of Environmental Protection Agency
Conservation
- The Crater Lakes and the Atherton Tablelands area has a
range of endemic reptile and mammal species.
- The Crater Lakes are currently facing environmental
concern due to strains caused partly by the tourism industry, such as runoff
from car-parks potentially increasing salinity of the water, as well as
pollution from car fumes. This effects the water quality and the organisms
that rely on it.
- Threats also include weeds and other introduced
species, and unregulated visitation can cause trampling of flora and fauna and
erosion. As well as tourism and recreation, infrastructure development, mining
and quarrying, land clearing, grazing, feral animals and inappropriate fire
regimes.
- The introduction of aquatic species not native to the
area and non-native species can affect water quality, impact wildlife habitat,
and cause the local extinction of some species. A well known pest is the Cane
Toad which was introduced as a means of eradicating the Cane Beetle, however
it was unsuccessful and the toads have now been located as far out as northern
WA.
Aboriginal History:
- A Ngadjonji story describes the creation of three volcanic crater lakes-
Yidam (Lake Eacham), Barany (Lake Barrine) and
Ngimun (Lake Euramoo).
- 'Two men broke a taboo and angered the rainbow serpent, a major spirit of
the area. The earth roared like thunder and the winds blew like a cyclone.
The ground began to twist and crack and there were red clouds in the sky
that had never been seen before. People ran from side to side but were
swallowed by a crack which opened in the earth.'
- Interestingly, in the course of this story, the country is described not
as rainforest but as open scrub. This observation is supported by pollen
records.
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