Public Banned From Australia’s Largest Lake скачать в хорошем качестве

Public Banned From Australia’s Largest Lake

From “Lake Eyre” to “Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre,” and now… a public ban? Explore the journey of Australia’s largest lake, from renaming to its new status as a culturally restricted site. Are some Australians “more equal”? Lake Eyre is a giant inland saltwater lake in the Far North region of South Australia and is Australia’s largest lake. To be clear, it’s rarely full. For most of the time, it’s a vast dry salt pan. In 2012, there was a push to rename the lake—I guess you know why—with the ABC reporting in May of that year, “Calls to return Lake Eyre to Aboriginal name.” They noted that “the Arabana people were granted native title over nearly 69,000 square kilometres of land in South Australia’s north last week, including all of Lake Eyre.” So of course, in the name of decolonisation, we have to rename everything. In December 2012, the ABC reported, “New name adopted for outback Lake Eyre. The Arabana people have convinced the Geographical Names Unit to recognise the ancient name of Kati Thanda. The often-dry salt pan will now have the dual name Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre.” At the time, the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation chair Aaron Stuart said, “It’s an easy word for all Australians to say, and I think it’s a beautiful name.” I thought Lake Eyre was pretty easy to say too. Actually, I had to look up how to say the modern (ancient?) name. Don’t worry! The ABC published a pronunciation guide on their Kids Listen app. Mr Stuart also pointed out, “Our elders may have passed away, but we remember them and the name they used for the lake. It was our ancestors who lived there when Edward John Eyre first saw the lake in 1840.” Edward John Eyre was an English land explorer as well as a colonial administrator. Anyway, since the 2012 renaming, much has happened. For example, in 2015, it was announced that if we continue along this current path, “Scientists predict Lake Eyre and Murray-Darling Basins won’t exist in 30 million years.”—I know, it’s a tragedy. In 2018, the ABC began subtly associating tourists with unwanted pests on the lake, linking their arrival in the same breath as invasive species: “Tourists and feral animals flock to Lake Eyre as floodwaters end 1,000km journey. The conservancy’s Atticus Fleming said waters would encourage endangered species to the area — along with unwanted feral animals.” They stopped short of saying “unwanted tourists,” yet the juxtaposition was clear. And then last year, 2024, something we could all probably guess was coming: “Proposed Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre management plan to ban recreational access without cultural permission.” The ABC reported, “A new management plan proposed for outback Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre by the South Australian government suggests banning members of the public from walking, driving or boating on the lake bed without permission from the traditional owners.” This is the current Arabana Aboriginal Corporation chairperson Bronwyn Dodd who said, “Lake Eyre was connected to one of their most important Ularaka (stories) and a place where their ancestors rest. From a cultural aspect, that’s really disrespectful to enter such a significant cultural site. For us, our ancestors are there, our stories are there, and it’s a very powerful place for Arabana.” But, there was a Pushback from boaters, with Lake Eyre Yacht Club commodore Bob Backway saying he was in disbelief at the proposed plan. “Mr Backway was against controlling recreational activity on the lake, saying it was ‘effectively privatising the national park’.” And now this year, 2025, we all knew it was coming. In February, the ABC reported: “Recreational access banned on Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre.” But despite this year’s ban, the ABC reported recently, strangely, “Visitors still walking on Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre months after foot traffic ban.” How could that be? How could it be that Australians think they can access public land? In the article, they interview Arabana Aboriginal Corporation director Colleen Raven Strangways, who said, “This is where my ancestors walked for over 65,000 years, this is where my ancestors lived, camped, had families.” The current management plan for the national park states, “Native title rights enable Arabana people to hunt and camp on their lands. It gives legal acknowledgement of what they have always known: this is Arabana Country.” Arabana say their ancestors and spiritual beings live on the lake. Consequently, Ms Strangways said, “We don’t want boating on there, we don’t want people walking on there, because when you walk on that lake, it stays there until the next big flood.” Don’t worry, this is all just about bringing about equality. You know, the modern version of equality where some Australians are more equal than others. If you have the right ancestry, you can hunt and camp on Arabana lands—no worries!—but otherwise, get off our lake! MUSIC Allégro by Emmit Fenn