The heavy rain that has fallen in some Outback areas in recent days is set to provide a major boost to the tourism industry in remote Australia.
While those who make their living off the land will be celebrating the hardest, the desert downpours will also bring greenery, birdlife … and grey nomads … to remote regions.
There is always particular excitement when the normally dry salt plains of South Australia’s Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre begin to fill with water, and the reported 150mm of rain that has fallen in the area in the past week has had a noticeable impact.
With rivers that flow from south-west and central Queensland expected to bring more water to the lake over the coming months, local charter pilot, Trevor Wright, told the ABC that the area’s famous birdlife was already returning and, from a tourism perspective, things were looking great.
“What you’re seeing in the Outback at the moment’s definitely making a difference with this rain coming through,” he said. “If we can get some follow-up rains, I think it’s going to turn out to be a magnificent year.”
Tourism Minister Leon Bignell also welcomed the rainfall.
“What we know about these rains is it gives us months and months and months of added tourism business to that area,” he told the ABC. “This is also terrific for people running pastoral leases in the outback of South Australia.”
In recent days, places such as Kalamurina have seen 182.8 millimetres of rain, Mungerannie has seen 150 millimetres, and there has been 23.8 millimetres at Oodnadatta.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the rain is in part the result of a waning El Niño system.
* Will you be heading out to Lake Eyre in coming months? Are you a birdwatcher? Comment below.
Actually, the rain is because of a seasonal wet. The north west monsoons generally bring rain to parts of northern Australia and have done so for as long as I can remember. El Nino was never a talking point when I was learning about Australia’s weather systems and climate many many moons ago at school. Amazing how education has changed but the weather and climate has not.