TODAY has been all about Lake Eyre.
This morning we flew over it, and this afternoon we drove to its southern edge and gazed at the silver water stretching all the way to the horizon.
I've been lucky enough to see the iconic Australian feature twice in the past 12 months, and it's amazing how much the region has changed since this time last year.
When I was here last Easter with my Dad we flew from William Creek to Innamincka, and then back to our starting point via the Warburton Groove, and got to see the Cooper Creek in flood and the water crawling into Lake Eyre.
This year North Lake Eyre is almost full -- the locals tell me it's up around 80 per cent at the moment -- but the Cooper hasn't broken its banks yet and the track is still open to Innamincka.
But what was most profound was the different colours in the Lake's water this year.
There's an algal bloom in the southern end of the lake, which has turned the water a dramatic blush colour, and the deeper water up northern basin ranges from an opaque lime green to a reflective shiny blue.
There are still streaks of murky brown, where the water is moving swiftly down the channels, and there are strong lines in the salt that mark the evapouration of last year's floods and look like a rainbow of ochre tones.
Last year the most colour was in the water flooding out of the Cooper, from a light latte hue to a deep shade that reminded me of melted dark chocolate, and the shallower water in the lake looked a bland sandy shade.
The locals are expecting Lake Eyre to be full again this year, with the bulk of the water due to arrive in June or July.
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