Lake Bonney SE

For the other South Australian lake of the same name, see Lake Bonney Riverland.

Lake Bonney SE
Coonunda or Canunda
Lake Bonney SE Location in South Australia
Location	Canunda, South Australia
Coordinates	37°45′56″S140°20′35″E / 37.76556°S 140.34306°E / -37.76556; 140.34306
Type	Brackish freshwater
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 or Canunda) is a coastal freshwater lake located in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia in the gazetted locality of Canunda. ^[1] It has a surface area of 79 square kilometres (31 sq mi).

The lake is located 450 km (280 mi) south east of Adelaide and 13 km (8 mi) south west of Millicent. The Canunda National Park lies adjacent to the lake shore.

Naming

The lake was named Lake Bonney in 1844 by George 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 the Aboriginal name for the lake. ^[2]

In both 1972 and 1981, the District Council of Barmera wrote to the South 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 the Riverland 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 the District Council of Barmera was not approved by the Geographical Names Board. ^[2]

Ash Wednesday Fires

In 1983, a series of bushfires occurred in South Australia. Known as the Ash 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]

See also

• South Australia portal

• List of lakes of South Australia
• Lake Bonney Wind Farm

References

1. "Search result for "Canunda (Locality Bounded)" (Record no SA0012173) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and "Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
2. "Search result for "Lake Bonney SE (Lake)" (Record no. SA0008121) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and " Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
3. ForestrySA (16 February 2023). "Remembering the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires". ForestrySA. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
4. Rynasewycz, A (1991). "Lane Poole Award, A Report to the Trustees" (PDF). C.E. LANE POOLE MEMORIAL TRUST: 7.
5. "Lake Bonney to reopen to public use". ABC News. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
6. "Lake Bonney S.E." Wattle Range Council. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2025.

• "Lake Bonney South East, South Australia: Past, Present and Possible Future" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2007. (557  KiB)