Lake Cadibarrawirracanna
salt lake in South Australia
Lake Cadibarrawirracanna, informally known as Lake Cadi, is a salt lake in the Australian state of South Australia, in the locality of Anna Creek in the state's Far North region about 735 kilometres (457 mi) north-west of the state capital of Adelaide.
A South Australian government source describes the lake as having a length of 32 kilometres (20 mi), a width of 9.7 kilometres (6 mi) and an area of 220 square kilometres (85 mi2).
Lake Cadibarrawirracanna, meaning the stars were dancing, is said to be the second longest official place name in Australia. In Arabana language, it is "Kardipirla warrakanha", where kardipirla is stars, warra- is dance, play, -ka is simple past tense, and -nha is a proper noun marker.
The lake is located within the boundaries of the Anna Creek Station pastoral lease and has public access established under the Pastoral Land Management and Conservation Act 1989 via an access road connecting to the Coober Pedy to William Creek Road about 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) to the south. The intersection with the access road is about 88 kilometres (55 mi) from Coober Pedy in the west and about 77 kilometres (48 mi) from William Creek in the east.
The lake is the subject of a song named "Carra Barra Wirra Canna" written by Morva Cogan and which was recorded in the 1960s by the Australian singer and musician, Rolf Harris.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Lake Cadibarrawirracanna” is salt lake in South Australia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Lake, Cadibarrawirracanna and salt, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “salt lake in South Australia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q224387. Authority coordinates are -28.833, 135.433. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1989.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Lake Cadibarrawirracanna”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lake Cadibarrawirracanna primary sources, Lake Cadibarrawirracanna archive and Lake research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lake Cadibarrawirracanna”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Lake Cadibarrawirracanna” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.