Alternate title: “Inland lake filling to levels not seen in 160 years”:

For the second year in a row, an inland sea is making its slow journey through some of Australia’s driest country to its home in the heart of South Australia.

Not only is every major catchment that drains into Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre already wet, more rain is forecast and there is plenty of water yet to arrive from upstream.

If this water fills Australia’s largest inland lake — after getting tantalisingly close last year — it could be just the fourth time that has happened in 160 years.

Where is the water coming from?

The Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin is fed by a network of inland creeks and river systems across 1.2 million square kilometres, more than five times the size of Victoria.

It’s the fourth-largest catchment in the world that does not drain into the ocean.