Australia rains begin to fill massive desert lake

A view of Lake Eyre from the skyTrevor Wright

Pilot Trevor Wright captured these photos while flying across Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre earlier this week

Heavy rains have started to fill Australia's vast Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and are bringing the desert to life.

Pictures captured by pilot Trevor Wright show water filling dry salt plains that lie 700km (435 miles) north of Adelaide.

The area around the lake has been inundated with rain over the last week, with falls of over 150mm reported.

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fills only a few times in a century. When this happens it is Australia's largest lake.

An island covered in vegetation is seen in Lake EyreTrevor Wright

Mr Wright said the usually arid area was bursting with greenery and life after recent heavy rains

Subsequent rainfall both around the lake and in its vast catchment will determine how large the lake becomes this year.

Rivers that flow from south-west and central Queensland are expected to bring water to the lake over the coming months.

The lake's spectacular bird life is a major tourist draw and the area even has its own yacht club that holds regattas when the water is deep enough.

Sand banks peak above the water in Lake EyreTrevor Wright

Heavy rains have swollen the creeks and waterways that are filling the lake, which is located north of Adelaide

An aerial shot of Lake EyreTrevor Wright

The filling of the lake typically brings spectacular birdlife to the region, resulting in a tourism boost