About 40 kilometers north-east of Canberra, in Australia, right next to the Federal Highway is a large lake, but you might not always see it. Depending on which time of the year or day you visit, there might be a large expanse of water or a swampy pastureland.

Lake George is extremely unpredictable. Its waters come and go like a mirage. There are stories of the lake’s waters retreating up to a kilometer from the shore in the course of a single night. When full, the lake spreads over 155 square kilometers with its eastern end lapping against the side of the highway. But often it dries to such an extent that the lake-bed is used for grazing.

The almost dry bed of Lake George. Photo credit: Jerry Skinner/Flickr