The Lake Argyle Islands are a large group of islands, created by the Ord River Dam on the Ord River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. There are nearly 70 islands with official names, including most of the larger islands, as well as some small rocky outcrops.
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Formation
The islands are former elevated points and ranges found on what used to be a section of Argyle Cattle Station, prior to the damming of the Ord River in 1971. As the lake filled, the lower grasslands became submerged while higher places along ranges became newly formed islands. The dam has never, and highly unlikely to be dry, thus ensuring most islands are permanent. As the lake level often changes islands can grow, shrink, disappear and reappear according to water levels. Some islands have rocky or sandy beaches and quite a range of flora and fauna, while others are swampy/fully rock and are quite barren.