Dick Smith lashes out after Aussies are banned from swimming in popular lake

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 13:53, 30 July 2026 | Updated: 13:58, 30 July 2026 Australian businessman Dick Smith has slammed the South Australian Government for banning swimming and boating on Australia's iconic Lake Eyre.  Smith, who is the Rear Admiral of the Lake Eyre Yacht Club, on Thursday told 2GB host Ben Fordham he 'can't believe' the government upheld bans while the lake is nearly full. The SA Government tightened rules at the 'culturally and environmentally sensitive site' in 2025 to entirely ban movement on the lakebed. Swimming, boating and driving have been restricted since the lake was declared a national park in 1985. However, the new rules prohibit anyone from stepping on the lakebed - whether it's dry or filled with water.  'You're not allowed to go to the shore of Lake Eyre. I mean, Lake Eyre is huge - it's two-thirds full at the moment,' Smith said. 'I was there about two weeks ago. There are great, big signs up with fines and you're not even allowed to paddle in Lake Eyre.' The SA Government said the new restrictions in 2025 help 'keep people safe and better protects the culturally and environmentally significant site'. Dick Smith (above) found it 'unbelievable' that all activity is banned on Lake Eyre when it's full of water Smith said he'd visited the lake 'years ago' when the water was high and 'went swimming' with his children.  'Aboriginal kids for thousands of years would have swum in this most beautiful place,' Smith said. 'Now it's completely banned by the South Australian government. I can't fathom out the reason. 'Our yacht club, we have these beautiful little 12-foot skiffs. We're not allowed to sail on the lake. 'I'm happy to accept that, but not to accept that kids can't have a paddle in it.' Smith conceded that while walking on the dry or muddy lakebed could damage it, swimming was unlikely to do any harm. 'They say it's muddy but when it's full it's not muddy. It's a lovely, sandy, beautiful place to swim,' he said.  'It's as if the NSW Government banned swimming on Bondi Beach and said it's an Aboriginal sacred area. New restrictions in 2025 prohibit any visitors to Lake Eyre (above) from touching the lakebed Should swimming in Lake Eyre be banned to protect culture and environment, or is this going too far? What's your view?'I'm sure it's white advisors to the Aboriginal people (who want the restrictions). The Aboriginal people I've met down there don't want to stop people from paddling in the lake. 'It couldn't do any damage at all.' Smith added the ban followed a trend of restricted activities in sacred Indigenous areas, starting with the ban on climbing at Ayres Rock in late 2019.  'I have my doubts about some of these claims,' he said.  'I simply can't believe that Aboriginal people didn't swim in Lake Eyre on hot summer days with their kids and have a lot of fun there.'