In the south-east near Naracoorte, Bool Lagoon is one of the largest and most important freshwater wetlands in southern Australia, a shallow, reed-fringed lagoon that fills after winter rain and draws tens of thousands of waterbirds. Boardwalks and hides let visitors watch ibis, spoonbills, brolgas and, in wet years, breeding colonies in their thousands, while the surrounding sedge and tea-tree shelter frogs and turtles. A Ramsar-listed site of international significance, it is a birdwatcher's paradise and a green, watery contrast to the dry farmland around it. Bring binoculars and time it for a wet season.