A Fresh History of the Lakes by Terry Sim and Kerri Muller

'Prior to European settlement, Lakes Alexandrina and Albert at the terminus of the River Murray were predominately fresh, with river water discharging to sea and keeping the Mouth clear. Saltwater intrusions into the Lake environment were not common until after 1900 when significant water resource development had occurred in the River Murray system.

This document, through information sourced from articles in newspapers, Parliamentary debates, diaries, journals, reports, letters, family and local histories and surveyor's notes records the events that shaped the history of the Lakes from the 1820's, when the first Europeans visited, until construction of the barrages returned it to a freshwater environment in the 1930's.'