The darker areas of the lakebed are indicative of some form of desert vegetation or algae, some moisture within the soils of the dry lake, and the lowest elevations where pooling of water occurs.

Explorer David Carnegie in 1897 predicted the lake's existence when he passed by it to the west as quoted in his book Spinifex and Sand.

As the sun rose that morning the mirage of a lake of apparently great size was visible for 90° of the horizon — that is, from East round to South.

He and Andy Everett came upon the mid-eastern side on Tuesday 15 April 1913, while on a prospecting expedition west from Ryan's Well to Wiluna.Looking westward all that I could see was mirage for miles which appeared like large sheets of water.

Then Michael Terry and party reached the north-eastern corner of Lake Mackay by camel in August 1932.

[7] Terry mentioned two reports which may have been of the same lake, prior to Mackay’s 1930 survey: Afghan cameleer Rawazan in 1904, and the prospector Jimmy Wyckham in 1925.