A dry lake bed in outback New South Wales has seen a dramatic turn-around this year.

Farmers near Nialia Lake in the state’s far west say calling it a lake is often an ironic comment – but this year the normally arid reservoir has been filled with a sea of green.

For the first time in 13 years Nialia Lake is being used to grow food. Crops of canola, wheat and chickpeas are all shooting up, reports say.

The lake was at one point flooded, but has dried sufficiently in the last few months that it has become perfect for farming.

Local grazier Angus Whyte says the timing is right and the plants are flourishing: “We're only able to crop the lake once after a flood because of the amount of stored moisture we have and the soil type, it's probably more like growing a crop in 20 plus inch rainfall country.”