2 Geckos Travelling Australia: Sat, 13th Oct, 2018 Dalhousie Springs Campground, Witjira National Park, SA to Bush camp by Coglin Creek, near Charlotte Waters OTL ruins, NT (exploring)

All clear this morning. 7am 22 degrees and still.

Crested pigeons wandering around camp as we pack up. They are so cute with their little ‘Wooh Wooh’ call. Steve put some air back into the tyres and took off our tattered flag. At least we met some oncoming vehicles this time compared to the Canning Stock Route and luckily none at the top of a dune.

Steve had noticed some diesel on the auxiliary fuel tank but nothing leaking on the ground. He crawled under to investigate and there is a small crack in the seam where it was welded. He put on some ‘glue’ he had and hopes we can replace it in Alice Springs, just in case. Not much space under there.

Also the bed side door hinge has decided to part company at one end making it difficult to close. It has always created since he put it on in Mandurah in January but was working ok. Luckily Steve had bought a metal hinge as a backup as he wasn’t happy with it. Will replace it at the next camp.

Had a cuppa then went down to the pool for a final swim. This is the walk info that we did yesterday. Good aerial photo of the area.

Looking up to where the spring water starts.

Galahs and corellas are resting in the trees on the other side of the pool. Willy Wagtails and Beekeepers are zooming around with the swallows collecting bugs. A few ducks are floating around further along the pool.

Washed the dust out of my hair with the water then coated it in conditioner when I got out.

Headed off through more mound springs and long stretches of reeds where water must be present.

Turned south for 9km to check out the ruins of the Dalhousie Homestead. Corrugated track through little hills and flat topped ridges. People have driven up onto these mesas – now there are signs saying not too.

Drove up to the top of the ridge onto the plateau. Rocky with small grass covering and no trees except on the lower area where the mound springs provide water. Nice view from the Look out – the wind has picked up again.

Dropped down off the plateau – view over the ruins. Looks like an oasis with the date palms and green reeds.

Dalhousie Ruin

Ned Bagot, contractor for the southern section of the OTL, purchased the first lease of Dalhousie, taken up in 1872. It is thought that Bagot planted the palm trees in the area but it is also possible that they grew after Afghan camel drivers used the springs as a major campsite for their long treks into the centre with essential supplies for the settlers. The large hill to the east of the homestead is called The Dalhousie Pile and is a series of extinct mound springs. On the Pile, about a kilometre from the homestead, some heaps of rocks can be seen to the west of the track. These rocks mark the boundary of the racetrack. In later years a new homestead was built some distance away and named Mount Dare, most likely after Mount Daer which is just across the border.

Parked in the car park with the other couples that were camped near us in their vans. Read the info and wandered about.

The old photo of the buildings was taken in 1918 – a hundred years later some still remains.

Only a few date palms remain.

Up the top of the rise I found the well and Steve checked out the reeds and found some moisture but no pool of water.

The corellas and galahs like the date palms.

Down the rise are the blacksmith’s workshop and the yards.

The blacksmith workshop and forge.

Remains of an old car nearby.

Walked across the track to the yards. It says how things were built by Aboriginal stockmen but of course some white man had to teach them first but there is no mention of that.

Looks like the remains of the chook yard.

Back out to the main track and headed towards Mt Dare, which was the newer homestead for the station.

3 O’Clock Creek stands out against the barren landscape and the hill in the background.

Pulled into the ‘picnic’ area for lunch. Some information about the Red Mulga trees and frogs, Dreaming are beside the shade shelter, table and stools and a water tank.

Drove along the creek – all dry. Spotted some Mulga Reds in the creek.

Continued along the track which ran beside the long tree-lined creek.

Crossed the creek again and it still goes on. Amazing to think the trees can get enough water since it doesn’t seem the creek runs very often.

Crossed the creek again and noticed lots of big Red Mulga trees, then we crossed the creek again. Bare hills and green creek keeps going.

Climbed up the escarpment and onto a plateau. Nice view back over the creek and surrounds.

Stopped at Opossum Waterhole but no water here.

Track very corrugated. There are bypass tracks with bypass tracks for them! This trailer didn’t like the trip.

Read the info about the Stockyards nearby.

The Federal Homestead info and some relics.

Federal Homestead

This homestead was on a small pastoral lease. The homestead was well laid out with carefully tended gardens but eventually the property was amalgamated with other leases. It is now part of the Witjira National Park.

Checked out the yards.

Wandered over the other way trying to find the homestead site. I found lots of broken crockery.

Steve found the old homestead site beside the tree. Easy to spot with the lines of bottles. It was quite impressive. There seems to be squares with borders for the plants and paths so the rooms must have been in the squares. He must have kept heaps of bottles from the Tavern he had a Bloods Creek, further north.

Continued along through flat scrub country then back to open flat plains again.

More info at Bloods Creek and lots of bits and pieces lying around. How all those bottles survived the rough trip over these tracks on horses or drays is amazing.

Bloods Creek

This creek is named after JHS Blood, station-master at the Peake telegraph office in 1872. Two waterholes on the creek provided a good camping place for construction workers on the OTL and continued to be used by travellers until eventually a wine shanty and store was built nearby. The government provided heavy drilling equipment to drill the bore. Hot sub-artesian water was reached at 610m and rose to within 42m of the surface. A huge windmill was needed to pump water in the light breezes common to the inland.

Ted Colson, who in 1936 became the first man to officially cross the Simpson Desert both ways, was the last occupier of Bloods Creek. Colson, at 54, was an experienced bushman who had spent most of his life in the outback. As a youth he had walked with his father from Southern Cross to Coolgardie in the WA goldfields. He later worked on the OTL, searched for Lasseter’s Reef, and made several expeditions with prospectors, acting as guide and cameleer. Colson, with 6 camels and an Aborigine from the Musgrave Ranges, took 12 days to cross from Bloods Creek to Birdsville and 16 to return. He named Alice Hills after his wife; Glen Joyce after a friend’s daughter who died tragically; and Lake Tamblyn after his school master.

I found a ruby and emerald – well red and green glass but it looked good.

The big well was covered but dry.

Further along the track was the old windmill. Still spinning but has been the pump rod had been removed. The water tanks are rusty too. There were old yards beside the tanks.

Across Bloods Creek. At an intersection we turned north towards Mt Dare. The road is much better.

Over the grid and we leave the National Park and enter Crown Point Station for a while. Across a wide flood plain around Abminga Creek which is full of Red Mulga tree.

Back into the National Park again and we arrived at Mt Dare Hotel.

The poor old windmill has seen better days. There is a big levee bank around the hotel complex.

Mount Dare

In later years a new homestead was built, replacing the Dalhousie one, some distance away and named Mount Dare, most likely after Mount Daer which is just across the border. This property was sold by Rex Lowe to the National Parks and Wildlife Service in 1984 and later dedicated as Witjira National Park.

Not sure if this is that original homestead.

Great photo of Dalhousie Springs on the information board.

Steve checked out the old pedestal drill – handle still wound but nothing else happened.

Lots of galahs and corellas perched under the water tank.

Lovely colour in the garden.

Great sign as we headed into the pub.

Lots of coolers and shirts handing from the ceiling and walls. Make a donation to RFDS to hang one. Chatted with the owner while he watched the ladies rugby match on TV. Not in any hurry to serve us.

The hotel is leased from the National Parks and they will head off for a break over the summer period. He said they only got 3ml out of the storm last night. They have had lots of dry lightning storms recently. I commented about the levee bank and he said that when Cyclone Yasi dumped its rain it came over that and up the walls of the hotel – the height is marked on the sign. We thought he was joking then we checked the sign. There was a marker for a flood previous. Since then they have built up the levee bank and each year there is enough water to come up to it.

While Steve got some diesel I checked out the beer garden with pond. $2.50 per litre – not as bad as $3.40 we paid on the Canning.

Continued on, passed the turn off to the Binns Track which goes up to Andado and on to Alice Springs. We are going to Finke via Charlotte Waters OTL ruins.

At the border we leave the National Park. Stopped for a cuppa under the SA sign.

GPS shows the border where the sign is but the fence line is further over.

Over the grid – there are two fences going east.

Into Northern Territory and onto New Crown Station.

Turned westerly towards Charlotte Waters and passed some NT cattle which are sitting in the shade or having a drink at the trough.

The clouds building on the horizon all around us. Open gibber stone plains with an occasional hill. Trees highlight where the creek beds are.

Spotted a car stopped on the road so slowed down and realised it has been abandoned.

Stopped at the ruins of the Overland Telegraph Station – Charlotte Waters. Read the welcome sign out the front.

Charlotte Waters

This waterhole was discovered in January 1871 by McMinn and Knuckey, two surveyors working on construction of the OTL. It proved to be a suitable location for a repeater station and the building was started in December 1871. It was an impressive building, with facilities for post office, store, repeater station and station-master’s residence. There were also buildings for operators, linesmen and labourers. A police station was located nearby.

It is thought that the grave at the rear of the site is that of Pat Byrne’s dog. Pat Byrne was a former telegraph operator who, in 1915, crushed his arm in a machinery accident. It took four days to get him into Oodnadatta where his arm was amputated below the elbow.

Walked around checking out the info and bits and pieces.

9000 gallon water tank.

Thunder rumbling in the black clouds to the south – hope we don’t get another windy storm. Found the grave further over.

Lots of bits and pieces lying around. Along the fence line there were hundreds of broken bits of ceramic insulators.

Crossed Coglin Creek.

Up the track a bit was the Charlotte Bore and dam. The generator box was open.

More thunder rumbling so we decided to go back to the creek to camp. Steve had seen a track going off the main road and along the creek. Better to set up before the storm hits.

Quickly set up camp. Hope that creek stays dry!!