Life At Annandale

Oh terryt, that's a bit unfair !. I asked Stephen to do them for me & I sent him the photos because I don't have the computer experience.
I really appreciated him taking the time to help me & it was his post I answered.

I have no problem with such a helpful person.
We live in a black spot area & it took Stephen a lot of time & patience.
If I'd of done them, I'd probably have put E.O into meltdown.
Stephen knows how to do things on this site & he does do great pics.
Plus he's a good bloke.
Thanks again Stephen.

Hope 2018 is a good one terryt.

There are bigger problems in this world, I appreciate your concern on the matter,
we all have our funny little gripes but I'm just glad he got them posted for me.
Take care, safe travels Sally.

Hi Terry

It is the programme that I use to edit photos where I have my name inserted.

That is why I stated that the photos were from Sally and given her the full credit, and I have also had to enhanced them.

The point is that Sally was not able to put them up herself and asked if I could.

We are looking at the images, not the name on the bottom.



Stephen

Why put the name on the bottom then?

Terryt,

Stephen spends a lot of time posting his private collection here. I recall where there was an issue of his photos being used on another forum without credit. s to do it and Ma and Pa are happy, then all good yeah>

Hi Alby

You sure are correct Alby, and look are their dress code, they were also well dressed, even in the middle of summer.

Just imagine how hot it would have been out there in the middle of summer, I would put it 50 degrees plus, with no power, no fridges, no air conditioning, no communications with the outside world and the complete isolation in the event of an emergency , when the prospect of death being a real concern.

Our ancestors are the people that shaped Australia to make it the great nation that it is today.



Cheers



Stephen

We camped at Annandale last July, Phil, and the waterhole was probably at around 40%. A lot depends on the timing of flood events, how cool the winters are, and most importantly, the severity and length of the summers.

Also, the position of the waterhole, eg. shaded by sand hills, and the depth would aid their longevity. Not sure of their current status?

Bob

Hi Phil

I have only ever been there 3 times over the years.

The first time Eyre Creek and Annandale Waterhole was bone dry, the surface was cracked and crazed like an Easter Egg.

The second time there were a few puddles in the middle section.

Our last visit out there was in 2011, followed the two very good flood years of 2010 and 2011. Annandale Waterhole was full to the brim and was a very impressive sight.

How long it was like that I could not answer and perhaps others that were out there after 2012 could give us an answer.

Cheers


Stephen

Hi Phil & Stephen,
The waterhole at Annandale is huge and Bob is correct.
It is a deep waterhole too.
It was full when we were there.
Mustering was usually done during the winter months and as those of you who know the desert in winter, you start out fully rugged up in the early hours of the morning, take off clothes by layers during the day & by the time you reach evening you've got them all back on again.
The hats!, well they're permanent, even when having a nap during the heat of the day, if time permits, they're over your face under a shady tree keeping the flies off.
I found one of these photos funny because the water was just about over the bottom end of one corner, one wrong move & it would've become a bath!
Things have changed on the Cattle Stations these days, even from the days when hubby & I were on the Stations. Some things for better, some for worse.

Once the desert & Station life gets into your blood, you either love it or hate it.
As the Quote goes." A drover's life has pleasures that townsfolk never know".
Unquote, Terryt. I have the Poem Kidman's Boys & some others & I certainly love them. My Grandfather is in one of them & he used to read them to
me as a child.
I'm glad some of you liked the old photos, the writing was hard to read on the back but I
reckon I got it right. I appreciate your thanks.

Take care, safe travels. Ma.

I visited Annandale in June 2017. The waterhole is huge and deep as Ma says. I took these three photos from the one spot on the edge of the waterhole:







In the last photo the landcruiser is parked just above the high water level and gives some indication of how much deeper the waterhole would be when it is full.

Thank you Ma for providing the old photographs and thank you Stephen for posting them on the forum.

Cheers,
John

Hi Sally

Thank you very much for that updated information, that is great. The first time we were out there from memory was in 1994 and it was quite a drop off from the top of the bank down to the actual waterhole that was bone dry. From memory, our second visit was around 2004, and then our last visit when it was full in 2011.

Judging by the photo of the party in the boat, if that went down, it would have been in about 2 metres of water and there would have been a mad dash to the bank and it would not have been good for the little baby.

Those images look great John and thanks for sharing. John was there any way of getting over to the other side of the creek, as there are cattle yards over there as well.

One thing that has changed from our very first visit our there..... the massive all barb wire fence that is now in place. Our first visit there was no fence at all and when I asked David (as in Brook the owner) he said it was to stop people driving up there and to also stop people from taking items from the site.





Cheers



Stephen

Hi Stephen,

I did’nt drive to the other side of the waterhole. I did notice a track going north alongside the waterhole but the track I was on veered to the east to follow Madigans route.

I spent a bit of time looking for the historic plaque ‘Sturt camped here 1845’ but could not find it. I walked precisely to the grid reference given in The Outback Travellers Track Guide to the North Simpson Desert but it was not there. Unfortunately quite a few of the grid references in that guide are incorrect. It would be great if you or any other reader could post the correct coordinates for the camp’s location.

Annandale is a fascinating place to visit. It’s surprising that there is such a large waterhole in the Simpson Desert. It’s amazing that Sturt got there in 1845. It’s incredible that people lived and worked there. I’m running out of superlatives but how on earth did they get this thing there:





Did they float it in on a barge when Eyre Creek was flooded?
Did they drag it in on a dray pulled by camels when Eyre Creek was dry?
Did it have wheels and did it get there under its own steam?
Which route did they use?

I have no answers but pondering questions like these and appreciating human endeavour is part of the pleasure in visiting remote areas.

Cheers,
John

Hi John

Those were the very questions that I wonders and so I asked David Brook.

He said it was all brought in via the inter dune swales from Adria Downs with bullock teams. Just imagine how how it would have been out there in January and February.....it was over 45° here in Clare on Sunday, so it would have been well in the mid 50° 's out there in the Simpson.




Cheers



Stephen

Thanks to all for such an informative discussion. I am hoping to be there in May (obviously if permission is granted) so I will report on the breadth of the water after I return.

I enjoyed the old pictures a lot.
Thanx for going through the effort of posting them for us. Tough people they were indeed. Can any one tell us what object is the one fella carrying whilst standing next to a paddler ?

Love all the pictures, thanks guys & girls.

Macca.

Winner,
We can't find the Magnifying glass but would think that in answer to your question
about the thing next to the paddler would be a rifle wrapped in oilskin.
The station owners had to get meat for the mustering camp, meat for the homestead, meat for the Aboriginal stockman and their families.

There were also many other dangers where a rifle was & still is needed.
A wild charging bull, wild pigs, a wild male camel on heat.
Putting a snake bitten dog out of it's misery humanely.
A rifle is very important for many things outback back then and now.
Take care, safe travels. Ma.

John C16.. Re Capt Charles Sturt Camp. I was there in 2011 and the whole area was greatly flooded The waterhole was totally full and we were unable to access Camp 20, or 19 on the otherside of Eyre Ck but we found the Plaque a couple of K's south of Camp 21 It was also there in 2013. It was quite easy to see on the side of the track. I do have a photo but its not good and had difficulty uploading it.

Cheers .................Jeff

Thanx
I think you are correct looking at the shape of it and length in on photo.
W

Thanks Jeff - Trouper (NSW). The Outback Travellers Track Guide shows the plaque a few kms south of Annandale Homestead.



From your description it sounds like it should be north of the Homestead and south of Camp 21. I will have another look for it next time l am there, which should be later this year.

Cheers,
John

John, Sorry Mate, When I said a couple of Ks south of Camp 21 I guess it was more than a couple. It was definitely south of the Homestead. I'm sure it was on that little side track to the homestead you can see on that map

Jeff

John, I also used that Map Book you have but only as a reference and being a map freak, I checked all the Lat/Longs with Topo Survey Maps and used them for the crossing, when we did the Madigan Line in 2011. The Garmin was chock full of waypoints as well. I did notice some glaring errors and contacted the editors of the book and they acknowledged that there were errors. But as far as the Plaque goes I certain it was on that side track coming down from Annandale that joins the main track south.
Cheers ..............Jeff