Turtle Pool is an ephemeral
rockhole in
the entrance to a short, sandy floored
gorge on the eastern edge of the Throssell Ranges.
That it was a place of significance to traditional owners in the distant past is obvious by the number of carvings on the rocks littering
the gorge.
One of the best is a carving of a long necked
turtle on a
flat rock about 60 metres to the north of
the pool (22 16.592 S, 122 01.680 E). Again it shows the strange characteristic of never displaying the subjects head which has been a common theme in the western desert carvings. The first pool is approximately 10 metres long, 5 wide and three deep. It has a largely sandy bottom and is shaded by a couple of eucalypts. If you continue along
the gorge to the west for 150 metres you will arrive at the second, much larger
water hole. When walking along
the gorge, always look up as on the high rocks are many carvings of lizards, kangaroos and animal tracks.
The second
rockhole is much broader and sits at the end of
the gorge with high
rock walls surrounding it. It is easy to detect the previous water levels from the marks on the surrounding
rock. It would be provide a magnificent remote
camp when water was present.
This area is no longer accessible due to a renewed mining lease.
In case of future change here are the former access notes:
Following the
old mine exploration roads past “claypan”. This turnoff is on the northern edge of the claypan that borders the main Karlamilyi access Road. It is seven (7) km north of the Desert Queens Baths turnoff. Rather than veer left to the
old mine pits, continue on past the
airstrip turnoff and then north for a further 6 kilometres, crossing the Yandagooge Creek on the way. It is moderate a 4x4 track. Please remember the significance of this place and treat it with the respect it deserves.