Fancy taking a dip in a real desert oasis? How about slipping into a bath warm artesian pool in the frosty pre-dawn quiet, gazing up into the Milky Way - watching shooting stars and waiting for the sky to turn pink as the first golden rays of sun light the Melaleucas fringing the water.
It doesn't get much better than that.
For us, Dalhousie Springs was the real (and ideal) kicking off point for our Simpson Desert adventure - situated in the Witjira National Park on the Western Edge of the Simpson.
The main spring - known to the local aboriginal people as Irrwanyere - is part of a chain of mound springs that form along the outer rim of the Great Artesian Basin - the warm water percolating up through cracks and fissures deep in the earth to create the pools. Meanwhile, all around, the red dust and gibbers of the arid landscape lie in stark, desolate contrast.
After what had been a fairly punishing day on the road from Chambers Pillar, it was pure bliss to ease our dusty bodies into the 40 degree water after setting up camp. But it was our pre-dawn swim the next morning - at the suggestion of one of the campsite volunteers - that made this stop unforgettable.
A photograph simply wouldn't do it justice. Endless stars. Bracing desert air. Blood warm water, and a sky that turned from inky black to pink to vivid blue. Unbelievable.
It's not hard to see why this place has been so significant to the local aboriginal people through the generations, and not just from a survival perspective. It is a place associated with many traditional stories and songs - with ancient campsites and artefacts scattered around the area.
Camping: The Main "modern day" Camp Ground at Dalhousie Springs was well set up when we arrived, with plenty of sites set up in "loops". We were a mid to late afternoon arrival, and it was already pretty busy, which meant we didn't get the pick of the sites (or the loops) - and there was a fair bit of bull dust (both figuratively and literally) to contend with! But the facilities were clean and more than adequate (showers and flushing toilets) - and the volunteers (available through the busy winter season) helpful. There are alternates to the main camp site - including 3 O'Clock Creek - which are reportedly very good, and a viable "bush camping" alternative if the main site is too busy. The water at the Main Camp site was not potable, but according to Parks SA, drinking water is available from the bore at 3 O'Clock Creek - which would make it the last place to fill up before crossing the desert. We had full jerry cans, so didn't worry.
There were no campfires allowed - and whilst we had heard that mosquitoes could be a problem, we didn't encounter any.
You will need a desert parks pass to camp at Dalhousie (and for your trip into the Simpson) - these can be booked here.
Getting There: From Chambers Pillar, it was about a 330km drive South West via Finke and Mt Dare following the Old Ghan Heritage Trail, running alongside the route of the famous Finke Desert Race. The road was heavily corrugated in places, and it took us a good five hours behind the wheel (not including stops) to reach our destination.
You'd have to be brave (or stupid) to tackle it in a standard car or even a soft roader, and the track was rough enough to cook one of the shock absorbers on one of our touring party's Kimberley Kamper. Strangely enough, this provided our first "stroke of luck" for the day. We'd pulled up at Finke for lunch, and as our mate Dan (Brasch) was lying prone beneath his camper checking out the damage - another Landcruiser rolled in towing a Kimberley, and the driver casually strolled over and said to Dan "Looks like you've done a shocky...I've got a spare if you need it."
Happy days! So while the rest of us were making our ham and cheese and salad wraps, Dan got stuck into replacing a shock absorber.
Problems solved, we continued rolling down the old Ghan route after lunch - hard to believe how tough it must have been putting a railway line through this country back in the days. Construction began back in 1878 and it wasn't finished until 1929 - and there are plenty of relics, including old sidings to take a look at along the way.
Another 100km of corrugations further down the track we arrived at the Mount Dare Hotel/Roadhouse for a re-fuel, a beer and a bit of a break....and this is where our second stroke of luck hit.
As the last refuelling point before heading into the "desert proper" for the run to Birdsville, the fuel bowsers are obviously pretty popular. All five of our touring party lined up to top up our tanks (to replace what was used in the run down from Alice) - and all five of us got our fill.....just. As Wes was pumping the last into his cruiser ute, the Roadhouse's tank literally started blowing air and ran dry. The poor bastard who was next in line had to wait two days for the next fuel truck to arrive. Needless to say, he was not a happy camper, and we decided to hit the road before we found ourselves in an arm wrestle (or worse).
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