In October of 1872 the Explorer, Ernest Giles, wrote:
” At twelve miles we rode over a low ridge; the country in advance appeared no more inviting than that already travelled. Descending to the lower ground, however, we entered upon a bit better country, covered with green grass there was also some thick Mulga scrub upon it. Here we saw a few kangaroos and emus but could not get a shot at them. Beyond this we entered timber country again, the desert oak being quite the desert sign. In a few miles farther another ridge fronted us, and a trifle on our left lay a hollow or valley, which seemed to offer the best road, but we had to ride through some very scrubby gullies, stony and covered with Spinifex. It eventually formed the valley of a small creek which soon had a few gum trees on it. After following this for about four miles we found a place where the sand was damp, and got some water by scratching with our hands. The supply was insufficient and we went farther down and found a small hole with just a enough for our three horses, and now, having found a little, we immediately wanted to find a great deal more. At twenty six miles from the tarn (Tarn of Auber) we found a place where the natives had dug, and there seemed a good supply, so we camped there for the night. The grass along this creek was magnificent, being about eight inches high and beautifully green, the old grass being burnt some time ago. It was a most refreshing sight to our troidia-accustomed eye; at twelve o’clock the thermometer stood at 94° in the shade. The trend of this little creek, and the valley in which it exists, is to the south-east. Having found water here we were prepared to find numerous traces of natives and soon saw old camps and wurleys, and some recent footmarks. I was exceedingly gratified to find this water, as I hoped it would eventually enable me to get out of the wretched bed of sand and scrub into which we were forced since leaving the Finke, and which evidently occupies such and enormous extent of territory. Our horses fed all night, close at hand and we were in our saddles early enough. I wanted to go west , and the further west the better; but we decided to follow the creek and see what became of it, and if, any more waters existed in it. We found that it meandered through a piece of open plain, splendidly grassed, and delightful to gaze upon. How beautiful is the colour of green? What other colour could even Nature have chosen to embellish the face of the Earth? How, indeed, would red, or blue, or yellow pall upon the eye? But green, emerald green, is the loveliest of all Natures hues. The soil of this plain was good and firm. The creek had now worn a deep channel, and in three miles from where we camped we came upon the top of a high red bank, with a very nice little waterhole underneath. There was abundance of water for 100 to 200 horses for a month or two, and plenty more from the sand below. Three other ponds were met lower down, and I believe that water can always be got by digging. We followed the creek for a mile or two farther, and found that it soon became exhausted, as casuarina and troidia sand hills environed the little plain, and after a short course of scarcely ten miles, the little creek became swallowed up by those water-devouring monsters. I named this creek Laurie’s Creek. There was from 6000 to 10,000 acres of fine grassland in this little plain and it was such a change from the sterile troidia and sandy country outside it that I could not resist calling it the Vale of Tempe.”
Fast forward to September 2013:
I was on my own as my travelling mate suddenly had something else to do and pulled the pin on this trip. I headed west via the Ernest Giles Road from the Stuart Highway. This road is notorious for being rough as but on this day luck was with me as the Grader was working in smoothing the corrugations out.
Once I met up with the sealed Luritja Road which runs from the Lasseter Highway to Kings Canyon Resort, I stopped for a snack and boiled the Billy.
A relatively short distance after passing the Kings Canyo