Innamincka Regional Reserve
- Introduction
- Fact file
- A look at the past
- Aboriginal culture
- Natural features
- Native plants
- Wildlife
Introduction
Surrounded by trackless desert and inhospitable gibber plains, the beautiful verdant wetlands of the Cooper Creek in Innamincka Regional Reserve and of Coongie Lakes in Coongie Lakes National Park form the core of a remote and vast, protected area. Picturesque waterholes shaded by coolibah trees provide a habitat for a surprising number of wetland birds and aquatic creatures.
Fact file
Access
From Adelaide via Lyndhurst then Strzelecki Track; from Tibooburra (NSW) via Cameron Corner and Merty Merty; from Birdsville (QLD) via Cordillo Downs, or via Moomba (permission required) on the Walkers Crossing Track
Best Season
Autumn to spring
Location
1000 km north-east of Adelaide; 480 km north-east of Lyndhurst; 387 km north-west of Tibooburra; 426 km south-east of Birdsville
Park Information
DEH (08) 8204 1910 Desert Parks Hotline 1800 816 078 NPWSA Innamincka (08) 8675 9909 Transport SA 1300 361 033
Permits
Desert Parks Pass required per vehicle
Size
1 382 000 ha
Where to Stay
Innamincka Hotel (08) 8675 9901 Innamincka Trading Post (08) 8675 9900
A look at the past
Charles Sturt trekked along the Cooper and named it in 1844 and by the 1880s the watercourse was established as a route for drovers and travellers. However, it was in 1860 that the creek was etched into the annals of Australian outback history when Burke and Wills died here after their arduous journey to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The only survivor of the ill-fated expedition, John King, was found by a rescue party after being cared for by Aboriginal people. The sites of these awful events are marked by memorial plaques. By 1900 the fi rst pastoral stations had been established at Coongie and Innamincka, later combining to form the Kidman Pastoral Company, which still holds the leases. The reserve, established in 1988, includes Innamincka as well as the worldrenowned wetlands of the Coongie system.
Aboriginal culture
The Yandruwandha, Yawarrawarrka and Dieri people have lived in the region for thousands of years. Stone engravings, middens, scatters of artefacts in tool-making sites, campsites, quarries and stone arrangements are common around the Coongie Lakes and along the Cooper, especially the North West Branch. Some human remains are visible, too, and these must be treated with respect and left alone. Innamincka park headquarters, housed in the 1928 Elizabeth Symon Nursing Home, has an interpretive display of Aboriginal culture.
Natural features
The regional reserve encompasses much of the fl ood plain of the Cooper Creek, while drifting dunes of the Simpson Desert, and the gibber of Sturt Stony Desert, feature on the northern and north-western edges. Coongie Lakes are topped up when northern monsoon rains spill down the Barcoo, Thompson and Wilson rivers into Cooper Creek. Cullyamurra Waterhole is a permanent billabong, with a depth to 28 metres. On rare occasions there is enough water to fi nd its way along the Cooper to the vast Lake Eyre basin. Since European settlement, Lake Eyre has been fl ooded only four times (1891, 1950, 1974 and 2000).
Native plants
Where water is plentiful, groves of river red gums cast welcome shade and in places where intermittent fl oods occur there are coolibahs and lignum. Out on the gibber plains only a few tough plants such as Mitchell grass can survive. In gullies and drainage channels there is red mulga and gidgee. The vegetation of the sandhill country is determined by how much moisture the plants can extract from the soil. Whitewood, hopbush and sandhill wattle are adapted to the dunes and, in the swales if water is available, grasses are replaced by coolibahs.
Wildlife
The Coongie wetland is internationally recognised for its bird diversity. There are 205 recorded species and 24 of these are rare or endangered. Over 50 species of wetland birds breed in the area. In 2002 scientists counted 70 000 birds in the wetland, with an astounding congregation of 50 000 ducks on Lake Goolangirie alone. Cooper Creek is a breeding area for many birds of prey and almost every sizeable tree contains a nest, and sometimes several. Red kangaroos and dingoes are often seen but most smaller marsupials are nocturnal. At dusk you might see water rats and bats. The world’s most venomous land snake, the inland taipan, lives in the reserve and although rarely encountered, should be left undisturbed. The central bearded dragon and Gould’s sand goanna are commonplace while the reserve’s ten species of frogs are often heard but rarely seen.
Introduction
Alongside its fascinating European history, the park offers a rare combination of desert camping and wetland activities. Among the recreational pursuits, visitors can enjoy a quiet paddle or leisurely swim in Australia’s largest billabong, Cullyamurra Waterhole.
Boat tours and canoeing
Powerboats with motors up to 10 horsepower are permitted on the waterholes of the regional reserve as long as they do not exceed 10 knots. At Coongie Lakes motorboats are not allowed but visitors can paddle a canoe or row a boat.
Fishing
You can toss a line into Cullyamurra Waterhole to catch yellow-belly and catfish. A recreational fishing licence is not required for fishing in Cooper Creek (in South Australia) but bag and size limits apply. Contact South Australia Fisheries (08) 8347 6100, or for further information visit their website (www.pir.sa.gov.au/fishing). Fishing is not permitted in Coongie Lakes National Park.
Four-wheel driving
A 4WD track runs north along the North West Branch of the Cooper to the Coongie Lakes. Other tracks head to Cullyamurra and Tilcha waterholes.
Heritage sites
Along the Cooper there are markers commemorating the site where Wills died, where Burke’s body was discovered and where King was found. The Dig Tree, 72 kilometres east of Innamincka, is outside the reserve but worth a visit. This was the location of the expedition’s base camp, where the supply party packed up and left only hours before the explorers returned from the Gulf. The tree remains, still bearing the inscription ‘DIG 3FT NW’ engraved in its bark.
Campsites
Cullyamurra Waterhole camping area
Innamincka Town Common camping area
Kudriemitchie Outstation camping area
Policemans Waterhole camping area
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