Elizabeth Soak is situated in the
Dragon Tree Soak Nature Reserve which covers an area of around 18,000 hectares and is located in the northwest of Western Australia. It is an extremely remote area where no access roads currently exist. Access is gained only by arduous cross country travel across the dune fields and soak pans of the
Great Sandy Desert. At its closest point, the reserve is 210km east of the Great Northern Highway.
Dragon Tree and Elizabeth Soaks are believed to be relics of the riverine vegetation found along the Mandora Palaeoriver during its partial rejuvenation by the wetter climates of the early to mid Holocene Epoch (It is generally accepted that the Holocene started approximately 12,000 years BP (before present day. The period follows the Baltic-Scandinavian Ice Age). These swampy supports beds of bullrush (Typha domingensis) and is surrounded by a low woodland of White Dragon Trees (Sesbania formosa); these and other plants are markedly confined to the Soak. It is used by birds from the surrounding hummock grasslands but also has species generally associated with scrub or tree-lined watercourses elsewhere. Species not recorded elsewhere in the region but present in the Typha beds were the Clamorous Reed-Warbler and the Australian crake. The soak includes a freshwater spring, a permanent freshwater marsh and peatland. It has an area of 5 ha (main water area: 1 ha). It forms an oasis supporting plants and animals that are absent or scarce elsewhere in
the desert.
Elizabeth Soak is located 1.7 km to the SSW (154°) of Dragon Tree Soak (DTS). From a distance, the area appears to be a
hill covered in vegetation due to the graded nature of the surrounding bush. The soak area itself covers an area of approximately 2 hectares. Unlike Dragon Tree Soak, the main soak area is protected by a thicket of Acacia approximately 40 metres thick. This provides a barrier to marauding camels who prefer the open nature of the DTS. This protective barrier hides a green oasis at its centre. A wide circular area supports lush, thigh deep Kikuyu grass and numerous mature and juvenile Dragon Trees. In the south eastern corner of this enclosure is a soak area of dark water possibly a metre or so deep. While affected by decomposing vegetation, the water has not been fouled by camels and the entire area remains in a largely pristine state. The amount of bird life is astounding. Elizabeth Soak (Yajula) is a true oasis in a harsh desert environment.