Four wheel drivers will enjoy this great trek along the river bed of the
Finke River. It's an enjoyable drive along the Finke
Gorge with plenty of opportunities to stop, take photos, and enjoy the solitude.
The track is NOT MARKED (other than crude signs pointing to
Kings Canyon) nor
well defined and conditions vary from rocky sections of the creek bed to soft and sandy stretches but the main feature is the permanent
waterhole called
Boggy Hole. Many people experience navigational problems trying to stay on the main track, so
check our preparation warnings.
The National Parks website advises that trailers are not recommended.
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
Environment
The
Finke River only rarely runs, although it forms in the MacDonnell Ranges near
Palm Valley and runs for hundreds of kilometres until it disappears into Lake Eyre.
Starting near Hermansberg, a track leads south towards the
Finke River bed, which when dry can be traversed right along its length to the
Boggy Hole billabong by 4WD. Towering
red cliffs line the banks of the river bed and the dry river bed is sandy and filled with river stones. The track criss-crosses the river a number of times in
places so the track is impassable when river levels rise.
The
Boggy Hole billabong can be up to 2.5km long after a flood but can dry to just 300m during very dry spells. If the water is plentiful its a great place for swimming and bird watching. Good shady camping is limited at the
Boggy Hole site due to a massive flood in 1998 that took down many of the larger trees.
History
The
Finke River, on which lies the
Boggy Hole billabong, was named by
John McDouall Stuart after the
Adelaide financier William Finke.
In 1877, the
Hermannsburg Lutheran Mission was established as the first of its kind in Central Australia. The early years were hard, with much sickness and trouble ensuring between aboriginies, local station owners and
police. Within the vicinity of the Misson, 2
police camps were setup to control the 'hostile' activities of local Aborigines. On the eastern bank of
Boggy Hole, you'll notice the stone remains of the first
camp that was established by M. C. Willshire in 1889 and a small signboard with further information. The
camp was actually abandoned when he was arrested for the murder of two Aborigines in 1891. In 1894 a replacement
police camp was set up at Illamurta Springs, west of the
Finke River. This
camp was also abandoned when the
police were sent to Arltunga in 1912. The Mission continued until 1982.
In 1902, Albert Namatjira was born at Ntaria (
Hermannsburg) on the
Finke River Mission Station and became one of Australia's great artist and perhaps the best known Aboriginal painter.
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