Stuart Tree, near Daly Waters, NT

Heading south for the first time in what seems like forever we leave behind the big smoke and excitement of Darwin and the comfort of Katherine in the top end of NT and we find ourselves at a small town called Daly Waters. Daly Waters claim to fame dates back to the early Australian explorers and more recently the being the refuelling stop for early Qantas flights to Singapore. The areodrome was closed to commercial traffic in 1965 but the hangar is still standing abandoned. 

While the area's traditional owners, the Jingili people believe the area to be singificant because of Dreaming tracks caused by the emu and the sun, the town was actually given it's formal name in honour of the natural springs by by John McDouall Stuart at some point in his journey North from Adelaide to Darwin. He'd attempted the trip three times, finally being successful in May 1862. (On his first attempt he reached Tennant Creek, and his second took him further north, but third time lucky he actually made it!)

 Vandal?!

This is how the tree looks now, and apparently how it also looked in the 1940's judging from this photo of a tour group...

At the time Stuart wrote; "I named theseDaly Waters, in honour of his Excellency the Governor-in- Chief. Within 100 yards, the banks are thickly wooded with tall mulga and lancewood scrub; but to the east is open gum forest splendidly grassed."- Diary Entry 23rd May, 1862.

The initials apparently carved into the tree are very hard to spot (so many years have passed), and this photo shows what we thought could possibly have been the mark of the famous explorer/ eco-vandal! ;)

Relaxing after a hard day's driving at the Renner Springs Hotel with new friends...