Daly Waters

History

The name Daly Waters was given to a series of natural springs by John McDouall Stuart during his third attempt to cross Australia from south to north, in 1861–62. Stuart named the springs after the new Governor of South Australia, Sir Dominick Daly. Stuart's first attempt, in 1860, had reached Tennant Creek. The second, in early 1861, pushed further north but again Stuart turned back. The third journey left Adelaide in October 1861 and reached Daly Waters on 28 May. The party had been pushing through difficult lancewood scrub and harsh terrain at a little over a kilometre a day. This journey was successful, reaching the north coast near modern Darwin on 24 July 1862. Stuart's Tree has an 'S' carved into it by Stuart during his journey. The Overland Telegraph Line reached Daly Waters from the north in June 1872 and for two months a 'pony express' carried messages the 421 km to Tennant Creek via Renner Springs. Daly Waters Airfield was a refuelling stop for the London to Melbourne air race of 1919, a refuelling stop for early Qantas flights to Singapore, a World War II Airforce base, including a field hospital, and more recently an operational base for joint military manoeuvres. Although the aerodrome was closed to commercial traffic in 1969, the original Qantas hangar still stands, housing exhibits of photographs and equipment from the area's aviation past. The traditional owners of the area became the fourth Indigenous group in the Northern Territory to gain native title over both the townsite and ten surrounding pastoral leases covering an area of . The Federal Court of Australia had a special ceremonial sitting on nearby Newcastle Waters Station to commemorate the occasion.

Most-observed species

• Apostlebird

  Struthidea cinerea Gould, 1837 · Aves
  225
• Great Bowerbird

  Chlamydera nuchalis (Jardine & Selby, 1830) · Aves
  177
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  169
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  154
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  147
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  139
• Red-collared Lorikeet

  Trichoglossus rubritorquis Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 · Aves
  137
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  135