We stopped here to visit the ruins of the old telegraph repeater station. These repeaters were set up a maximum of 300km apart and were manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to resend any messages that were being telegraphed in either direction.
While exploring the ruins we could not help but notice these fascinating Mound Springs and tried to imagine what an oasis this would have been, and how happy the early explorers would have been to see them. It would have been a stark contrast to today. We thought this area really should have an earth cache being such a fantastic geological site.
Mound springs are a natural outlet for water of the Great Artesian Basin. These occur where artesian pressure forces water to the surface. Most springs occur on the margins of The Basin in far north South Australia, northwest New South Wales, and Southern Queensland.
The term mound springs reflects the characteristic mounds that have developed in many but not all of the springs. In some areas mounds have been building for thousands of years. Mounds form through the precipitation of salts and minerals along with the erosion of sand and clay in the surrounding country where spring flows were stronger in the geological past.
The Great Artesian Basin underlies 22% of Australia and is one of the largest underground basins in the world. Natural discharge from The Basin occurs around the margins where water-bearing aquifers meet impervious surrounding rocks causing pressure that forces groundwater to the surface.
Unfortunately because of our lack of care, knowledge or greed, flows from mound Springs have declined markedly due to reduction in the Artesian pressure. Throughout the basin over 7,000 bores have been drilled and because of these pressure reductions approximately one-third of the boars have ceased to flow and over 1,000 natural springs have been lost.
Volume of water extracted from the basin for the Australian industrial stock and domestic use peaked around 1972 at about 200 million litres per day and since declined to around 160 million litres per day.
Happily, in 1977 South Australian government began a bore rehabilitation program to control bore and boar flows. Basin wide more than 7,000 bores have been upgraded saving over 250 gigalitres of water per year.
Requirements for logging:
At the given coordinates look at the mound in front of you.
Q1. Approximately how high above the land scape would you say this mound is and what are the primary colours of this mound.?
Q2 .Why do you think the top is a different colour?
Q3. Explain how these mounds form.
Q4. Photo proof of your visit, please take a photo of yourself or an item with your Team name on it in front of the building remains to your right as below
Please DO NOT post a picture of the mound.
Above all please enjoy and respect the area.