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"it was evident we were advancing into a well-peopled country"charles sturt's narrative of an expedition into central australia, 1844-1846, describing his travels along the cooper creek in the vicinity of the current township of innamincka the curryamulla conservation zone, depicted above, lies to the east of the innamincka township, is and is excluded from the much larger jointly-proclaimed regional reserve, but impacts of commercial activities [above] on the surrounding reserve are very significant and encroach on the conservation zone the area has also been intensively grazed historically, and this is still very evident, as is the unfortunate invasion of the area by exotic grasses, such as buffel grass captain sturt reported this area as having been relatively well populated by aboriginal groups when he passed through it while attempting to find the 'inland sea' [in the process disproving its existence] in 1845 - indeed it was the most densely populous region he encountered beyond the murray river the deep waterholes on the cooper creek also attracted the ill-fated burke and wills expedition to use it as their depot, enabling them to strike out for the gulf of carpentaria; which they finally reached, and returned exhausted to the cooper - burke and wills themselves finally perished on the banks of the creek, their graves and the famous 'dig tree' standing as a reminder of an unforgiving environment, having become a rather morbid contemporary attraction for visitors the pictured cullyamurra waterhole is the largest in australia, and is, amazingly, up to 24 metres deep the innamincka choke is a remarkable reef of rock which is cut to form a narrow, low gorge by the cooper at the eastern extremity of the waterhole evidence of the culture of the aboriginal peoples encountered by both expeditions can be seen in carvings pecked into the rocks of the choke, some examples of which are shown above |
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