Northern Territory For Everyone: Daly Waters

Daly Waters

A small settlement on the Daly River. The Daly Waters Pub is an outback icon. The dry sense of humour of those who make a living in the outback is illustrated in the signing and memorabilia scattered around the place, not the least being Australia's most remote traffic light. It serves no real purpose but to put a smile on the face of passing travellers.

Location: 620 km south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway.

Places of Interest: Daly River; Peron Islands; Nauiyu Aboriginal Community and Roman Catholic Mission; 'Elizabeth Downs' station; Daly Waters air strip (1930) with an original Qantas hangar and terminal ruins; Stuart's Tree.

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 30,000 square kilometres (11,583 sq mi). The Australian Federal Court had a special ceremonial sitting on nearby Newcastle Waters Station to commemorate the occasion.

Daly Waters Pub

Bill Pearce, a local tin miner, and his wife Hennrietta, established Daly Waters Pub in 1930, as a store to service travellers, settlers and drovers and later air passengers en route to London. The Pub was given a jug license in 1938.

Stuart's Tree

On 23rd May 1862, the letter "s" was carved into the trunk of a tree near Daly Waters. The tree was carved when 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 1861-2. 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 had an 'S' carved into it by Stuart during his journey. The tree has since died but the trunk has been saved and fenced off.

View Larger Map

Daly Waters Aviation Complex

Daly Waters played a major role in the early days of international air travel. It was a stop-over for the London to Sydney air race of 1926. Made operational in 1934, the Daly Waters Aviation Complex we see today was one of the first International airports in Australia, where planes were re-fueled en route to London. The trip cost 275 pounds and took 8 days. Bill and Henrietta Pearce played mine hosts, feeding and providing overnight accommodation for the travellers. Bill was also responsible for refuelling the planes.

During World War II, Daly Waters played a significant part in the protection of the Northern Australian coastline. Australian and American air forces were based here along with Mitchell Bombers, Kitty Hawks and a fighter squadron. More recently it has been used an operational base for joint military manoeuvres. Although the aerodrome was closed to commercial traffic in 1965 the original Qantas hangar still stands, housing exhibits of photographs and equipment from the area's aviation past. Private aircraft, mining exploration companies and Air-Med (Remote Area Medical Service) constituting the bulk of the traffic today.

Brief history

In1862 John Mcdouall Stuart successfully crossed the continent from south to north. After breaking through the Lance wood scrub that thwarted his previous attempts Stuart discovered fresh water. This area was given the name Daly Waters in honour of the then governor of South Australia Sir Dominic Daly. The locality was named by John McDouall Stuart during his epic attempt to cross Australia from south to north in 1861-2.

Fresh water was vital for droving and Daly Waters was the last watering hole before the perilous Murranji Stock Route. When the Durak brothers drove their entire herd from Queensland to the West Australian coast, Daly Waters was a landmark stop. The cattle were rested and the men quenched their thirst, today, that traditions still stands although caravans and backpackers have replaced the drovers and cattle.

The town of Daly was surveyed as part of Surveyor General George Woodroffe Goyder's survey of Port Darwin and environs in 1869. The pegged townsite (and nearby cemetery) was never occupied under title nor effectively used as a townsite. Its few streets contain the names of the survey staff who helped carry out the pegging survey.

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, Northern Territory. An original telegraph pole dating back to approx 1878 was found out bush in 2009 and is now erected outside the pub.