We arrived at Purni Bore late on Day 1 of the Simpson Desert crossing after a long day. This photo was taken at 5.21 pm according to the camera:

Purni Bore itself

Purni Bore was drilled in 1963 by the French Petroleum Drilling Company into the vast aquifers of the Great Artesian Basin and was duly capped and abandoned. The cap corroded, however, releasing water at the rate of 18 litres per second. An artificial lake was soon created and overland flow occurred which affected the ecology as far as Dalhousie Springs, some 70 kilometres away. A decision was taken to cap and limit the bore to provide a permanent oasis for the wildlife that had become dependent on it for water. The remaining lake is quite substantial and very attractive. Here are a couple of photos taken in the evening:

The following was taken just as night fell. It’s the kind of photo that gets deleted when editing in camera, but I think it’s quite artistic and captures a mood:

The next was taken perhaps an hour before sunset. The photographer struggled with the light, but it is intended to show the steam rising from the lake where the warm water is piped into the lake from the nearby bore.

The following two were taken in the morning after the moon had set and before sunrise:

Around Purni Bore

Following is a series of 10 photos taken in the area surrounding Purni Bore:

A really healthy clump of spinifex:

Finally, the moon!

To be honest it was good fortune rather than good management, but if you are planning a trip it’s worth checking out the full moon times. We were blessed to score the full moon at Purni Bore. The photographers among us waxed creative!

First the full moon rising:

Moonlit fields of flowers:

The moon through desert grass:

Those photos were all taken within about seven minutes.

Next morning these three photos were taken of the moon setting across the lake before sunrise:

On the way

A last look at the lake in the morning sun:

For the brave, a cold-water shower was to be found near the camping area. But we had a desert to cross, so there was a final pit stop at the unisex toilet, the last we would see until Birdsville:

Five vehicles with flags up ready to take on the sandhills!

I wish to acknowledge the use of photos from four different cameras. Thankyou team!

Note: This post is the fifth in a series on our Red Centre holiday.