The Witjira-Dalhousie Springs, large artesian water system in South Australia's north, on national heritage list

One of the large pools formed by the Witjira-Dalhousie Springs on the western end of the Simpson Desert, 180 kilometres northeast of Oodnadatta, in northern South Australia.

Witjira-Dalhousie Springs, a northern South Australia group more than 60, formed the largest artesian springs in Australia, with national and international significance as a geological feature unique to Australia.

In Witjira National Park on the Simpson Desert’s western fringe, the springs, in about 70 square kilometres, were recharged by Great Artesian Basin water thousands of years old, percolated through the beds of the Finke and nearby arid zone rivers. The whole group accounted for about 43% of the natural flow of water from the Great Artesian Basin.

Some springs had large pools at their source, others were cold seeps. Long drainage channels from the larger springs became extensive swamplands that, as with the spring mounds and pools, supported  lush vegetation. The water temperatures in the springs ranged from 38 to 43 degrees Celsius. The water was highly mineralised but just drinkable. The springs were so isolated from permanent water bodies that they contained many endemic animals including three species of fish not found elsewhere.

The springs were part of Aboriginal tradition and life in northern South Australia, associated with many Dreamtime stories and songs. Camp sites as big as thousands of square metres were found around the springs, along with many stone artefacts.

The springs were given their English name by surveyor Richard Randall Knuckey around 1870, when he was working on the overland telegraph line project.

In 1915, the total flow rate of the Dalhousie Springs complex was more 23,000 litres second but bores drilling reduced that to 17,360 litres second by 2000.

Witjira-Dalhousie Springs was added to the Australian national heritage list in 2009.