In December 1860 when Burke and his advance party passed through this country the ground was boggy and almost every day the men came across a source of water.

Just two months later, in February 1861, Ludwig Becker spent three weeks in the same spot and was unable to advance north as his party could not find water. The hellish conditions (including a rat plague) led him to dub the area Desolation Camp.

These two experiences are testament to the extreme, changeable conditions of many parts of Australia.