Algebuckina Waterhole

We got our first puncture when we pulled off the road to see Plane Henge, and the second when we pulled over for a closer look at the Algebuckina Waterhole and the iron bridge over Neale's River. We had been warned about the sharp stones on this section of the track. There was nothing much I could do, and there was a lot of swearing near the vehicle so I climbed up onto the bridge and wandered along the edge of the watercourse. A brown falcon flew off from the top of the bridge, and a wedge-tailed eagle soared high overhead. Thornbills twittered in the trees. The cliff face held kingfisher nests and fairy martin were adding to their mud tunnels under the cliff overhang.

The waterhole east of the bridge looked inviting, but the river wasn't flowing, though apparently at times it can run a mile wide. The imposing bridge looked a little incongruous above the gravel river bed.

The nineteen iron sections of the bridge were constructed in Scotland and shipped out in 1890 to Adelaide, then transported to this remote spot. While most of the bridge is fenced, you can walk a little way onto it, and read the information on its history. Rusting vehicles, old graves, and the remains of railway buildings make it an interesting place to explore.

Bird List:

Inland Thornbill (pictured above)
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Brown Falcon
Red-backed Kingfisher
Fairy Martin