Location of Daly Waters in Northern Territory (red)

Daly Waters (16°15′S, 133°22′E, 212 metres above sea level) is a small town in the Northern Territory in Australia, about 620 kilometres south of Darwin and three kilometres west of the Stuart Highway. The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the center of the mainland continent as well as the central northern regions For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Stuart Highway is one of Australia 's major highways it is part of Australia's Highway 1, and Australia's National Highway

The area's traditional owners, the Jingili people, believe the Dreaming tracks of the Emu and the Sun travelled through here on their way to the southern parts of the Northern Territory. The traditions and lore of Australia's indigenous peoples belongs to what may be the oldest continuous culture on Earth (circa 50000 years The Emu ( Dromaius novaehollandiae, is the largest Bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the Genus

History

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. John McDouall Stuart ( 7 September 1815 &ndash 5 June 1866) was the most accomplished and most famous of all Australia's inland explorers Stuart named the springs after the new Governor of South Australia, Sir Dominick Daly. South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Sir Dominick Daly ( 11 August 1798 &ndash 19 February 1868) was the Governor of Prince Edward Island from 11 July

Stuart's first attempt, in 1860, had reached Tennant Creek. Tennant Creek is a town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. 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. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a 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. Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Stuart's Tree has an 'S' carved into it by Stuart during his journey. John McDouall Stuart ( 7 September 1815 &ndash 5 June 1866) was the most accomplished and most famous of all Australia's inland explorers

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. The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a 3200 km Telegraph line that connected Darwin with Port Augusta in South Australia. Renner Springs is a location in the Northern Territory of Australia

The town airfield was a centre for the London to Sydney air race of 1926, a refuelling stop for early Qantas flights to Singapore, a World War II Airforce base and more recently an operational base for joint military manoeuvres. Qantas Airways Limited (ˈkwɔntəs ( is the National airline of Australia. Singapore World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. 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.

Trivia

The main attractions for tourists is the famous pub, which is decorated throughout with banknotes and other memorabilia left by visitors from every corner of the globe. The historic pub was licensed in 1938 to service passengers and crew from the nearby airfield.

Other services are available at the Hi-Way Inn roadhouse, at the junction of the Carpentaria Highway. The Carpentaria Highway is a 381 kilometre highway which runs from near Daly Waters to Borroloola in the Northern Territory Australia.

References

• SMH Travel