dalhousie mound springs

Take away the Mosquitos and flys and this place would be one of the best places to visit. The camp ground is satisfactory but needs some love by the Rangers. Take a fly net, insect repellant and insect spray.

This place is definitely worth a visit. The campground is smaller than it could be (as others have said), but for a 1 night stay it is more than adequate. The warm waters of the springs are absolutely beautiful, especially at dawn and dusk.I can imagine that during school holidays etc it may become more overcrowded, but as we visited outside of these dates, we had enough peace and privacy.

The camp site and toilet was poor. The ranger was unfriendly and unhelpful. A lovely spot spoiled but the spring is worth a visit.

very rough corrugated road in, but a wonderful spot. It was fairly busy at the campground, but swimming in the warm springs was delightful, especially watching the sun rise the next morning.

It was a rough journey to get to Dalhousie, but the hot springs made up for that! Luckily the campgrounds were not too crowded (i can see how unpleasant it would be it were packed with campers) and we did get to enjoy some peace and quiet. The toilets were awful and smelly and at one stage dirty (there were onsite caretakers). The girls missed having a hot shower to wash their hair (it was winter and too freezing for a cold shower). We picked up a pass at Oodnadatta Roadhouse and then extended our stay another night with the rangers at Dalhousie. We're glad to have been, but don't need to go again. It can easily go from being a feeling of remoteness to being overcrowded depending on the numbers. Personally we did love Dalhousie Springs. The ruins were well maintained.

Our group headed out from Oodnadatta more than a little excited, as we looked forward to a quiet dip in the Dalhousie Springs.Imagine our disappointment, then, as we approached, to find that we would be sharing the campsite with 200 of our not so nearest and dearest!!! Of course a ranger was at hand to ensure everyone had paid their campsite fee($18 plus another $10 if you didn't already have a SA State Park Permit)The only available spot was right in front of the smelly toilets, so we promptly called our spot Camp Sewerage! We are bush campers, used to pulling up anywhere and 'digging our own amenities', so having Long Drops, with dodgy foot pumps attached was pretty horrendous!!!Dingoes were a bit of a problem, personally I think they were imported into the area!The road in, if you are travelling from Oodnadatta is very corrugated, so I wouldn't attempt it unless you have a 4WD.Finally, to end on a positive, we did enjoy our night-time swim in Dalhousie and the kids fronted up for an early morning dip before we headed into the Northern Territory.

After travelling for hours and barely seeing another sole, we drove into the campsite to find it already packed with campers. The rangers promptly took our money and pointed us to the only available spot which was beside those smelly toilets which others have already mentioned. (no wonder it was available)Admittedly it was school holidays, but in the outback where there is no shortage of space, surely it wouldn't be too hard to extend the campground, and make a few more camp areas to cater for the public. It not like the rangers have to run power or water to establish new campsites and I'm sure we wouldn't mind walking a bit further to use those smelly toilets.Yes, the roads in are rough but thats what makes the adventure and keeps the visitor numbers down.And yes the springs themselves are fantastic and a great way to relax!

These are mound springs at the Western edge of the Great Artesian Basin. The main spring has a lovely swimming area where you can bathe in 38C water, your skin being nibbled by tiny fish (better than a trip to the beauty parlour).The only real problem is the profusion of 4wd vehicles and campers making it almost worse than the beach at Christmas.

It was hard yakkka fighting off the flies but worth it. The drive up from oodnadatta stunning - especially the Green that suddenly appeared marking a vast area where the water from last year had soaked in and was still replebnishing life.The Springs are a delight and even if the fly net hat was needed at all times the water was refreshing and an absolute delight.Only a ew other campers while i was there - toilets were clean and the campground well maintained. Dingoes serenaded at night and some braver ones wandered through he campsites.Would have dtayed longer but the flies....oh the flies

We had a few nights at Dalhousie Springs on 14 and 15 April. The first night was everything anyone could wish for....beautiful sunset, lovely water, crystal clear night. The second night was completely different....on sunset (after the rangers had departed for the night....so no fees paid.....), a "tag along" tour (from Adelaide) raced into the camping area. By their speed we imagined that they thought that camping spaces were limited (not so). Before long they had a fire going....not a good thing in this environment! For some time throughout the night we, and all the other campers were subjected to a very loud CD of a live performance by Kevin "B" Wilson. Plenty of obscenities to be heard along with graphic descriptions of life at its lowest in Darwin. I am sure the children who were part of the tag along tour took it all in their stride... In the end at about 10 pm we approached them and asked that they turn the noise down... Which they did. Dalhousie is a fantastic place. It is too bad that one inconsiderate group spoiled the experience for the rest of the campers.

We arrived surprised at so many others staying at the park, mistakenly we thought no one else knew about this lovely isolated spot on the edge of the Simpson Desert.The facilities were surprisingly tidy and they even had a pay phone!The toilets.....are basic drop toilets with loads of mosquitoes (you are warned) with only cold showers. But hey, in the heat here during the day it was refreshing.The Dalhousie Springs...OMG I loved the water and the wildlife. Our daughter's skin was full of eczema and she was crying due to the discomfort. We hoped that the minerals in the water would give her some relief and wow did it ever! Our hair was so soft and your skin feels divine. If only I could have them in my back yard.Great experience, but you NEED a 4WD to get there and the roads......totally terrible!

We stayed overnight during the winter school holidays in 2012. The site contains only two toilets for each sex which stank, with 'water' pooling around the foot pumps. The rangers seemed more concerned about collecting money and seeing we had desert passes than providing supervision of the park, which was full to overflowing. The overcrowding also ensured the number of toilets were totally inadequate. The showers are only metres from the hot springs, but only cold water is on tap, whereas we understand that the ranger house is provided with hot water.This facility is run with minimal input from the South Australian Parks & Wildlife and would benefit by being leased out to private enterprise under strict supervision. I suggest using the hot springs during the day and then travelling to the Mount Dare camping ground which provides hot showers and clean toilets. Home cooked meals, take-aways, general store items, fuel and local artwork can be purchased at Mount Dare as well.

If you have the vehicle make sure you make the time to go to Dalhousie springs. A great place to relax in the spring enjoy the wildlife and the great outdoors. Plan a 2 day stay. Not a place to get to if it has been raining. Dont forget to give yourself time to visit Dalhousie ruins. Congratulations and a big thank you to all that look after this wonderful area.

Dalhousie Springs in Witjira National Park SA is a great spot for a picnic & a swim, the thermal pool is 37.5 deg C so don't stay in there too long! Nice clean amenities but the showers are cold which isn't a problem as the springs are hot!There are also some ruins of the old Dalhousie homestead which are also worth visiting!You do need an entry/camping permit which is available from The Mt Dare Hotel.If you are crossing the Simpson Desert this is a great plase to relax either befor or after your desert crossing.

This is a magical place in the middle of nowhere! Don't be put off non-4 wheel drivers, with slow and careful day time driving you can get there in a 2 wheel drive. Having said that our Ford Falcon was the only 2 wheel drive out of about 50 vehicles there. Regardless of your vehicle ensure you plan your journey so that you complete the entire journey in daylight. These roads are way too rough for night driving. Also factor in time for stops along the way as there are ruins of homesteads and rail sidings that are worth exploring. A trip to Dalhousie is not a spur of the moment event as there is no food or fuel available there. Ensure you have enough fuel for the return journey and sufficient food and drinking water. There are taps there but I'm not sure how fit the water is for human consumption. There is a camping ground there but no other accomodation, an amenities block and a ranger's hut with a pay-phone. You can collect your own fire-wood for camp fires.The mound springs are what draws people, in quite large numbers too. When we arrived we were surprised how many people were there, so much for having the place to ourselves! The water is between 36 and 40 degrees (C), like soaking in a hot bath and it is lovely. Everybody who goes there goes to swim and you find yourself soaking and chatting to everyone. A word of warning, drink plenty of water while you are swimming as it is so hot you get easily dehydrated. A lot of people learn the hard way and end up with a nasty dehydration headache. As this park is in a desert the nights are cool so bring warm things for the evenings, also get up early one morning while it is still cool to watch the steam rising off the water as the sun rises - beautiful! Another novelty of this place are the Dalhousie guppy, small fish that live in the springs. They will swarm around you as you swim and nibble at your feet eating away at the dead skin, a treatment you pay through the nose for at top range beauty salons! It certainly tickles but you soon get used to it. We would all love to return to Dalhousie Springs, one of those places that make you feel glad that you've had the courage to get off the beaten track to see a remote and remarkable piece of Australia.