Photo: Charles Darwin Reserve

Charles Darwin Reserve, WA Camping Guide Quick facts Former name: White Wells Station Acquired: 2003 Area: 68,481 hectares Location: Southwest WA, northern edge of Wheatbelt region. Approx 80km north of Wubin Climate: Semi-desert Mediterranean Annual rainfall: 282mm Temperature averages: Winter 5°-19°C’ Summer 20°-37°C Camp site open: April to October - bookings essential: as sites are limited and need to fit around other activities and management requirements. Camping fees While there is no camping fee, a donation towards your stay would be greatly appreciated and will help us continue the important work in protecting reserves such as Boolcoomatta. Donations can be made anytime on line or forms are available at the reserve. Location Homestead co-ordinates Lat long decimal degrees Lat long degrees minutes seconds UTM

-29.61577. 117.00460 -29°36’56” 117°0’16” E 500430.299 N 6723812.957

Charles Darwin Reserve is located in SW Western Australia, approximately 300 km NE (4 to 5 hrs drive) from Perth. The closest towns are Wubin (83km S), Dalwallinu (125km SW), and Perenjori (65km W). Come prepared Charles Darwin Reserve is considered to be remote with minimal services at hand. Roads around the property are unsealed and vary from clay and sand to rugged rocky surfaces. Following rain, access on the reserve may be restricted until tracks are dry enough to travel on. It is essential visitors come well stocked

Charles Darwin Reserve

with supplies of food, water, fuel, camping and safety equipment. Your vehicle needs to be in excellent working order. Vehicle Requirements While the campsite can be reached by 2WD vehicles, travel around the property is more suited to AWD and 4WD. If 2WD is your only option you may be greatly restricted as to where you can travel and should be prepared to explore by foot. All vehicles must carry a spare tyre and we recommend carrying a puncture repair kit or second spare. Trailers and small off road vans are ok to bring in with you. It is not suitable for caravans and motor homes Fuel Fuel is not available at the Reserve so please ensure you fill up at Wubin or Perenjori prior to your arrival. For vehicles with single fuel tanks you may wish to consider bringing in extra supplies depending on your length of stay and your onward travel plans . As a guide if you were to complete the two self-guided tour loops it would be approximately 70km without any extra travel or detours. Remember fuel consumption can increase when travelling on unsealed roads Communications UHF radio (channel 1 duplex) is used on the reserve by staff for general communication although reception is limited. Car mounted units usually reach greater distances. If you have one, we recommend bringing it. There is no mobile phone reception. Campers are required to carry some form of communication equipment with them for safety and use in emergency situations, such as satellite phone, SPOT or EPIRB device, HF radio or UHF radio. We may be able to lend you a UHF radio if you have no other forms of communication. Travelling around Bush Heritage requires safety belts to be worn by all occupants of a vehicle when travelling around the reserve. Please drive only on existing tracks and take care when parking or turning around to help minimise impacts. Reserve staff will advise you as to where you can and can’t travel Please travel to the conditions and avoid driving following rains—road maintenance is costly. Drive at appropriate speeds—we suggest 10km around the homestead and campground and 40km on tracks if conditions allow it Remember wildlife has right of way and tend to be active at dawn and dusk, but be prepared at all times. Daily Trip Intentions Book At the campground there is a trip intensions book. Campers are requested to fill this out on a daily basis. This information is not used as a daily safety check but will help us to find you in the case of an emergency or if you have failed to log out on departure of the reserve.

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Camping guide

General Safety Your safety is of high importance to us and while Bush Heritage puts in place steps to help minimise risks to visitors, safety is the responsibility of everyone. We ask all visitors to follow a few key steps in helping manage your safety •

Follow staffs instructions.

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Tell someone where you are going - ensure you fill out the daily trip intensions book located at the campground.

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Take plenty of water and emergency food rations regardless of the season and wear appropriate clothing and footwear

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Please do not feed or disturb the wildlife

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Carry the self-guided tour booklet with maps and directions that’s provided to you on arrival.

Emergency assistance In an emergency please try to contact reserve staff immediately and follow their instructions. If the situation is life threatening and staff are not close at hand contact emergency services by phoning 000: A phone is located in the office and can be used for this purpose. Reserve employees are trained in first aid and the reserve is equipped with a Royal Flying Doctor first aid kit and some emergency equipment. Remember medical and emergency services are not close at hand. Think carefully about your actions. Evacuation and search and rescue will be at the expense of the individual or travelling party. We recommend all visitors have a current ambulance subscription. Other requirements No pets, animals or firearms to be brought onto the reserve. Reserve staff Please be aware that reserve staff will provide you with directions and assistance but are not available to guide you around the property. We ask all visitors to be mindful of staff ’s time and privacy. The reserve is not only their work place but also their home.

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Charles Darwin Reserve

Campground and facilities Samphire camp ground is a small, simple bush camp located about 3km from the homestead complex. There are 3 campsites and you will be informed of your allocated site/s on arrival. The camp is set amongst stunning Melaleuca trees providing protection for campers and is only a short stroll to a salt pan lake which is a lovely spot to sit and relax after a day exploring. Fires Visitors must not rely upon a camp fire for cooking. Please ensure you bring a fuel stove with you. When conditions permit a small campfire is permitted in the designated fire pits. Please only use wood supplied in the wood pile – do not collect wood from around the campsite. Do not cut trees or branches from living plants. Please talk to the reserve staff if the wood supply needs replenishing. Do not light fires if conditions are unfavourable or if a total fire ban has been declared. Fires must be fully extinguished if being left unattended for any length of time. Washing There are no shower or kitchen facilities at the camp. Visitors will have to bring their own water and equipment for washing. Please do not use soap in or near water bodies including springs, lakes, dams or tanks. Toilet A pit toilet is located at the camp. You will need to bring your own toilet paper supplies. Food & Water Ensure you have enough food and water for your stay as well as some emergency supplies. Dalwallinu or Perenjori are the closest towns with small supermarket butcher and bakery should you wish to shop locally. Power There is no power on site. We ask that generators are not used if other campers are on site. Rubbish Please take all rubbish out with you. There is no rubbish service to this property and therefore Bush Heritage asks for your assistance with minimising your impact on the reserve and our resources.

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Camping guide

Insects On occasions Sandflies can be present at the reserve. We recommend you bring insect repellent with you and a good mozzie net if you have one. Weed Seed Quarantine Please help us to stop the introduction or spread of weeds on Charles Darwin Reserve. If you, or your camping gear has been in weed infected areas in other parts of the state of Australia, please take time to clean your equipment before travelling into the reserve. Double G’s are found at various locations on the reserve. Please check your boots and tyres at regular intervals and place any seeds in a plastic bag or container and hand in to reserve staff for proper disposal. We appreciate your help with this. Double G’s have a large seed case with several long sharp spines, and spread mostly on peoples’ shoes and car tyres.

Enjoying the reserve What to see and do We recommend a minimum of 2 days at the reserve. A number of self-guided driving tours and short walks have been mapped out taking you to places of interest and a diversity of environments. There is also plenty of exploring you can do on foot although we request you stick to tracks unless you are an experience navigator and walker.

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