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 -29.61577. 117.00460

Lat long degrees minutes

seconds

-29°36’56” 117°0’16”

UTM 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

Photo: Charles Darwin Reserve

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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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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.

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

campground.

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

clothing and footwear

• Please do not feed or disturb the wildlife

• 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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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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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.