Broughton’s Waterhole

Broughton’s Waterhole is located within Little Desert National Park and is best suited to visitors who are comfortable travelling on unsealed 4WD tracks.

The waterhole and surrounding bushland make an interesting destination for a day trip, bush picnic or a longer exploration of the Little Desert. Birds and native wildlife are often seen around the waterhole and surrounding bush. There are no toilets or drinking water facilities, so visitors need to be completely self-sufficient. Mobile phone reception can be limited, and conditions on the tracks vary with the weather. Tracks can be soft and sandy in dry conditions and boggy after rain.

Look after the Little Desert
The Little Desert is a fragile environment and the best way to enjoy it is to leave it as you found it.
Please stay on the designated tracks. Take all rubbish home with you — there are no bins at Broughton’s Waterhole. Please carry sufficient food and water and be prepared for changing track conditions. Remember that you are visiting a remote natural environment, where the tracks and surrounding vegetation are part of an important habitat for native wildlife.

A piece of Little Desert history
Broughton’s Waterhole is also a fascinating piece of local history and a reminder of the resourcefulness of the early settlers. The waterhole was dug by hand in 1879 to provide a reliable water supply for stock. Local history records suggest it may have been dug by Chinese workers travelling through the district. Unlike many local dams, the soil excavated from the waterhole was removed from the site rather than simply pushed to the sides. The waterhole became known for rarely running dry. The property was later purchased by local sheep farmer P.L. Williams, whose family became closely associated with the Little Desert and its conservation.

The Little Desert dispute
Broughton’s Waterhole has an important connection with one of Australia's significant environmental campaigns. In 1968, the Victorian Government announced plans for a rural settlement scheme in the Little Desert. The proposal would have opened large areas of the Little Desert to agricultural development. The proposal sparked a major conservation campaign. The dispute became an important moment in the history of environmental campaigning in Australia and helped bring national attention to the value of the Little Desert's natural environment. A detailed biological survey was undertaken during this period by three scientists who spent three months living in the Little Desert. The group was led by botanist Dr Truda Howard and included Geoff Edwards and Ken Norris, a reptile specialist. The scientists developed a close relationship with local people who knew the country intimately. Each Sunday, their camp at Broughton’s Waterhole was visited by local botanist and farmer Alec Hicks, farmer P.L. Williams and farmer Avelyn Coutts. They brought lunch, conversation, local knowledge and suggestions for the scientists' research. The three locals became known as the “Three Blind Mice”, a nickname given to them by people who supported development of the Little Desert. The three embraced the name, and it became part of the story of the campaign to protect the area. Their knowledge of the Little Desert was invaluable to the scientists studying its plants, animals and ecology.

Protecting Broughton’s Waterhole
The Williams family continued to play an important role in protecting the area. In 1989, Percival Williams donated approximately seven hectares surrounding Broughton’s Waterhole to the Victorian Government, helping ensure that this special part of the Western Little Desert would be protected. His father, P.L. Williams, had first offered the land for conservation about 25 years earlier. The original hand-dug waterhole has since eroded and is now an intermittent waterhole, but the surrounding bushland remains an important part of the Little Desert landscape. Today, visitors can experience the same quiet landscape that was so important to the people who fought to protect the Little Desert more than 50 years ago.

Explore the surrounding Little Desert

• Broughton’s Waterhole can be incorporated into a longer 4WD day trip through the Little Desert.
• Travel east to Mount Turner, which provides an excellent view across the surrounding terrain. In spring, orchids can flower around the base of the hill.
• Return towards Broughton’s Waterhole and follow Sambells Track towards Wild Dog Spring. The small spring provides water for local wildlife, and tracks around the spring can offer clues about the animals that visit.
• Further along Sambells Track is the turn-off to Sister Hills. A lookout along this track provides expansive views across the surrounding country, including the Lawloits and Mount Arapiles.
• The Crater Track is shown on the Little Desert National Park East End map.

Because signage is still being reinstated following the bushfire, and virtually no mobile phone coverage, ensure you have a current Little Desert National Park map:

• West end map
• East end map​​

Further reading

• The Little Desert – R.G. Hicks

           A short historical account of the Little Desert and its natural history. The Little Desert by RG Hicks (5 pages)

• Defending the Little Desert – Libby Robin

           A detailed history of the campaign to protect the Little Desert and its significance in the       development of Australia's environmental movement. Defending the Little Desert (176 pages)​