Our major project for 2010 will be rehabilitation and maybe some control fencing at the Federal / Bloods Creek heritage site, located on the western side of the desert near Mt. Dare homestead. It will take place from Monday 24th May to Friday 4th June 2010, inclusive.

 Bloods Creek and Federal is of historical importance to Witjira National Park. Although not State Heritage listed like the Dalhousie Ruins, the Bloods Creek area was developed around the same era.

 Bloods Creek was once an Overland Repeater Station, and then became a shop and hotel for local pastoralists and travellers. It was owned by various pastoralists including Sir Sidney Kidman, before becoming part of the Mt Dare station, and then later gazetted as part of Witjira National Park. The Bloods Creek area comprises of a windmill (previously restored by DEH), water tanks and stockyard, well, building foundation remains, various old historical items laying in-situ, animal yards and a lone grave.

 Further to the east of Bloods Creek are the remains of Federal, which was renowned in its day for the elaborate garden it had. This was an outstation used during the pastoral era, with only the old stockyards, various old historical items laying in-situ and the bottle lined garden beds remaining.

 These sites provide an interpretation opportunity about the introduction of pastoralism to the area. These sites also have cultural significance to local Aboriginal people and provide an example of how Aboriginal people assisted in the pastoralism industry of the area, which they still do today. The many remains still on-site provide an invaluable opportunity to interpret a story of over 100 years ago. The remains are slowly being vandalised or souvenired, so interpretation of the significance of these sites will better educate visitors and hopefully through respect of history, vandalism and souveniring will decrease.  This is especially important to the Federal area where the upturned bottles making the garden beds are being pulled up, broken and driven over.

 The project, as part of the FOS Groups annual .working bee., will provide both areas with basic low scale, low maintenance infrastructure that will allow visitors to park safely off the road in designated areas. Other fencing may be installed to protect the site from visitors who may wish to drive around the designated car parks. At these car parks, interpretation signs (being prepared by Desert-Parks staff) will provide visitors with appropriate information of the history and significance of the area, and explain what they see on-site.

Alan Hancox  (President)