On our way in, we stopped briefly to take some photos. These included the Prison Boab Tree, Frosty Pool and the Trough at Myalls Bore. All are located 7 km south of Derby and are grouped together within a few hundred metres of each other.
The Prison Boab tree was said to be used as a lockup for Aboriginal prisoners on their way to be sentenced in Derby, but there is no evidence that it was actually used for this purpose.
In 1944, Corporal Frost came up with the idea of building a swimming pool. The pool is relatively small because there were only limited materials available. It's about the size of a modern-day plunge pool. Officers would use it for part of the day, while other ranks would use it for the remainder. The pool was filled from a nearby bore.
This trough is 120 metres long and was built in 1916/17 for 581 pounds. The trough could water five hundred bullocks at one time without running dry.
Boabs along Loch Street, entering Derby.
After setting up camp, we ventured out and around Derby while I searched for Geo Caches. The search took us to some interesting places, including the Derby Wetlands, the Dinner Tree and the Pioneer Cemetery.
In the late 1950s, drovers would drive their cattle to Derby to be shipped overseas. They would camp at Myalls Bore before bringing them closer to town, adjacent to this tree. The cattle would graze on the vegetation beside the mudflats whilst the drovers would boil the billy and eat before moving them to the jetty later in the day. That is how it became known as the Dinner Tree.
The cemetery contains graves dating back to the 1890s. It includes that of Constable William Richardson, who was killed by the Aboriginal outlaw Jandamarra.
We ventured down to the jetty to watch the sunset, which just happened to coincide with the high tide.
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