Soakage (source of water) facts for kids
A soakage, also called a soak, is a natural place where you can find water in the dry Australian deserts. It's like a hidden water supply! The water usually soaks into the sand and is stored underground. Sometimes, it's part of a river or creek that only flows after rain, called an ephemeral river.
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Water for Aboriginal Australians
Soakages were super important water sources for Aboriginal Australians living in the desert. They were the most reliable places to find water, especially during times of drought.
Aboriginal people would dig out the sand or mud. They used tools like a coolamon (a carrying dish) or a woomera (a spear-thrower). They would dig down several metres until clean water collected at the bottom of the hole. Knowing exactly where each soakage was located was incredibly valuable knowledge. These places are sometimes called native wells.
The anthropologist Donald Thomson wrote about how hard it was for outsiders to find these water sources. He explained that Aboriginal people had a lifetime of experience. They also had traditional knowledge passed down through generations. This helped them know if a well would have water. They also knew if a dry well was worth cleaning out.
Keeping wells clean
People covered the wells to keep them clean and stop animals from getting into them. They used dead branches and uprooted trees to block the openings. If a well needed fixing, people would scoop out water and mud. They would throw this slush against the walls. This would dry like a type of cement. It helped to hold the loose sand and stop it from falling into the water.
Some wells could be as deep as fifteen feet (about 4.5 metres). Small footholds were cut into the walls to help people climb down.
Mapping water locations
Donald Thomson also wrote about how Aboriginal elders shared their knowledge of water. They told him the names of more than fifty water spots. These included wells, rockholes, and claypans. This was in an area that early explorers thought had almost no water. Most of these places were still unknown to white people in 1957.
One elder, Tjappanongo (Tjapanangka), showed Thomson something amazing. He had spear-throwers with special designs carved into them. He would point to each design with a stick or his finger. Then he would say the name of a well or rock hole. Thomson would repeat the name. The other elders would listen carefully and approve when he said it correctly.
Thomson realised that these carvings were like a map! They were a very old and traditional way of mapping. They showed the water sources across the huge area where the Bindibu people hunted. This was a very important discovery for his expedition.
Explorers and water sources
In the 1800s, some explorers like Warburton and Carnegie sometimes forced Aboriginal people to show them secret water sources. This left a lasting impact on Aboriginal people in the desert. Stories about these events were passed down through many generations.
In the 1930s, H. H. Finlayson travelled through the desert with camels. He noticed how much water camels drank. One male camel drank about 150 litres (33 imperial gallons) without stopping after a long, hot journey. It drank even more later!
This shows why explorers needed so much water for their camel teams. However, by making well entrances bigger and digging out springs, they sometimes damaged these precious water supplies. This caused anger among the Aboriginal people.
Don McLeod, an Aboriginal rights activist, shared stories about conflicts over water during the gold rushes in Western Australia. He said that Aboriginal people tried to keep their small water supplies hidden from gold prospectors. This was because the prospectors' horses and camels would quickly use up the limited soaks.
McLeod shared a story told by an old prospector named Long. Long saw an Aboriginal man and woman get water from a hidden soak. The man used a throwing stick to make a hole in the sand. Then he used a hollow reed to drink water from the hole. Long then dug up the soak and found fresh water for himself.
Later, another prospector tried to force the same Aboriginal man to show him water. This kind of encounter was common in the bush. However, another prospector arrived on a camel, causing confusion. The Aboriginal man used this chance to escape.
This incident led to a misunderstanding among the gold diggers. They thought the Aboriginal man had attacked the prospector for trying to protect his water. A group of armed prospectors then went out to "teach the Blackfellows a lesson." This event led to a tragic conflict over water.
See also
- Bindibu Expedition
- Canning Stock Route
- Claypan
- Groundwater
- Waterhole
- Soak dike
