Around Lugangarna (Palm Springs), Jaru Country, near Halls Creek, WA

Lugangarna (Palm Springs), Jaru Country, is a permanent, palm-fringed freshwater spring 40 km east of Halls Creek along Duncan Road in Western Australia. It is a lovely place to camp overnight with nearby places to explore: Afghan Market Garden: deserted residence, one man's dream, once a paradise in a harsh environment, planted original date palms Palm Springs: swimming hole (and thermal spring) Sawpit (or Sawtooth) Gorge: on the Black Elvire River Old Halls Creek: (not included in this video) 0:00 Sunrise 0:11 Large mound built by Spiniex or Cathedral Termite (Nasutitermes triodiae); Yellow Kapok (Cochlospermum fraseri) 0:23 Kimberley archerfish (Toxotes kimberleyensis), shoot water from mouths to knock small prey into the water from overhanging branches 0:33 Palm Springs waterhole with date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) 0:45 Walking up to the Afghan Garden, Pink Mulla Mulla (Ptilotus exaltatus) beside the dirt track 0:55 Abandoned Bedford flatbed truck 1:11 The old residence, central enclosed room, Nissen hut at back 1:28 Graffiti 2:00 Old rusty Metters No. 4 cast iron wood-burning stove; old International Harvester truck 2:22 Irrigation system 2:33 Overgrown derelict windmill waterpump, date palms in foreground 2:47 Sign: Palm springs painted on old car bonnet (common around Halls Creek) 2:58 Walking to the swimming hole passed a man-made dry stone retaining wall with dirt road above 3:09 Waterhole on the Black Elvire River 3:20 Rocky access to waterhole, red rocky outcrop behind the waterhole 3:33 Waterhole with date palm reflection 4:09 Warm spring feeding the waterhole 4:21 Desert Poison Pea or Wallflower Poison Bush (Gastrolobium grandiflorum), toxic plant with high concentrations of monofluoroacetate (as used in 1080); yellow Rattlepod (Crotalaria), pea family, with sugar ants or carpenter ant (Camponotus) 4:37 Butterfly Pea or Blue Pea (Clitoria ternatea); Giant milkweed (Calotropis procera), both environmental weeds 4:48 Walking back to camp 4:59 Sign: Sawpit Gorge 4km, painted on old car bonnet 5:10 Rusted old car with bonnet intact, Holden FE(?) 5:21 Silky-heads (Cymbopogon obtectus); Yellow Puncture Vine or Bull's Head (Tribulus cistoides), caltrop burrs; Feathertop Rhodes Grass (Chloris virgata), and dried Feathertop Rhodes Grass 5:39 Arid spinifex covered hills and termite mounds on the way to Sawpit Gorge 6:04 Yellow flowered Kapok (Cochlospermum fraseri) 6:17 Bootlace Oak (Hakea lorea) and Needle-leaf Grevillea (Grevillea erythroclada) 6:36 Graceful Cassia (Senna venusta) with ants; orange native pea (Fabaceae) 6:50 Yellow Puncture Vine or Bull's Head (Tribulus cistoides) 7:01 Warning: Reported crocodile sighting; Sawpit Gorge swimming hole, maybe 7:21 Jagged red rock wall (giving name to Sawtooth Gorge) eroded by the Black Elvire River, with layers of sedimentary sandstone 7:35 Northern Bluebell or Camel Bush (Trichodesma zeylanicum); Hop bush (Dodonaea) 7:47 Bellflower (Isotoma luticola); Magenta hoarypea or poison-pea (Tephrosia) 7:58 Halls Creek Wattle (Acacia cowleana)? Flower spikes should be bright golden yellow, but can appear as dense woolly cream structures before opening; Pink Mulla Mulla (Ptilotus exaltatus) 8:14 Crackle pattern on large painted wall; Sign: Sawpit Gorge 8:30 Walk up thwe hill opposite camp at sunset, spinifex (Triodia) covered slope of red iron-rich rock 8:53 View looking west into sunset over the plains 9:13 View north over Black Elvire River, then continuing clockwise 9:24 Palm Springs campground tucked under trees to the east Disclaimer: While we are continually curious about what we see, we are not botanists or specialists in species names so please comment if you can improve on our best guesses. Share the experience as we capture the essence of hiking trails and travel as we camp around Australia, non-narrated. Recorded August 2025. #WeHikeAustralia