Not all of the water along the tracks is the result of natural springs.
Because of the lack of surface water, in the late 1800s, the South Australian government sunk a network of bores into the Great Artesian Basin at 50km intervals to provide water to the herds of cattle being driven down the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks to the rail head at Maree. Originally these bores were left to flow freely and they created their own oasis in the desert. They have now been capped but some continue to flow at a reduced rate and sustain their own eco system.
This is Montecollina Bore just off the Strzelecki Track. Walk a short distance from the bore and the country very quickly reverts to something like in the foreground here.
@shirleybankfarm When the bores were first dug, they didn't think 10 years ahead and consider that even the water in the Great Artesian Basin was limited and my run out so it was just left to run freely. In the process, they "developed" some lovely oasis in the heart of the desert.
By the time they had come to their senses, cattle were being transported by truck rather than by droving herds and the regular watering holes were no longer needed and the bores were capped. For some bores, the water cut off entirely while for others, the flow was reduced and regulated so that the oasis that had been created could be sustained.
@terryliv Thanks for the information Terry. It makes sense now when I think about it. I wasn't thinking of cattle being transported by truck rather than driven.
By the time they had come to their senses, cattle were being transported by truck rather than by droving herds and the regular watering holes were no longer needed and the bores were capped. For some bores, the water cut off entirely while for others, the flow was reduced and regulated so that the oasis that had been created could be sustained.