Thread: Armidale almost out of water

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Working.
Actually, I just realised, I'm not here, I'm there. Tamworth not Armadale.

So you dropped a load off in the wrong town?

That is wonderful providing it doesn't take it from someone else's water source & diminishes supply there.
Otherwise great news.

Our bore/Well water allegedly comes from PNG. So it is said???? Haven't seen any coconuts in it yet though.

Originally Posted by scarry

So you dropped a load off in the wrong town?

Wherever it was Paul, they won't be in a hurry to tell him, if it was fresh water.

Originally Posted by 4bee

That is wonderful providing it doesn't take it from someone else's water source & diminishes supply there.
Otherwise great news.

Our bore/Well water allegedly comes from PNG. So it is said???? Haven't seen any coconuts in it yet though.

Whilst in the NT , back in the 80's, I tagged along on a fact finding trip , these trips are done frequently and consist of the military, Police, and a couple of boffins. At least this one did. A bit of a jolly, the NT is divided up into sections, and each section is travelled every couple of years. The whole idea is that all land owners are asked to fill in a paperwork which lists all water, stock, fuel , maintenance facilities etc. This is collated and sent to Canberra. The idea is that in a National emergency, eg War, troops can be sent along a route where they know there will be facilities to support them. On one occasion, the old cattle man , who was in bed with a broken back, [ breed em tough up there] told us of a spring that had never run dry in aboriginal memory. We found it, took water samples, and one of the boffins told us that that particular aquifer came under the Torres strait from New Guinea. Different aquifers at different depths collect their water from different areas, apparently. EDIT This wasn't a bore, it was a cave, underground, with the water source over in a corner. In times of major drought, the local Aboriginal tribes forgot their territorial differences, and camped peacefully around the water.

Thanks Bob, so there could be some truth in it after all?

This was told to us by a highly respected well drilling company who specialise in this work in the Adelaide Hills when we had two bores cleaned & rejuvenated about 34 years back. We did wonder at the veracity of this.

The estate agent was for wiping their hands of us being able to retrieve a usable bore as they claimed the casing was bent when the well was back filled after a length of casing was inserted into what had been a dug & timber lined well. (Info from previous owner.)
Water quality is excellent, a little iron, but that is a bi-product of Sandstone it seems.


Anyhow, this company was able to get an 8' Baler up & down in good time with no interference from the casing so all was good. Estate Agents generally talk out of their their arses without first checking facts even if it could mean losing a sale.

Odd how water behaves.
Behind us here is Mount Lofty one of the highest peaks in SA & certainly the Southern Adelaide Hills at 730m (2380') & at the top, in a private property, water freely flows out of a small tunnel dug into the hillside.

The mouth of the tunnel has been dammed 30% to allow water to build up.

Where does that come from one wonders? PNG? Who knows?

Originally Posted by bob10

told us of a spring that had never run dry in aboriginal memory. We found it, took water samples, and one of the boffins told us that that particular aquifer came under the Torres strait from New Guinea. Different aquifers at different depths collect their water from different areas, apparently. EDIT This wasn't a bore, it was a cave, underground, with the water source over in a corner. In times of major drought, the local Aboriginal tribes forgot their territorial differences, and camped peacefully around the water.

Few years ago I met a boffin type just south of Alice Springs, he'd been round the territory and south Australia testing water from bores, I asked him about the New Guinea water source story. He said not true, water didn't come from that far away, he did test the water somehow to see how long it had been out of the sun, he said some had been under ground for over 100 years.
Armidale has different stories on how long the water will last, I was told if they don't get rain in the next 12 months then they will only have enough water in Malpas for 12 months after that.

Armidale has different stories on how long the water will last, I was told if they don't get rain in the next 12 months then they will only have enough water in Malpas for 12 months after that.

Strewth Mate, Don't let the truth bugger up a perfectly "Newsworthy" story.
Without some "creative" sensationalism nobody would bother to read a newspaper these days

Originally Posted by 4bee

Thanks Bob, so there could be some truth in it after all?

This was told to us by a highly respected well drilling company who specialise in this work in the Adelaide Hills when we had two bores cleaned & rejuvenated about 34 years back. We did wonder at the veracity of this.

I think it depends which boffin you talk to. But wherever that water came from, anecdotal evidence , passed mouth to mouth by the local indigenous people , was that that water had never dried up. So it's safe to say, it must have been recharged from somewhere. A bit out of my pay scale, and education, I'm afraid. Interesting story about Mt Lofty BTW.