For many years the saltlakes flanked by the Flinders Ranges blocked any pathway to Central Australia as far as the Europeans were concerned. It remained the great unknown to all but the indigenous population. In 1856, a prospecting party led by Benjamin Babbage saw the apparent arrive of an Aboriginal visiting party from out beyond the lake. This exciting information prompted further exploration and two years later Corporal Alfred Burtt became the first European to negotiate the corridor by Lake Torrens. Burrt left a message inscribed on a rock to compatriot explorer Major Warburton giving instructions to the nearest water. This priceless relic was discovered in 1994 by Explore The Outback Camel Safaris and is now on display at William Creek Store.
