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“One day, when I was sitting with Mr. Poole, he suggested the erection of two stations, one on the Red Hill and the other on the Black Hill, as points for bearings when we should leave the Depot. The idea had suggested itself to me, but I had observed that we soon lost sight of the hills in going to the north-west; and that, therefore, for such a purpose, the works would be of little use, but to give the men occupation; and to keep them in health I employed them in erecting a pyramid of stones on the summit of the Red Hill. It is twenty-one feet at the base, and eighteen feet high, and bears 329 degrees from the camp, or 31 degrees to the west of north. I little thought when I was engaged in that work, that I was erecting Mr. Poole’s monument, but so it was, that rude structure looks over his lonely grave, and will stand for ages as a record of all we suffered in the dreary region to which we were so long confined”. Charles Sturt
Around 170 years after it was constructed, Sturt’s Cairn Poole one of the must-visit icons of the Corner Country.
It is located on Mount Poole Station but can be access by a public road (UR 46) and is signposted from Hawker Gate road.
A Sturt’s Steps shelter is located in the parking area at the base of the hill and a walking trail leads to the top. Visitors must stick to the designated route and are respectfully asked not to souvenir any rock material from the site.
The 360 degree view from the top is stunning and well worth the climb to see.
For more information about Sturt’s expedition see also Sturt’s Expedition visit the Sturt-Kidman Centre in Milparinka and the National Park and Wild Life Service office in Tibooburra.
