Surveyors General Corner Information

I've been interested in Surveyor Generals Corner for more than 20 years and during much of that time it has been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get permits for entry to the site. However, situations change and permits have been available since about 1996. These were issued with some restrictions and visitors have been allowed entry. Unfortunately things have again changed and a new set of conditions apply. The following information is about the survey of the border and the contact details at the end of this article are for people wishing to visit the corner.

The border of Western Australia was determined in 1836 as being the 129th meridian of  longitude. In 1922 an agreement between State and Federal ministers was reached regarding survey of the border. Two permanent marks were to be established and used in the survey. One near Deakin on the Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie Railway and the other in the Kimberley. The agreement stated that the two marks were deemed to be on the 129th meridian and would be used for the survey regardless of where any later survey may prove the exact position of the meridian to be. The Western Australian border was to be located on a true north-south line from the north and south coasts to the Northern Territory-South Australian border on the 26th parallel of Latitude. (This border had not been surveyed at that time.) Survey work proceeded for some years and various sections were established on the true north-south alignment. Although some sections of the border are not marked it is possible for surveyors to extend their survey lines to any given point and so they were theoretically extended to the 26th parallel, the Northern Territory-South Australian border.

In 1963 Licensed Surveyor Barry Allwright, who supplied the detail of this information, was employed to work on the border survey along the 26th parallel which had commenced some years earlier. This survey was the first Australian survey to be carried out using modern electronic methods, mainly the Tellurometer which measures distance by radio waves. The border was surveyed from Dakota Bore on the edge of the Simpson Desert to Surveyor Generals Corner.

Surveyor Generals Corner was accurately surveyed in 1967 and officially marked on June 4, 1968. The resultant survey shows the border running 1211 kilometres from the Timor Sea to a concrete marker on longitude 128 59 57 then turning east for 127 metres then south from a marker on longitude 129 00 01 to the south coast. In short, visitors will see TWO corner posts with true north-south lines running from two slightly different starting points which are 1583 kilometres apart.

One other small but interesting point is that the concrete posts are set up in a manner similar to the earliest survey markers which are seen all over Australia. At some considerable depth underneath each pile of rocks or concrete pipe is a large stone or concrete slab which is the actual marker used for the survey. This is a backup in case something happens to the obvious above ground marker.

 People wishing to gain access to Surveyor Generals Corner will need to be prepared to travel from Giles, where camping is allowed, to Wingellina and return in one day. My advice is that camping is not allowed within the permit area. Visitors will be accompanied to Surveyor Generals Corner by members of the Wingellina Community. Application for permits must be made to the  and ask for an application form. 

Recent conflict between traditional owners and a group of visitors without permits has resulted in the fees being dramatically increased. These were raised to $100 per vehicle and $20 per person during 2004. Contact the Ngaanyatjarraku Council at Alice Springs, phone 08 8950 1711, for the most recent information.