Sturt NP, NSW
7.0 km (3 hrs )
★★★☆☆

Located on the shores of Lake Pinaroo in the north west of New South Wales, Fort Grey was the last of camp to be established as part of Sturt's 1845 central expedition. A small stockade was built by Sturt's party to protect their cattle and supplies, but the site lacked fresh water and was abandoned in favour of Depot Glen near present day Milparinka.

Little remains of this piece of history other than a blazed tree on the northern shore of the lake which can be reached when Lake Pinaroo is dry. The walk begins at the Fort Grey Campground and first visits the old homestead (now in ruins), before heading across the lake bed to the blazed tree. An old well and remains of a steam engine can also be seen halfway on the walk. Parts of the walk can be very uneven and care should be taken where the lake bed is cracked and full of holes. I also did the walk in the cool of the evening when temperatures were much more pleasant than the hot 47 degrees Celsius of the day. An added bonus was seeing the spectacular sunset over the lake - truly amazing!