#1: [10-Dec-12] (incomplete)

12-Jun-2017 -- Because I was in the Charters Towers area, I felt compelled to attempt to visit this Degree Confluence Point - which is one of the few remaining unvisited points close to Australia’s East Coast. The sole previous attempt (by Rainer Mautz in December 2012) was from the East - getting 16.6 km from the point. Rainer concluded afterwards that the best way to approach the point would be from the southwest - so that’s the approach that I took. Unfortunately, however, I was also unsuccessful - but I think the approach that I took was probably the best one.

From the Flinders Highway, I turned north onto the “Powlathanga-Rockybar Road” at 20.17486°S 145.99115°E - about 19.1 km (as the crow flies) south of the point. This long (dirt) road runs north-northwestward. At 20.03227°S 145.90781°E - about 10.3 km west-southwest of the point - there’s a junction, with a road branching to the right (signposted “Fern Springs”, which is the name of the farm that Rainer identified as being the one that contains the point). (At this point I was reminded of the vast distances common in Australia’s rural areas, because one of the farms farther along the main road was signposted as being still 109 km away!)

I continued along the right-hand spur, as it started to get rather sketchy for my 2WD rental car. Eventually, I encountered a farm gate. At this point, I was 8.77 km almost due west of the point. With no obvious drivable roads leading anywhere closer to the point, and being too far away to hike, I gave up and had to count this as an ‘incomplete’ visit.

It seems that a successful future visit to this point will probably need to be coordinated with the owner of the Fern Springs farm.