The creek that John Browne had discovered was thickly encrusted with salt. Charles Sturt attempted to cross but the creek's surface was too soft and the horses sank deeply. Beneath the surface there were pools of brine. Sturt traced the creek upwards and was able then to cross it.

Sturt's prospects were never less inviting than now. To the west and north-west there were steep red sand-hills; this was the edge of the Simpson Desert that would not be crossed by Europeans until 1936. To the north and north-east was a plain with samphire bushes but no indication of water. Beyond the plain he could see only more sand-hills. The salt creek with its thick encrustations of salt crystals and brine beneath the surface must have been the ultimate reproach for his endeavours.