Ernest Giles's expedition discovered Queen Victoria Springs on 27 September 1875. It was a lucky and very timely discovery as the expedition rested and recuperated here for a week. The watering hole had in fact been found by Tommy, the expedition's Aboriginal guide and Giles records his gratitude for the find. He believed the plentiful water to be a permanent feature of the desert, and his opinion was relied upon by the Elder Scientific Expedition 16 years later. They however found the water supply much diminished.

Giles's expedition set out from Port Augusta in May 1875, after collecting camels from Sir Thomas Elder's camel stud at Beltana. His expedition hoped to find a useful route to Perth from South Australia and this time he was exploring further to the south than on his previous expeditions.