Looking out over vast swathes of dried yellow buffel grass and a seemingly endless plain of red dirt, water is the last thing anyone expects to find in central Australia's Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.

Key points: A new water source has been discovered at a greater depth beneath the remote APY Lands

A new water source has been discovered at a greater depth beneath the remote APY Lands Near Fregon in outback SA, the water is in a "palaeovalley" about 90 metres below the surface

Near Fregon in outback SA, the water is in a "palaeovalley" about 90 metres below the surface The water could become a precious resource for Aboriginal communities in the area

But with a pointed finger over his left shoulder, senior traditional elder Witjiti George softly explains the journey of ancient water beneath sacred ground.

"The water goes over there," he said.

Taylor Cooper (L) and Witjiti George know the rugged land near Fregon well. ( Supplied: Rohan Thompson, APY Art Centre Collective )

Shifting his glance north-west, he looks towards Pukatja, a remote South Australian Aboriginal community shaped by years of missionary contact.

"It's over there too, under the creek," he said.

Sitting on a capped drill hole, he laughed with delight as he described the moment he saw drillers strike water on the site near Fregon.

"It went up, all the way up in the air!" he said.

The potentially life-changing find is now marked by inconspicuous capped pipes — and while the water has stopped flowing, for now, the excitement has not.

Mr George said he hoped the water could be used to build a cattle herd, creating local jobs and an ongoing industry for isolated communities like Fregon.

Already, tens of thousands of cattle are agisted on the lands each year, migrating down from northern pastoral holds.

"The water [is] good for animals, good for jobs, good for Anangu," Mr George said with a smile.

Far less saline than seawater

For the 10 Aboriginal communities that make up the APY Lands, the find could also provide a much-needed source of drinking water.

The new water source was found about 90 metres below the surface, compared with existing water sources found about 30 metres down.

Cattle taking advantage of local rainfall near Kenmore Park in the APY Lands. ( ABC Rural: Katrina Beavan )

APY Lands general manager Richard King said it was yet to be determined where the water came from.

But tests showed the water was pure — its salinity is under 1,000 parts per million; seawater is 35,000 parts per million.

Locals believed there was water underground because of a long band of limestone breaking through the rust-coloured soil.

"They did an aerial survey of the area, and then they came in with choppers," Mr King said.

"This is one of two places in the world which have landlocked tectonic plates.

"We think this water could be coming from a spring between the two."

Workers discovered water while drilling on the APY Lands. ( Supplied: Department for Environment and Water )

Flow would fill half an Olympic pool per day

Department for Environment and Water senior hydrologist and project leader Adrian Costar said the water was a significant find.

Mr Costar said the water came from a "palaeovalley" — an underground valley where the groundwater was deposited below the surface.

Core drill samples have been dated at between 5 and 10 million years old.

Mr George hopes the water will be used to rebuild a local cattle herd. ( Supplied: Rohan Thompson, APY Art Collective )

"We knew that these ancient landscapes — these palaeovalleys — existed," Mr Costar said.

"How extensive they are we're yet to understand."

The low salinity level is not the only thing exciting experts.

"It looks like its water pressure is 10–15 litres per second — to put that in some perspective, you could fill half an Olympic swimming pool per day."

But more work is yet to be done before determining exactly what can be done with this precious resource.

"We're working with Flinders University and CSIRO and we're trying to understand a little bit more about the groundwater resource," Mr Costar said.

"Dating the groundwater will give us a better understanding of its age and where it comes from.