Arltunga

Arltunga is an historic mining town Located about 110 km east of Alice Springs in the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges. Now a ghost town, many of the original stone buildings remain in good condition, having been preserved by the dryness of the surrounding desert. Arltunga was officially Central Australia's first town, is now located within the 5000 hectare Arltunga Historical Reserve. The town was named after a subgroup of the Arrernte people who had been living in the area for at least 22,000 years prior to the arrival of Europeans.

Like many Australian towns, Arltunga was the product of a gold rush. The South Australian explorer David Lindsay passed through the Arltunga area during his trek from Port Darwin to the South Australian coast in 1887, and noted that there appeared to be 'rubies' in the area. In 1887, alluvial gold was discovered in a dry creek bed downstream of Paddy's Rock hole. Miners were attracted to the area where they found both alluvial and reef gold which they worked for a few years in the early 1890s. The town was deserted soon after but it enjoyed a renewed lease of life with the construction of the Government Battery and Cyanide Works in 1898, which kept the town active until about 1916. By 1896 the alluvial gold in the area had all but disappeared. Miners successfully petitioned the South Australian Government and two years later the new works were opened and ore was being crushed. At its height, Arltunga supported a population of 3000 people. The population of the town in 1911 was 56 and this had dropped to 25 in 1933. The problems of the town are still clear - lack of water, isolation and the difficulty of access - which all conspired to make permanent settlement difficult.

Fortune seekers had to travel 600 km from the Oodnadatta railhead in South Australia to reach Arltunga, often travelling on foot and sometimes transporting equipment and possessions on wheelbarrows. To reach Arltunga in the 1880s it was necesary to follow the Overland Telegraph Line from Oodnadatta to Alice Springs, then follow the MacDonnell Ranges east for around 120 km. This took at least a week and often longer in temperatures which often exceeded 40°C.

Upon arrival, life on the Arltunga goldfields was very difficult. Arltunga was extremely isolated, lacked water, had limited supplies of basic foods, suffered extremes of temperature, and the cost of living was exorbitant. The lack of water meant that fresh vegetables could not be grown and limited water supplies were drawn from wells and water soaks in creeks. In turn, the transportation costs for food were very high because of a lack of feed and water for stock. These high costs were passed onto the Arltunga residents, who included among their ranks aborigines, miners, stockkeepers, publicans, battery managers, blacksmiths, assayers, foremen, battery hands, engine drivers, fitters, carpenters, labourers, clerks, cooks, housekeepers, stockmen and pastoralists.

The most interesting area of Arltunga today is probably the Government Works, which was constructed during the second wave of settlement in the area from 1896. The Government Battery area included offices, a battery shed, assay and bullion rooms and residences. These buildings were originally erected at Claraville to the north, but due to shortages in materials they were dismantled and rebuilt at Arltunga. Most structures at Arltunga were built of stone, schist and quartzite rocks usually being chosen and stacked together to form dry walls or cemented with mud or lime mortar. Other building materials included timber, corrugated iron or canvas.

Many buildings at Arltunga demonstrate innovations designed to assist habitation in hot climates. Some buildings were built partially underground for insulation and orientated towards the cooler south-easterly winds, a technique now common in mining towns such as Coober Pedy and Andamooka. One structure even had an underground vent system that channelled cool breezes into a storage room. Despite the large number of buildings still standing at Arltunga, little written evidence about the structures remains. The entire area is preserved as though the original inhabitants walked away from it only a few years ago. Visitors venturing a little way off the paths can find many signs of previous habitation such as old pieces of meat safes, pieces of rusted wire, rusted cans, and pieces of broken glass. While such items are not of great importance, each item is nevertheless a reminder of the people who once lived and worked in Arltunga.

From the Government Works it is possible to walk to the Police Station and Gaol, both of which have been carefully preserved. Beyond the Government Works and the Police Station are the MacDonnell Range Reef Mine, the Golden Chance Mine, the Joker Mine, the Christmas Reef Mine and the Great Western Mine, all of which warrant investigation. For visitors travelling by 4WD, a detour out to the White Range cemetery is fascinating. Another small cemetery is located at the Crossroads with just four or five hastily constructed wooden crosses. This is all that remains of the original township. It is claimed that rumours circulated to the effect that gold was hidden in the walls of Arltunga's old stone buildings, resulting in their almost complete destruction. There is no record of such gold ever being found.