Arltunga was the first substantial settlement in central Australia, and is now a preserved mining ghost town. It was named after a sub-group of the Arrente Aborigines, who lived in the area. The South Australian explorer, David Lindsay, passed through the area on his five week trek from Port Darwin to the South Australian coast in 1887. He observed what he thought to be rubies in the area, in a gorge to the east of Arltunga, now known as Ruby Gap. This led to a short lived gemstone rush until they were found to be garnets. Miners attracted to the area originally by the garnets, found alluvial and reef gold at Arltunga, which was worked for a few years in the 1890s. The original gold discovery was at a site called Paddys Rockhole in 1887. The town was soon deserted but it enjoyed a revival with the construction of a government battery and cyanide works in 1896. This kept the town active till 1916. In 1911 the population was 56, and in 1933 it was 25. The town had a lack of water in what is rugged mountain desert country, and the terrain made the shipping of equipment and supplies difficult. Arltunga has several preserved buildings including the hotel, police station, and government works. The site also includes a museum, cemetery, and several gold mines, where you can climb down ladders into the shafts.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 01:02:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015