Arltunga Historical Reserve

The road

Arltunga was the Northern Territory's first official goldfield, declared in 1887 after alluvial gold was found in the Paddy's Creek area. For the men who walked here from the Oodnadatta railhead - over 600 kilometres to the south - it was one of the most remote gold rushes in Australian history. The settlement that grew up around the mines had a police station, a government battery, a cyanide works and the stone buildings that still stand today. The gold was hard-won - reef gold locked in quartz that required crushing and chemical extraction, not the easy alluvial pickings that made other goldfields rich overnight. The 110-kilometre drive from the Ross Highway junction follows the old track through the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges. The road passes through gaps in the range where the quartzite folds are exposed in road cuttings and cliff faces, the rock layers tilted nearly vertical by the same compression event that folded the entire MacDonnell chain. The country dries out as you head east - the ghost gums thin, the spinifex takes over and the landscape opens into broad valleys between low rocky ridges. Trephina Gorge is accessible as a side trip from the main track and is worth the detour for the deep red gorge walls and the permanent waterhole at the base. Arltunga itself is managed by NT Parks as a historical reserve. The mine workings are remarkably intact - the police station walls still stand, the cyanide works equipment is in place and the mines themselves are visible in the hillside above the settlement. The self-guided walking trail through the site takes about an hour and the interpretive panels do a good job of explaining the extraction process and the brutal conditions the miners endured. Arltunga is also the launching point for the Ruby Gap track, which continues east into progressively wilder country.

The region

The Eastern MacDonnell Ranges stretch 100 kilometres east of Alice Springs. The range is lower and drier than the western MacDonnells but geologically identical - ancient folded quartzite and sandstone that was compressed and uplifted 300 million years ago. The gaps and gorges through the range were cut by rivers that predate the folding, creating water gaps where the rivers maintained their course as the rock rose around them. Ross River Resort, about 80 km from Alice Springs on the way to Arltunga, offers accommodation and meals.

Before you go

Fuel at Alice Springs. Ross River Resort (80 km from Alice Springs) sometimes has fuel but confirm before relying on it. Carry at least 10 litres of water per person and enough fuel for the 220-kilometre return trip. No phone coverage beyond the first 30 km of the Ross Highway. The track is closed when wet. The historical reserve at Arltunga has a campground with pit toilets and fire rings. No fees for the reserve but donations are accepted. Allow a full day for the return trip with time to explore the mine workings.

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