Arltunga Historical Reserve

Arltunga is a deserted gold rush town located 110 km (68 miles) east of Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory of Australia.[1]

History

Gold was observed by South Australian explorer, David Lindsay in 1887 as he trekked from Port Darwin to the coast of South Australia. Subsequently, miners flocked to the area and Arltunga became the first substantial European settlement in central Australia.[2] The town was kept alive for a while after the initial gold rush when the South Australian Government built the Government Battery and Cyanide Works in 1898, but with the Battery's closure in 1916, the population declined to 25 by 1933.[3]

Arltunga Historical Reserve was established in 1975 and comprises 5,000 ha.[2] Owing to the harshness of the climate, and the fact that local stone was used in the construction of buildings, the town is well preserved.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Arltunga Historical Reserve" (PDF). Parks and Wildlife Commission NT. Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Arltunga". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Arltunga, NT". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 1 May 2015.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, May 04, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.