Arltunga, located about 120 km east of Alice Springs in the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges, was the first town to be built in Central Australia. Established around 1887, this historic mining town is today a ghost town which has been well preserved by the dryness of the surrounding desert environment, with many of the original stone buildings remaining in excellent condition. Named after a subgroup of the indigenous Arrernte people who had been living in the area for at least 22,000 years prior to the arrival of Europeans in Australia, Arltunga is today located within the 5000 hectare Arltunga Historical Reserve.



In common with many Australian towns, Arltunga was essentially the product of a gold rush. Passing through the area during his journey from Port Darwin to the South Australian coast in 1887, the South Australian explorer David Lindsay and noted that there appeared to be rubies in the Arltunga area. In the same year, alluvial gold was discovered in a dry creek bed downstream of Paddy's Rock hole, and miners immediately began arriving in the area. Both alluvial and reef gold deposits were worked for several years in the early 1890s, but the town was largely deserted by 1896, when the alluvial gold had all but disappeared. The construction of the Government Battery and Cyanide Works in Arltunga in 1898, following the successfully petitioning of the South Australian Government by miners, kept the town active until about 1916. At its height, Arltunga supported a population of some 3000 people. By 1911, the population of the town was 56 and this had dropped to 25 in 1933. The basic problems which conspired to make permanent settlement difficult in Arltunga are still clearly evident today - lack of water, isolation and the difficulty of access.

To reach Arltunga, fortune seekers travelled 600 km from the Oodnadatta railhead in South Australia, a journey often made on foot with equipment and possessions transported on wheelbarrows. The route followed the Overland Telegraph Line from Oodnadatta to Alice Springs, then followed the MacDonnell Ranges east for around 120 km. Upon arrival, life on the Arltunga goldfields was very difficult. The town was isolated, lacked water and basic food supplies, suffered extremes of temperature, and the cost of living was very high. Limited water supplies were drawn from wells and water soaks in creeks. The scarcity of water meant that fresh vegetables could not be grown locally, while transportation costs for food were very high because of a lack of feed and water for stock. These costs were passed onto the Arltunga residents.

The most interesting section of Arltunga today is probably the Government Works, constructed during the second phase of settlement in the area from 1896. This area included offices, a battery shed, assay and bullion rooms and residences. 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 other outback Australian mining towns such as Coober Pedy and Andamooka. The entire Arltunga area is preserved as though the original inhabitants had left just a few years ago. Apart from the buildings, more mundane signs of previous habitation, such as old pieces of meat safes, pieces of rusted wire, rusted cans, and pieces of broken glass, abound in Arltunga. While not of great importance in themselves, such items are 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. 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. Rumours to the effect that gold was hidden in the walls of Arltunga's old stone buildings resulted in their almost complete destruction, although there is no record of such gold ever being found.