Arltunga (18_CA3)

Central Au 2018-3 Arltunga was officially central Australia's first town, born out of a gold rush in 1887 after alluvial gold was discovered in a dusty and dry creek bed. During the busiest mining period (up to 1913) around 300 miners and their families, government officials and business people called Arltunga home after which population started to decline. At the time of establishment of Arltunga, Alice Springs consisted of just the Overland Telegraph Station, and was little more than an outpost that expanded as it became the supply base of Arltunga (http://www.macdonnellranges.com/Arltunga-Historical-Reserve-and-hotel-camping-information-guide.htm). To reach Arltunga in the 1880s you would need to walk or ride alongside the Overland Telegraph Line for the 600 km from Oodnadatta to Alice Springs and then follow the MacDonnell Ranges east for another 120 km. This would take at least a week and often longer in temperatures which regularly exceeded 40°C. Life on the Arltunga goldfields was very hard. It was extremely isolated, lacked water, had limited supplies of basic foods, suffered extremes of temperature, and the cost of living was exorbitant. Water was scarce, with limited supplies being drawn from wells and water soaks in creeks. Fresh vegetables could not be grown and a lack feed and water for stock resulted in high transportation costs which were passed onto the Arltunga residents (http://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/arltunga).