Wed, 3rd July, 2024 Bluff Campground, Trephina Gorge Nature Park to Bush camp near Arltunga fossicking area, NT (Part 2) (exploring Arltunga history)

Into Arltunga - passed the Bush Pub and campground. Pulled up at the Information Centre for a cuppa. Chatted with a couple from WA. Lots of great info and photos inside and a few items outside too.

Drove up the track then turned off to the Government Battery area. Read the info board and picked up a walk guide.

Up the hill and over to wandered through the old buildings. Great to see them preserved. 

First one was the Assayer’s Residence. View out his window to his BBQ area, actually it was his kitchen with a ‘dutch oven’.

Next was the Manager’s residence. He gets 2 rooms.

A few other buildings, well the chimney and piles of rocks that aren’t described in the leaflet.

Not much left of the post office.

This is the gold room and office. Nice view out the window.

Some old machinery and the cyanide pits near the battery site. There was a 10 head stamper here - the noise would have been terrible.

The horizontal steam engine and Cornish boiler look in good condition considering.

Didn’t walk down to check out the well.

Up the other side of the track. The assay building, built in 1905.

The blacksmith’s shop with his forge out the back.

In the distance is a worker’s hut which we didn’t walk over too.

No info about this hut other than it was a mud mortar hut - might have been here before all the other buildings were erected.

Only a kilometre walk back to the Police Station area from here but a 1.8km drive back around which we did. Across the dry Kangaroo Creek and parked. Big deep (23m) well on the rise by the creek has permanent water and the most productive well in the district.

Two-stamp battery which was erected to crush White Range ore by the McIntyre family in the late 1950s.

The Police Station (built in 1912, used till 1944 and restored in 1985). No fireplace in here.

There was another building beside it but only the fireplace and foundation is left. Shame what the vandals have done over the years - on the plaster walls there are names carved.

Checked out the lock-up. Very heavy door.

Another stone hut with buckets for windows.

Another building further over but no info about it.

We continued down the track to the cross-roads passing the turn off to the mine walks - will do them tomorrow. One old building here. Looks like it had a double oven!

Map of the reserve etc.

We drove down the track. Passed another old building which I think was the Little Flower Mission but no info board there.

Into the fossicking area and found a spot to camp above the creek.

Set up and inside as the cold wind is still blowing so heater on and inside for the evening.