Day 38 - In search of gold

Date: 
Sunday, July 28, 2024

Started the day at Ross River Homestead - a little bit later than planned. We didn't drive out until 1020am this morning. 

We seem to have a slow leak in the passenger rear tyre. We will have to monitor it and top up with air each morning. When we get back to Alice Springs we will get it repaired.

Today we will do Arltunga Historical Reserve and Ruby Gap, then N'Dhala Gorge. After that, we will camp on the side of the road out of Alice Springs.

Arltunga was very interesting. Much more than we expected. Lots of mining equipment and buildings to see and stories to read. It was quite a big gold mining community in the late 1800s and early 1900s. We spent a lot longer than planned looking around at all of the different areas, including the Government Works and Battery area, the old Police Station and the Cemetery. Consequently, we decided to give Ruby Gap a miss (4hrs away, according to the GPS).

We camped overnight at Mt Polhill Rest Area. A roadside stop with toilets and mobile phone reception with a signal booster (see photos).