The Central Australian stockman, Bryan Bowman, has written about Ankarinta Tuatja, also known as Hell's Gates, in his book on Central Australia. Recalling the route from south to north he writes: ‘The track to Hermannsburg and Alice Springs follows the western branch for about two miles to Amoulda Gap. It was known in those days as Hell’s Gate due to the fact that it was a difficult place to get camels through. It is actually a beautiful place, a fairly long gorge in red sandstone and running water in the Gap' (Bowman, 38).
He then goes on to say:
'The Track went through this gorge and out on to the Missionary Plain and turned sharply to the east, past the Gilbert and Coparilya Springs to Hermannsburg. It is practically on the same ground as the formed road that now goes to the Mereenie Oilfield but in those days it was only a pad which was hard to follow and the easiest way to keep close to the Range and follow it along until you saw the white buildings of Hermannsburg.’ (Bowman, 38)
REFERENCE: Bryan Bowman, A History of Central Australia 1930-1980, 1989
Desert Oaks (Allocasuarina decaisneana) are found across Central Australia. The mature tree is full and bushy in contrast with the sapling oak, which is tall and thin. The change in appearance occurs once the tree has established its tap roots and is able to access underground water sources.
saltbush
There are many different types of saltbush but Old Man Saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) is probably the best known. As Penny van Oosterzee writes, this plant is ‘important in the southern part of arid Australia since it forms a staple for the vast cattle and sheep stations. Old Man Saltbush is probably the best known saltbush in Central Australia. It is a large, blue-grey bush, 2 to 3 m high, with a mealy or scaly covering. The leaves are on stalks and are almost circular, about 2cm long. Male and female flowers are on separate bushes. The flowers are small and without any petals in the usual sense. After fertilisation, the leafy bracts of the female-flower develop into a fan-shaped fruit' (van Oosterzee, 120-21).
See Penny van Oosterzee, A Field Guide to Central Australia: A Natural History Companion for the Traveller, Reed Books, Chatswood, 1995
CHECK Local knowledge suggests the log house at Idracowra was, in fact, moved to Alice Springs as a 'memento' of the early station histories. The exact location of the log-house, however, is unknown. Local knowledge suggests the log-house was moved to a camel farm, now known as the Wallis Fogarty Steakhouse, however, the current owner is not aware of this history and is unable to identify any of the buildings as being this old.
Erldunda
Erldunda was part of the Warburton family empire. Richard E. Warburton arrived in Central Australia firstly in 1873 on an expedition with his father Colonel Peter Warburton, and then again in 1875 when he travelled to the Western Macs on a reconnaissance mission for the pastoralists Grant and Stokes. In 1881 Warburton applied for a 950 square mile pastoral lease around Erldunda. He stocked the country in 1884 in partnership with Tomlin. Unlike most other cattle stations which tended to operate in a lavish way, Erldunda remained small by contrast. Warburton made use of Aboriginal labour and careful management enabled the pair to survive the great drought and market collapse of the 1890s. They were the only pioneers to do so. Warburton died in 1917 and the station was maintained until 1920 by his nephew J.H.E Warburton. The station passed into the hands of the Stanes family.
Reference Peter Foster,'Station notes', held in ‘Frank H. Johnston Collection/ Cattle Industry/NT’, Alice Springs Local Library
