Every once in a while I set aside birding and spend a day learning about something else, though my binoculars are still usually around my neck. Today I spent a couple hours exploring the ruins of the goldmining town of Arltunga. This small town was the first town in Central Australia and was the result of the discovery of gold in the area. The area was mined off and on for the later part of the nineteenth century through the first half of the twentieth century with a few attempts as late as the 1960s. Significant discoveries were made but the harsh conditions, remoteness, and dirth of water made mining very difficult and when gold was discovered elsewhere, the town was abandoned.
I found the area quite interesting, especially the visitor center and some of the informative walks. However, looking at the remains of old buildings only holds my attention for so long. I did have the chance to go down into one of the mine shafts and I did discover that I will leave the mining to others and I will stick with my photography. Working underground in small dark spaces doesn't sound like fun to me.
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