Plenty Highway to Artlunga

Submitted: Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 15:32

ThreadID: 79336 Views:5010 Replies:4 FollowUps:12

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uanmi

Hi, I was thinking of going south from the Plenty Highway (NT) to Artlunga and then on to Ross River. I would appreciate hearing from anyone that may have done this before. I see there is a track from Mt Riddoch on the Plenty Highway that goes south and joins with another track that goes across to Artlunga. Any info welcome.
regards, Mark

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Reply By: AnneMarie - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 16:14

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 16:14

Hi - a friend and I left from Alice Springs to Arltunga last year in the hope of visiting the homestead and staying there overnight... everything was shut and a 'For Sale' sign out the front! Only thing open was the public loos. We decided to keep going and took the Cattlewater Pass Track (could be the one you have seen on your maps) which winds through the Harts Ranges to the Plenty H'Way - a very interesting detour and certainly a bit of a challenge but I don't recommend doing it in the dark!! We thought 60kms seemed ok and enough time to get to the Plenty by dark... NOT! Took us 3 hours and then another 30kms up the Plenty to Gemtree Caravan Park where we stayed 3 days! Bit of an adventure but we got there, eventually!! Fabulous country out there and Gemtree is a very friendly place to visit.

Enjoy your trip, whichever track you take, just remember there is no camping at Arltunga, or least there wasn't in May last year!

Cheers,
Anne-Marie

AnswerID: 420774

Follow Up By: uanmi - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:04

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:04

Hi Anne-Marie,

thank you for this information. I have read there is camping at Ruby Gorge, which is just past Artlunga. Yes, I'm going to go down the Cattlewater Pass Track. I did not know its name, but a search on artlunga to plenty highway was enough to find the track name. I'm looking forward to this part of my trip. I have a troopy with 1100 km range so I'm ok for fuel and should be able to get from Jervois to Artlunga, Ruby Gorge and then to Alice without having to get out and push :)

I stayed at Ross River camping ground in 2005, so I figured that another visit to this area would be worthwhile as I'm coming from east to west.

regards, Mark

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Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:28

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:28

Gday,
Glen Annie and Ruby George aren't just down the road really....its very slow going considering the distance. Well worth a look but can be tricky after rain or when its hot.

Cheers

FollowupID: 690972

Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:32

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:32

Ambalindum station does a farm stay type thing theses days...might be worth a look

FollowupID: 690975

Follow Up By: uanmi - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:35

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:35

Thank you for the info. I read another post where the person indicated they went from Plenty highway down cattletree to Artlunga and then to Ruby gorge and camped there. They did the trip in a day.

I'm not in a rush, but if camping is not permitted at Artlunga then on to Ruby gorge it must be.

regards, Mark

FollowupID: 690977

Follow Up By: Hairy (NT) - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:51

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:51

You can camp at Trephina George, Ross River, Ndhala and others, your not restricted to only Arltunga or Ruby.
Ive camped at Paddys water hole just past Artunga and never had a problem.
Cheers

FollowupID: 690982

Follow Up By: MEMBER - Darian, SA - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:58

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:58

Agreed re Paddy's Rock Hole adjacent Arltunga - a nice camp spot and plenty of easy terrain for a walk or two ........... great country.

FollowupID: 690984

Reply By: Member - John and Val - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:41

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 17:41

Mark,

Your Troopy will have no trouble with Cattlewater Pass but it is slow going. Ruby Gap is a beautiful spot and you can camp there but again it is very slow going - involves driving up the bed of the Hale River for a bit. No facilities but worth a stay for a few days. Another option is to go west from Ambalindum along the Arltunga tourist Drive. Arltunga is a very interesting place to look around. There is also a campsite at N'Dhala Gorge.

Cheers,

Val

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Follow Up By: uanmi - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 18:12

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 18:12

Hi Val,

thank you for letting me know. I will probably go to Ruby gorge or to N'Dhala Gorge depending on how I'm going on the day. I've stayed at Ross River before and walked up onto the ridge behind the buildings there. Great view.

I'm on my own normally when I travel, so I travel slowly and consistently so as to not damage the troopy and I hate having to dig it out of a bog when I'm on my own.

Reminds me of the sand trap on the Wapet Track in WA. I missed the little side track that some had used to wind around some of the sand and spent a day digging my way through the 2 km of sand. The troopy was great though and kept going, never digging in.

regards, Mark

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Reply By: Member - Michael John T (VIC) - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 21:08

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 21:08

Hi Mark,

Great trip, if you are interested in fossicking there are opportunities from Gem Tree to do this or as you commence the track towards cattle pass, a few kms south on the left are some diggings and the chance to pick up samples of garnets with little trouble but samples is all they are.

I was checking the NT roads report for my trek (commencing tomorrow) a couple of nights ago and I'm sure the Ruby Gap road was closed. Worth you checking it. Hope not for your sake as it is a lovely place.

Good travelling,

Mike (Vic)

AnswerID: 420824

Follow Up By: uanmi - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 22:07

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 22:07

Hi Mike,

have a great trip. I'm leaving in two weeks and have to go via Opalton, Diamantina NP and then across the Plenty so it will be a month before I get to there.

I'm hoping the creeks and rivers will have dried out by the time I get there :)

regards, Mark

FollowupID: 691035

Reply By: Effie C (NT) - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 21:43

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 21:43

For a quicker / easier route from Plenty travel a bit further towards Gemtree and take the Pinnacle road across to"The Gardens" Road also know as the Arltunga Tourist Drive this will take less time and also takes you straight passed Fossicking Zone #9 (Zircons etc)
Went through there yesterday Gardens road up Cattlewater pass and back down Pinnacles and back to Alice, nice day trip but if only traversing to Ruby Gap etc. I would take the pinnacles road.

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Follow Up By: uanmi - Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 22:21

Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 22:21

Hi Effie, I just found the Pinnacle road on the map. I'm guessing the pinnacles road was much easier travelling than the cattlewater pass road. I'll keep this in mind and see what happens when I get to the cattlewater pass road.

As I'm travelling east to west, I thought initially to go down the first road I could find to Artlunga. I read there is a camp on the cattlewater pass road near the plenty highway. I figure I will probably want to camp and go down to Artlunga and Ruby Gorge the next day.

Hmm, maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way around. Which route did you find more enjoyable from a view perspective. What drew me to the cattlewater pass road was the thought of a pass, through hills possibly. This sounds interesting and more enjoyable than another flat track.

Anyway, thank you for your thoughts, I hope your day trip was really enjoyable.

regards, Mark

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Follow Up By: Effie C (NT) - Tuesday, Jun 15, 2010 at 18:34

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2010 at 18:34

Mark
Cattlewater is the most scencic but a lot longer; about 3 hours verus 1 hour, the track goes through numerous valleys and the "pass" is the track traversing over a earthern dam wall the dam has plenty of water at present and grass everywhere thanks to the rain we have recieved this year. No bush camping available on cattlewater track but homestead stay / camping available at the homestead of the property it traveres (insurance reasons according to the owners).
Pinnacles is a lot quicker due to it being a better road and now part of the "Binns" track if your objective is to get to Ruby's gap or Arltunga area then take the Pinnacles track as once on Cattlewater you have to keep going till off the property.
Cattlewater track is just that a track which tranverses up creek and river beds through scrub and will provide much scenery and additional bush pin striping to your toyota.

John

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Follow Up By: uanmi - Tuesday, Jun 15, 2010 at 19:57

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2010 at 19:57

Hi Effie,

thank you for the info. I'm all for tracks so the cattlewater is probably where I will go. I think I will have time to do what I want to do, get from the plenty to artlunga and then to ruby gorge and camp there.

I'm looking forward to this trip.

regards, Mark

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