Owen Springs Reserve

Owen Springs Reserve spans over 1500 km² of semiarid scrub, rocky ranges, and river flats, encompassing the catchment of the Hugh River. This reserve, not far from Alice Springs, is a former cattle station with a rich pioneering heritage – it contains the ruins of Owen Springs Homestead, the very first station homestead built in Central Australia (dating to 1872, around the same time as the Overland Telegraph Line):contentReference[oaicite:138]{index=138}. Today, adventurers in 4WD vehicles can traverse the reserve via a rough track that follows sections of the Hugh River’s sandy bed and crosses it multiple times. Along the way are highlights like Lawrence Gorge, where red quartzite cliffs pinch the river, and several semi-permanent waterholes lined with river gums that make for picturesque bush camping (no facilities provided). The homestead ruins, located near the eastern entrance of the reserve, consist of low stone walls outlining the simple rooms – interpretive signs recount how explorer William Christie Gosse took up the lease and built this homestead, only to find the country too harsh and abandon it a few years later. The reserve is also significant to the local Arrernte people, with numerous sacred sites (visitors must stay to public routes only). Wildlife includes euros (hill kangaroos) on the slopes, dingoes whose howls may break the night silence, and an array of birds from cockatoos to waterfowl around the waterholes. In cooler months, the riverbed track is popular for its sense of remote freedom just an hour or two from Alice – you can drive, picnic, hike short distances, and camp under the stars with hardly anyone else around. After rains, the Hugh may flow and make parts of the track impassable (caution required). Owen Springs Reserve offers a blend of history and outback 4WD recreation – imagine the challenges faced by early settlers as you wander the homestead ruins, and enjoy the tranquility of the outback landscape that ultimately reclaimed this once-ambitious cattle run.