Native Gap Conservation Reserve

About Native Gap Conservation Reserve

Native Gap Conservation Reserve is a things to do venue in Alice Springs, Northern Territory.

It can be accessed through an unsealed track to a telecommunications tower in the nearby Hann Range. The reserve is a sacred site to the Arrente and Anmatyerr peoples, located at the junction of various creation stories.

Its name in the Arrente dialect is Arurlte Artwatye, meaning “the top of the shoulders across the neck” and “gap.” The reserve is named after the 30-metre sandstone ridge that dominates the site. In 1872, the area was referred to as a “Native Gap” and a “native well” by W.

W. Mills, one of the builders of the Overland Telegraph.

The gap is believed to have taken the name of the well it contained. In 1880, the workers on the telegraph widened the gap, but this resulted in destroying the water-holding rocks.

The Native Gap Conservation Reserve supports a rich variety of plants and animals. It is home to several flora species, including the native fig, white cypress pine, Acacia monticola, Acacia melleodora, Eucalyptus gamophylla, and Eucalyptus sessilis.

The ridge supports shrubs and trees, while desert grasses and spinifex cover the flat areas. Drosera grows on the flats after rain, and other plants like Grevillea wickhamii and some Gossypium species can be found throughout the reserve.

Birdwatchers will find the reserve a haven of birdlife. The native fig provides food for the western

Good to know

• Type: Things to Do
• Area: Alice Springs, Northern Territory
• Phone: (08) 8951 8250
• Website: visit ↗

Frequently asked questions

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