Billy Goat Hill (Alice Springs)

Billy Goat Hill, or Akeyulerre, (in Arrernte) is located in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia and, together with the nearby ANZAC Hill, has important Dreaming associations include two sisters, alongside uninitiated boys, who were travelling north and were engaged in flirtatious and humorous behaviour these sites; further north these interactions became violent.[2]

Billy Goat Hill
Akeyulerre
Highest point
Coordinates23°42′08″S 133°52′39″E [1]
Geography
LocationAlice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia [1]

These two hills are the most prominent in the Central Business District of Alice Springs and, as such have been extensively used by Europeans and, as such, Billy Goat Hill is now very close to major roads and, for many years, housed the towns water towers.[2]

History

Billy Goat Hill is named for the billy goats that travelled in to town with Arabana woman, Topsy Smith, who briefly lived at the site before starting working at The Bungalow. Smith moved to Alice Springs, then Stuart, in 1914 after the death of her husband at Arltunga and brought with her a herd of several hundred goats who were allowed to graze on the edge of town and where often seen atop, what became known as, Billy Goat Hill.[3]

During World War II the Australian government poured military and civilian manpower into Alice Springs and, in 1940, they built water tanks on top of Billy Goat Hill. These tanks were built by the "Native labour gangs" employed by the army. These water tanks supplied running water to the new hospital and nearby government houses and it was the first time there was running water in the town.[3] These tanks have since been removed.[2]

References
  1. "Place Names Register Extract for "Billy Goat Hill"". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  2. Brooks, David, 1950- (2003). A town like Mparntwe : a guide to the dreaming tracks and sites of Alice Springs. Alice Springs, NT: Jukurrpa Books. ISBN 1864650451. OCLC 56211336.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Traynor, Stuart (2016). Alice Springs : from singing wire to iconic outback town. Mile End, South Australia. ISBN 9781743054499. OCLC 958933012.
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