THE MT. EBENEZER ROADHOUSE
“ … one of the best Aboriginal art-craft galleries … “
Beside the long and lonely road to Ayers Rock stands a roadhouse fashioned with native stone and bush timber – a true oasis in the Central Australian desert.
Walk through the air-conditioned restaurant to a earthen-floored art gallery and see a display of what is probably one of the best Aboriginal art-craft galleries to be seen anywhere.
The road is the Lasseter Highway.
The Mt. Ebenezer Roadhouse is run by the Imanpa Aboriginal community.
In that awesome landscape it isn’t at all uncommon to see Japanese tourists standing in the middle of this seemingly endless strip of bitumen, photographing its narrowing path into the distant horizon of the west.
Looming darkly in the north-west is Mt. Ebenezer, named, it is believed, after one of the pioneers, Ernest Ebenezer Flint, who worked on the overland telegraph line in the 1870s. Flint was wounded by a spear at the Barrow Creek telegraph station when it was attacked by Aborigines in 1874. (Read elsewhere on this site “The Barrow Creek Affair” for details.)
Perhaps the first European to sight Mt. Ebenezer in 1882 was the pastoralist, Richard Warburton, an early owner of Erldunda Station.
However, it was an intrepid traveller, Bill Hurle Liddle, who first settled the Mt. Ebenezer country. Liddle was born at Anguston, in South Australia, in 1887, his father, Thomas Drever Liddle, having enshipped from the Orkney Isles, Scotland, in 1851.
Liddle arrived at Alice Springs in 1907, aged 20 years.
Bill Liddle worked for a time at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station where he acquired a part-Aboriginal wife, Mary Earwaaker, producing four children, Hilda, Arthur, Milton and Harold.
Eventually, Bill Liddle branched out into making bush buildings.
In 1919 he won a contract to take 500 head of cattle out to “King’s Creek,” (now King’s Canyon), where he and his growing family squatted. Their home was a cave.
Exploring further afield, the Liddle’s took up Angas Downs, stocking it with sheep.
While taking their wool clip to the rail head at Rumbalara, Bill first came to notice the Mt. Ebenezer region and was later to utilise it for grazing purposes.
Aboriginal people of the Pitjantjatjara, Matuntara and Luritja tribal groups moved into the eastern regions around Mt. Ebenezer, Mt. Connor and Ayers Rock as more cattle properties were taken up by early settlers.
Harold Liddle founded Mt. Ebenezer Station in 1949, being one of the first part-Aboriginals to establish a pastoral enterprise.
He sold the property in 1952 to Ted Kunoth – the old homestead, a galvanised iron construction, still stands opposite the roadhouse – and today it is owned by the Fogarty family.
The Imanpa Aboriginal community live at Mt. Ebenezer in the Basedow Ranges
They produce arts and crafts for sale at the roadhouse, the income being channeled into maintaining schools, medical centre, etc., their ultimate objective being to achieve economic independence.
Ebenezer Roadhouse is south-west of Alice Springs … drive at 120mph for two hours down the Stuart Highway, branch off on to the Lasseter Highway at Erldunda, and you will be there, roughly, half way between the Alice and The Rock/Ayers Rock/Uluru.
No! the old homestead is not the iron building opposite the roadhouse..The roadhouse was built around the existing homestead by Ted Kunoth..The original built by my uncle Harold Liddle..The original homestead was established in 1947 on the north side of the Ebenezer range..which these days is mistakenly referred to as Basedow Range,it is actually Kernot Range.. Basedow is further west on the Angas Downs property..Bob Liddle
— Bob Liddle · 7 03 2008 - 16:37 · #
just wondering if you can let me now if thiomas last name was drever or liddle
Sorry, can't enlighten you. But maybe other readers might be able to help.— Stuart Thomas Drever · 23 03 2008 - 22:27 · #
Thank you for your comment. Perhaps other readers would like to add their views, too.
— The Boss · 31 03 2008 - 06:03 · #
Stuart,His full name was Thomas Drever Liddle..the full family background can be seen on my own webb site.www.kemara.com
Bob Liddle
— Bob Liddle · 7 07 2008 - 16:41 · #
i am a great grandaughter of Thomas foster Liddle as well does anyone know what ship Thomas Drever came out on?
— Louise · 30 09 2008 - 16:07 · #