Erldunda Station was first stocked in the 1884. Its early days were marked by a variety of difficulties, primarily with the local Aborigines. In 1887 there was an attack which resulted in the manager of the station opening fire on the group who were involved. Mayhem continued for some period thereafter, with cattle being killed on a variety of occasions.

Three Matuntara were subsequently shot and 2 were captured. It settled down for a while, but further cattle killings occurred intermittently until the early 1890s, when the police upped their campaign to apprehend the assailants. After this the extent of the killings diminished considerably.

The cattle station remains active today, covering an area of 6700 square kilometres in the rugged desert of the Northern Territory.

In 1980 the Erldunda Desert Oaks Resort was established, and it has a variety of accommodation available, including hotel, motel and caravan park. It also has a roadhouse, and is a welcome stopover point on the way to or from the South Australian border.

Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve is a reserve about halfway between Erldunda and Alice Springs. It is to the north, off the Stuart Highway. The main attraction here is seen at its best in the late afternoon, when the setting sun shines directly onto a stark range of richly-coloured sandstone. Spreading desert oaks are a feature of the surrounding sand plain. 4WD vehicle is recommended. Henbury Meteorite Craters Conservation Reserve is also well worth a visit and is north of Erldunda on the way to Alice Springs.

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