Alice Springs

Where is it?

The Northern territory is massive and miles to the south of Darwin, almost smack in the middle of the country lies Alice Springs. Surrounded by desert, rain is almost unheard of but although the town swelters in the summer heat the other times of the year are much more bearable for exploring the natural beauty of the area.

What is it like?

European settlement only dates back 125 years, the Aborigines have been here for thousands, and the population of the town has grown slowly to reach its current level of almost 25000.
Alice began as a telegraph station for the Overland Telegraph Line linking north with south in the 1870’s. The telegraph was the brainchild of Charles Todd after whom the towns (mostly dry) Todd River was named. A spring on the river was named for his wife whose name was, (that’s right you’ve guessed it) Alice.
The town grew steadily but the decisive point was the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese in WW2. The administration of the Territory shifted south to Alice and after the war significant numbers of people stayed. USAF families serving on the nearby satellite-tracking base further buoyed the population. Real growth and development in the town had to wait until the 1980’s when the tourist boom kicked in. Now as a major stopping off point across the dusty out back visitors stop here on the way to Ayers Rock (Uluru) and the myriad sites of interest the region has to offer. That is not to say that the town, small and bustling, is not without its own attractions.

What to see and do.

There are various distractions in and around Alice. You can happily pass time in a low key, entertaining way, before you make your way into the bush.
The Alice Springs Desert Park is a microcosm of central Australian wildlife and botany or if you prefer your fun a little more scaly then perhaps a visit to the Alice Springs Reptile Centre is the place to go.
Alice relies to a greater or lesser extent on the aeroplane for many aspects of it’s life this is reflected in the Royal Flying Doctor Service Base (1/2 hour tours available) and the Kookaburra & Aviation Museum - Kookaburra being the name of a famed Aussie plane. For views of the town and the scenery around, climb ANZAC Hill.
Alice hosts the Museum of Central Australia & Strehlow Research Centre. The museum part is a well-laid collection of fossils, natural history exhibit sand geological info. The research centre part, named for the guy who started it and collected most of the artefacts on show, a Professor Ted Strehlow is one of the finest collections of Aboriginal tribal pieces anywhere. Another character who campaigned for Aboriginal rights is commemorated in the Olive Pink Botanical Reserve.
As a desert, it seemed an obvious thing to bring camels to the area to deliver the post before the advent of the railways. Australia now boasts a large wild camel population, the history of which is covered on a visit to the Frontier Camel farm, not far from town. Apart from a history of the creatures down under you can also ride one an experience not to be missed (or repeated).
If you are in Alice chances are you are planning a trip into one of the nearby National Parks. The West MacDonnell Ranges Park is spectacular and massive its Eastern counterpart is more compact (though no less awe inspiring) there are walking trails, 4WD tracks and guided tours throughout.
You may also like to visit the Finke Gorge National Park or the Watarrke National Park for more sun blasted scenery. All the parks are rich in Aboriginal heritage.

Eating, sleeping and drinking.

For such a remote spot Alice Springs does ok for accommodation, cafés, bars and restaurants. The rules of supply and demand seem to apply. Choice and quality are good and although not exactly party central there is something happening in one of the bars or local venues most nights of the week.