Australia

Australia's Outback - Alice Springs and Its Surroundings

Alice Springs

The major town in Australia's desert and the second biggest in the Northern Territory."Mparntwe", as it is known by the local natives is located within a dry and arid climate far away from any other major places.

Being close to "MacDonnell Ranges" and the famous Ayers Rock, has made "Alice" a popular destination on the way to the tourist attractions nearby.

The town was first established by the famous Australian inland explorer, John McDouall Stuart, as part of a telegraph station which linked Adelaide to Darwin. It started to expand rapidly after Second World War when Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory had been bombed. Today "Alice" has a population of 25000 people and it combines a strong sense of the Outback's history with all the modern conveniences.

What to do?

• Festivals – "Alice" is famous for the great variety of events and festivals that are held in the city all over the year and especially during winter time: The "Henley-on-Todd Regatta Festival" takes place at the end of September. The main attraction of the festival is the boat race on Todd River. Another festival is "The Beer Festival" which includes different activities and funny competitions. Other known festivals are the "Camel Cup Festival" and "The Food &Wine Festival" which are held in May.
  
• Art – Alice Springs has plenty of Aboriginal art galleries. They present the rich culture and native traditions that abound in central Australia. The famous "Desert Mob Art Show" attracts art lovers who travel to Alice Springs to see works from Aboriginal art centers all over Australia.
  
• Museums – "Alice Springs" takes pride in a variety of museums within the city. Among the known museums is "The Adelaide House" which was established as a memorial to John Flynn, the founder of the aerial doctor service. Other interesting museums are "Alice Springs School Of the Air" which had been an airport in the past and today presents different exhibitions about the history of flying and "The Township Of Alice Springs" which marks the original site of the first European settlement in "Alice Springs" established to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide.
  
• Night life – As a central town for travelers, Alice Springs has rich nightlife. At the center of the city you can find different pubs and dance clubs with a variety of music styles and performances by local bands.
  
• Gardens – "The Alice Springs Desert Park" and "Olive Pink Botanic Gardens" are recommended places where you'll have the chance to see the characteristics of the surrounding desert environment.

Getting around Alice Springs

There are several tourist attractions relatively close to "Alice". One way to see them is by taking a guided tour of a few days which passes through the touristic sites all over the area. The guided tour provides the necessary facilities including meals and accommodation in different resorts.

Another popular way is by renting a car for a few days or joining other car travelers as a lifter.   

Where To Go?

Ayers rock and Uluru national park: One of the world's biggest miracles of nature and a very popular tourist destination. The park attracts tourists from all over the world who come to see the huge rock, travel in the area nearby and absorb some of the spiritual meanings that the Aborigines attribute to the place.

Ayers rock or Uluru as it is called by the Aborigines is a large sandstone rock formation at the southern part of the Northern Territory, 335 km south west of Alice Springs. The rock is 600 million years old, rises to 348 meters and extends to 2.4 km in width and to 9.4 km in circumference. The huge rock is famous mainly because of its tendency to change its color at different times of the day and year, especially at sunrise and sunset when it glows red. The rock also includes tunnels created by erosion, strange caves and some Aborigines' paintings. Other attractions in the park are some 400 kinds of plants and 150 kinds of birds.

Uluru is considered as a scared place to the Aborigines who believe that their ancestors had lived in this area for many years. That's why there are several holy sites near the rock which are prohibited for visitors' entry. In addition, there are some warning signs near the rock asking visitors to respect the holiness of the place and not to climb on it.

There are some hiking trails in the area. The most popular among them are "The Base Walk" offering an easy walk around the rock and "Liru Trek" which enables travelers to see how the natives of the Anangu tribe who were the traditional landowners of Uluru had been living.

Kata Tjuta/Mount Olga: This group of large domed rocks located about 365 km southwest of Alice Springs and 30 km west of Uluru is an impressive collection of rocks adorned by domes and separated by valleys, canyons and abysses.

"Kata Tjuta" which means "many heads" in traditional Aboriginal language, suggests some beautiful walking treks such as "The Valley Of The Winds" circle trek that leads to some lookouts along the way and the narrow and deep "Olga Gorge" that passes between Mt.Olga and Mt.Wulpa. The best time to walk in the area is early in the morning when it still cool and not too crowded.

Kings Canyon: A part of the "Watarrka National Park" located at the western end of the "George Gill Range" 323 km southwest of Alice Springs. The walls of the canyon are 300 meters high creating a spectacular sight of a deep gorge including phenomena such as "The Garden Of Eden" which is a narrow gorge covered with palm trees and "The Lost City" which contains different forms of rocks resembling houses.

There are two walks in Kings Canyon. The first one is a 2 km long (return) at Kings Creek, reaching the bottom of the gorge. At the end of the walk there's a platform, facing the canyon walls above. The second is a 6 km one (loop) - Kings Canyon Rim Walk- all the way up to the top of the canyon. From the top, there's a spectacular view of the gorge below and the surrounding landscape.

MacDonnell Ranges:  644 km of mountain ranges consisting of   parallel ridges running to the east and west of Alice Springs. They are the second longest and highest mountain ranges in Australia, and probably the most spectacular ones, with numerous red sandstone gorges and waterholes lined by red river gum and ghost gum trees.
There is no public transportation in the area, and the only way to travel is by car or by guided tours. Despite the fact that most of the routes are unsealed, there's no need of 4WD and a private car will do to get you around most walking routes.

If you are traveling at the West MacDonnell Ranges, don't miss "Simpson Gap", where Roe Creek has carved a narrow gorge with towering cliffs through Rungutjirba Range.

There's a bike trail of 15 km that leads to the Gap and a nice walk down the sandy creek bed that is dry most of the year. If you are     lucky, you'll have the chance to see wallabies walking in the area.

All these sites are the main attractions around Alice Springs. Of course there are many more places to see.