Things To Do In Alice Springs

The Alice has grown a lot from its origins as a telegraph station linking Adelaide to Darwin back in the 1870s. Today it is the major regional centre situated on the nearly always dry Todd River, and is a friendly, unpretentious place that is home to under 30,000 people but hosts over 300,000 visitors annually. Most merely stop by on the way through to the big rock down the road, but it is worth taking a few walks along some of the gorges in the MacDonnell Ranges.

However that big rock down the road (500km or so) is the magnificent and sacred Uluru, one of the world’s greatest natural wonders and is the main reason for most of the visitors. Also within the National Park is Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), no less of a reason to visit. As well as the numerous walks on offer in the park, it is quite a scene to behold from the tranquillity of a hot air balloon.

Also worth getting along to is Kings Canyon. With the amazing landscape to experience, and to avoid the main tours and backpackers, this is best done by 4WD on a few quite literally off the beaten track trails, such as the Mereenie Loop, or along the Finke River. Check for weather conditions as these can be impassable during the wet.