Alice Springs Desert Park
If you only visit one thing in
Alice Springs, make it the
Alice Springs Desert Park, about 6km west of the town on
Larapinta Drive, accessible by car, touring coach or
Desert Park Transfers. I recommend spending a whole day there, with lunch at the
Coolamon Café (check for blackboard specials). But then I'm a confirmed nature nut. There's just so much to see! You can't possibly jam it all into only a couple of hours. Either way, you'll become much more desert wise (try the audio guides to accompany your walk) and have a bunch of fun to boot.
If you are short of time, make a beeline for the free-flying birds of prey at the nature theatre where you're likely to get up close and personal with a wedge-tailed eagle or any one of a number of the graceful native birds of the region. If you've got time before you come, use the website to help plan your visit. It is packed with useful information about show times and how to learn about Aboriginal traditions or the different habitats, plants and critters you will find in Central Australia.
The other big-ticket item in my book is the Nocturnal House, which is both relaxing and informative. Creatures that usually come out only at night (including furry ones, and deadly snakes — safely behind glass, thanks!) are plain to see in this softly lit fauna wonderland. Kids love this part. Ask about the dawn bird-watching tours (Wednesday and Saturday) led by one of the expert bird guides, or a nocturnal tour where you can spotlight endangered species with a ranger. Dinner and tour packages are available. Entry is $20 per adult, $10 per child with family and school deals available.
There are a lot of arty crafty types in Alice Springs. Check out their wares while you grab something to eat at the
Todd Mall Markets. The markets are on every second Sunday from 9am until 1pm in summer (2pm in winter). Actually, they are often more frequent during the cooler months from May to October, but you'll catch one in most months of the year.
There are more stall traders during winter also, where you can grab some great bargains, exotic jewellery and fresh vegetables from the Vietnamese market gardeners Tinh and Lan who grow their own on the outskirts of the town. From September until around Christmas time there are even night markets of a Thursday, where you might find a last-minute gift.
When smarmy city types ask whether my wife and I have seen this show or that, we can often answer with a firm yes. Alice Springs residents are lucky to have a top-flight entertainment Centre in the
Araluen Cultural Precinct. But entertainment is not all it offers. In fact, it is the best location for art and culture in central Australia. It is easy to guide yourself around this area, and there's plenty to suit all tastes.
The Araluen Centre itself is the focal point for performing and visual arts. There are a number of art galleries including my favourite, the Albert Namatjira Gallery. But the centre also features travelling exhibitions on a regular basis. Check out the website (or the foyer) to see what's showing during your visit, or catch a movie, show or visiting performer.
Professor Ted Strehlow worked from the early 1930s as an anthropologist and patrol officer among the Arrernte Aboriginal people. The Strehlow Research Centre houses a collection of film, sound, archives and museum objects relating to Aboriginal ceremonies, resulting directly from Professor Strehlow's work. Many are sacred and secret, and only some are on display (but including ancient fighting knives and boomerangs). The story of the Strehlow family is riveting.
Just downstairs from the Strehlow Research Centre is the Museum of Central Australia. It is full of reconstructed dinosaurs, stuffed birds, snakes and mammals, rocks and minerals and enough colourful displays to keep you glued for hours.
Central Australia is host to a bunch of palaeontological digs, which have turned up some rather surprising mega-fauna, including giant crocodiles and the largest bird that ever lived. There's also Central Craft, the nearby Central Australian Aviation Museum and an Aboriginal Cultural Art Tour.
It used to be kids of the outback got their schooling via a scratchy speaker and a high-frequency radio while they swatted off pesky flies. Now they are all floating in cyberspace, with just a bit of help from satellites, in what is arguably the world's largest classroom.
Whatever the technology of the day, the Alice Springs School of the Air has been there to help. Nowadays it provides education for about 120 children living on properties or remote settlements across more than 1 million square kilometres of central Australia. The visitors centre is a must see. There is a short film and live classes and funds raised from the centre go to help the school do its work.
I have to admit I've never been, but almost everyone I know who visits gives a good rap about Andrew Langford's didgeridoo playing at the
Sound of Starlight Theatre in the heart of
Todd Mall. From what I hear it's one of the most consistently high-quality long-running shows in town. Using multimedia, Andrew blends images of the desert landscape with live keyboards and percussion in addition to his much talked about prowess on didge; he's played with the likes of John Williamson and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra.
About a 15-minute hike from the CBD, these gardens are a tribute to eccentric anthropologist and botanist
Olive Pink, who lived her last days here in a tin shed. There's often industrial sculpture and other artwork on display. The environs are idiosyncratically Centralian, with stark rockscapes against clear blue skies.
Olive Pink Botanic Gardens' cafe,
Bean Tree, is a great place for a weekend brunch with the kids. There's plenty of space for them to run around, and lots of interesting nature walks, industrial sculptures, and a large sandpit. Wear them out at the end with a walk up
Meyers Hill for a view overlooking town.
Flag down the ghosts of truckies past, at the
Road Transport Hall of Fame, south of the
Alice Springs CBD on the way to the airport. It's got more trucks, weird trailers and old buses than you are ever likely to see collected anywhere. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but a must for motor and transport enthusiasts of all descriptions. It's even got a few old Norton motorbikes. It's a real lesson in how drivers of years gone by forged their way across Australia's tough terrain.
The hall is always expanding its collection, so every time you go there is something new. While you're there, duck next door to the old Ghan Historical Railway Museum (check if train tours are running), or you might stop at the Tea Rooms for a cup of tea and scones before it's on to the Kenworth Dealer Truck Museum, where, if you've always wondered what's under the hood of a road train prime mover, now's your chance.
One of the first things my family and I did upon moving to
Alice Springs was cycle to
Simpsons Gap. It is about 17km cross-country on a really well-formed and sealed path through some of the most attractive bushland you'll find close to the town. From the track you get panoramic views of the
West MacDonnell Ranges as you wind your way through gums and mulga, cross creek beds and climb rocky hills. And the whole thing is a pretty easy gradient, so, while you need to be reasonably healthy, you don't have to be super-fit.
Some even do the ride by moonlight. Hire a bike or borrow one from your hotel. But remember, it is already 7km to Flynn's Grave from the centre of Alice Springs. If you don't reckon you're up to this you could try a combination of drive and ride. Allow between one and two hours for the one-way trip from Flynn's Grave to Simpsons Gap. I'm not much for riding back over the same track, so you might want to plan a pick-up. And remember to take plenty of water!
Next: Where the locals dine
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