Alice

The Town of Alice or Mpwante as the Arrernte people [traditional owners] call it, was established by early explorers as a repeater station along the “Overland Telegraph Line” that ran from Adelaide via Alice Springs all the way up to Darwin and from there on to Java. Later, in the 1900’s it became attractive for its promise of rubies and gold. Today though, Alice is a gateway for tourists who want to explore the Red Centre. The desert climate makes it ideal for outdoor activities as it rarely rains. There is plenty of adventure to be had here, the town is surrounded by the MacDonnell Ranges where one can go hiking, quad or mountain biking, hire a 4WD to explore the area etc. Art lovers will find many art galleries around town where a wide variety of Aboriginal artifacts, primarily by the Arrernte people, is on display. Other worthwhile attractions are the “Royal Flying Doctor” base or the “School of The Air” relay station, where visitors can listen in on teachers talking to their pupils in far away places. The Alice Springs School of the Air covers an incredible 800,000 km2 of outback Australia and is therefore surely the world’s very biggest classroom!

 

It is the third largest town of the NT, with a population of 28,000. The first and traditional inhabitants, the Arrernte people, are said to have lived in the Central Australian desert around today’s Alice Springs for 50,000 years. Alice is the starting point for many possible excursions into beautiful wilderness areas like Kings Canyon, the Western McDonnell Ranges, Simpson Desert, Chambers Pillar and Rainbow Valley. A wide variety of accommodation options are available for tourists and visitors.