The town of Alice Springs is in the middle of the Australian continent. It is the unofficial capital of Australia's vast outback, but no one disputes this. This unique town is full of history and beautiful natural features. It is the perfect place to stay while exploring Australia's Red Centre, which is home to world-famous places like Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon, and the MacDonnell Ranges.
Central Australia is home to the MacDonnell Ranges, which is where Alice Springs is. It is about the same distance from Adelaide as it is from Darwin, and it is about 1500 kilometres from any major city in Australia in any direction. Mount Zeil, which is 1,525 metres high, is the tallest mountain in Australia's Northern Territory. It is part of the West MacDonnell Ranges and is about 200 kilometres west of Alice Springs. The town has a growing population of about 28,000 people and is now a thriving regional centre with a huge range of tours, places to stay, and things to do for every taste and budget.
In 1871, a telegraph repeater station was built in Alice Springs. This station was one of several that were built between Adelaide and Darwin as part of the historic Overland Telegraph. The town used to be called Stuart, but this name never caught on, so in 1933, the name was officially changed to Alice Springs. At first, development was slow. The first dirt road to Adelaide wasn't replaced until 1987. Until then, travellers, including those on the historic Ghan railway, took the same route north from Port Augusta in South Australia to Alice Springs via the outback towns of Oodnadatta and Finke. This was the same route that the early Scottish explorer John MacDouall Stuart took. The Stuart Highway, which goes from Adelaide to Darwin, is now a first-rate road that can be used by any car.
In the 1980s, Alice Springs grew and changed quickly. Today, it is a modern, medium-sized city with a lot of resources and facilities compared to other Australian towns of the same size. When it arrived in 1929, the Ghan Railway had a big impact on the growth of the town. The train line was just recently extended north to Darwin. The new route from Adelaide to Darwin through the middle of Australia is now one of the best train trips in the world.
In the centre of Alice Springs, you can find a number of historic buildings, such as the first hospital, which was in Adelaide House, the John Flynn Museum and Church, the Old Courthouse, the Residence, and the Stuart Town Gaol. The original Telegraph Station is in a reserve just north of Alice Springs, not far from where it was built. The Olive Pink Botanic Garden is an arid zone garden in the middle of town. It is on the east side of the normally dry Todd River, which runs through the middle of town.
Alice Springs is in a mostly dry area, and from April to September, the sky is a beautiful clear blue. Rainfall is unpredictable and comes and goes, but from October to March, when it's warmer, you can usually count on it. Temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit) are common in the summer, while in the winter (June to August), temperatures often drop below freezing point at night. Most days in the winter are bright and sunny, so this is the most popular time for tourists to come.
At the Strehlow Research Centre, which has a lot of interesting artefacts, you can learn about the Arrernte people of Alice Springs. The Araluen Arts Centre keeps a large collection of paintings by Aboriginal artists from the Alice Springs area. One of the most famous of these artists is Albert Namatjira, who is known for his watercolour paintings. There are a lot of other things to do in and around Alice Springs, such as riding horses or camels, riding a hot air balloon, riding a bike, or going on trips to nearby natural attractions in the MacDonnell Ranges. Between May and September, when it's cooler, Alice Springs also has a number of events and festivals.
Alice Springs has a wide range of places to stay, from hostels for backpackers to high-end hotels, and several good places to eat. All of Australia's capital cities are easy to get to by air or bus from Alice Springs. Consider taking the fancy Ghan train, which leaves from Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney and goes to Alice Springs. Cars can be taken on the Ghan, so when you get to Alice Springs, you can drive your own car.
