What are the best things to do in Alice Springs?
The best things to do in Alice Springs include the Araluen Cultural Precinct, Alice Springs Desert Park, Flying Doctors base and a day tour of the West MacDonnell Ranges.
Roughly on the Tropic of Capricorn, Alice Springs is the largest town in Central Australia. Given the Alice Springs population is just under 27,000, it may come as a surprise to learn that it is the biggest town for miles around. But that’s the Red Centre of the Northern Territory for you. It’s a vast swathe of mostly uninhabited outback, punctuated by some stunning rock formations.
Seven essential Alice Springs activities to add to your trip.
- See imposing red rock cliffs and stunning swimming holes – on a West MacDonnell Ranges day trip.
- Glide across the changing morning colours of the outback – on a hot air balloon ride.
- See how education works across the outback – at the School of the Air.
- Take in the epic outback scenery – on a scenic flight.
- See the outback wildlife come to life – on a Desert Park nocturnal tour.
- Try camel rides through the red dirt landscape – and learn the weird history of Aussie camels.
- See stunning, often unvisited outback sites – on a Palm Valley 4wd tour.
There are, however, plenty of things to do in Alice Springs. For a town so small, it has a fantastic array of attractions and activities. The secret is realising that not many of them are in the town centre.
It’s advisable to hire a car in Alice Springs if you want to make the best of the Red Centre’s hub town, unless you want to rely on day tours.
Things to do in Alice Springs: Araluen Cultural Precinct
Go to central Alice Springs and you’ll find several bars and restaurants, plus art galleries of varying quality. But go west of the centre, and you’ll find the Araluen Cultural Precinct. This is home to the Araluen Arts Centre, which hosts a theatre and a series of galleries. This is probably the best place in the country to get an overview and understanding of Aboriginal art from the Central Deserts.
Sort out your Red Centre transport now
The Museum of Central Australia is also in the Araluen Cultural Precinct. This offshoot of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin is largely focused on natural history. There’s particular emphasis on the now-extinct megafauna, such as giant wombats, that once roamed Australia.
Things to do in Alice Springs: Old Telegraph Station
If it’s history you’re interested in, then you should probably start at the Telegraph Station Historical Reserve about 4km north of the town centre. This was where the European story of Alice Springs began, with the Old Telegraph Station installed. Now it’s essentially a museum about Alice’s early days.
School of the Air and Flying Doctors in Alice Springs
There are a couple of other things to do in Alice Springs that give a fascinating insight into how life in the outback works. The School of the Air bills itself as the world’s largest classroom, with pupils spread out over 1.3 million square kilometres. The School of the Air Visitor Centre shows how children on remote outback stations and Aboriginal lands are given an education. It was once done by radio, but now satellite technology is used.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service Base is perhaps even more remarkable. The guided tours here show how the Flying Doctors provide medical care across the outback. It’s not all about daring rescue flights – a major part of what the Flying Doctors do is providing equipment and education on how to use it. The aim is to not have to fly to remote cattle stations unless strictly necessary, and to make sure the dirt air strips are well maintained in case there is an emergency.
Alice Springs wildlife attractions
Several of the best things to do in Alice Springs focus on desert wildlife. The Alice Springs Reptile Centre is most accessible, and covers the venomous snakes and weird-looking lizards of the outback. If you want to see thorny devils, perenties and bearded dragons, you’re in luck.
The Alice Springs Desert Park is better, though. Here, Red Centre wildlife is on display in recreated natural habitats. It shows that there’s much more to the desert than endless red dirt.
The Alice Springs Kangaroo Sanctuary, just out of town and only visitable on a tour, is heartwarming. This is the result of one man’s mission to help injured and orphaned kangaroos. He opens the Alice Springs Kangaroo Sanctuary to visitors partly to provide funding to keep his rescued kangaroos fed, partly to educate people on what to do if they see an injured roo by the roadside.
Things to do in Alice Springs: Walking
It might be roasting hot, but Alice Springs does offer several really good walking trails. The most popular of these follows the Lions Walk from Wills Terrace to the top of Anzac Hill. Just north of Alice Springs town centre, the war memorial at Anzac Hill looks down through Heavitree Gap at the town. There are also marvellous views of the MacDonnell Ranges.
If you’re really, really into walking, then the Larapinta Trail offers a 12 day trek through the West MacDonnell Ranges. This requires a high degree of self-sufficiency, and camping in very basic campgrounds. On the way, you’ll get to see rugged Red Centre highlights such as Standley Chasm and Ormiston Gorge, however.
Alice Springs tours
There’s a wealth of such gorges, Aboriginal rock art sites and striking waterholes around Alice Springs. These include Trephina Gorge and Emily Gap in the East MacDonnell Ranges, plus Glen Helen Gorge and Redbank Gorge in the West MacDonnell Ranges. There’s also the multi-coloured Rainbow Valley Conservation Road to the south.
You can explore gorgeous gorges and rugged rocks on your own, or take a tour. Emu Run offers a one day West MacDonnell Ranges tour, costing $155. This tour is suitable for most fitness levels, and includes Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, the Ochre Pits, Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen, Ellery Creek Big Hole and the Flynn Memorial.
Outback Elite Tours, meanwhile, offers an East MacDonnell Ranges day trip in a 4WD vehicle. These day tours from Alice Springs cost $325, but they’re for small groups and go to places most visitors won’t reach on their own.
These include the Arltunga Historical Reserve, Trephina Gorge Nature Park, Corroboree Rock and Emily and Jessie Gaps. There’s plenty of historical context and rock art along the way.
If you don’t want to see quite as much, but enjoy some serious novelty value, then Pyndan Tracks runs Alice Springs camel tours.
Best Alice Springs accommodation choices
These are the best Alice Springs accommodation picks:
- For a solid, relatively affordable motel: Elkira Court Motel.
- For villas, gardens and a lagoon-style pool: Desert Palms.
- For backpackers: Alice’s Secret Travellers Inn.
- For a kid-friendly holiday park: Discovery Parks Alice Springs.
- For business-friendly serviced apartments: Quest Alice Springs.
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