The Arrernte (pronounced Arrenda) Aboriginal people have made their home in the Central Australian desert in and around Alice Springs for more than 50,000 years. The Aboriginal name for Alice Springs is Mparntwe. Three major groups Western, Eastern and Central Arrernte people live in Central Australia, their traditional land including the area of Alice Springs and East/West MacDonnell Ranges. They are also referred to as Aranda, Arrarnta, Arunta, and other similar spellings.
Arrernte country is rich with mountain ranges, waterholes, and gorges; as a result the Arrernte people set aside 'conservation areas' in which various species are protected. According to the Arrernte traditional stories, in the desert surrounding Alice Springs, the landscape was shaped by caterpillars, wild dogs, travelling boys, sisters, euros (Kangaroo like creature) and other ancestral figures.
There are many sites of traditional importance in and around Alice Springs, such as Anthwerrke (Emily Gap), Akeyulerre (Billy Goat Hill), Ntaripe (Heavitree Gap), Atnelkentyarliweke (Anzac Hill), and Alhekulyele (Mt. Gillen). Many Arrernte people also live in communities outside of Alice Springs.
Pronunciation of these Arrernte words can be very difficult. The reason for that is that Arrernte, and indeed every indigenous language of Australia were not written. When Europeans arrived with their missions to convert people to Christianity, they felt the need to have the language written, and using their own languages put the written form to the language. As a result of the missionaries being mostly German, they used their own language to develop the Arrernte written language.
Don't worry if you cant pronounce it, everyone in town knows the places by their European names.
In 1862, John McDouall Stuart led an expedition into Central Australia and the area where Alice Springs is located. Until the 1930s, however, the town was known as Stuart. The Overland Telegraph Line linking Adelaide to Darwin and Great Britain was completed in 1872. It traced Stuart’s route and opened up the interior for permanent settlement. It wasn’t until alluvial gold was discovered at Arltunga, 100 km east of Alice Springs, in 1887 that any significant settlement occurred.
The telegraph station was sited near what was thought to be a permanent waterhole in the normally dry Todd River and was optimistically named Alice Springs after the wife of the former Postmaster General of South Australia, Sir Charles Todd. The Todd River was named after Sir Charles himself. The original mode of transportation in the outback were camel trains, operated by immigrants from Pathan tribes in the North-West frontier of the then British India and Pakistan who were misnamed ‘Afghan’ Camellers.
Cattle Stations opened up the interior of Australia, with stations the size of small European Countries running mostly Cattle. Camels were (and still are) farmed in Central Australia - and the exporting of Camels to the Middle East is a fast developing industry. This is because the Australian Camels are a pure breed of camel and often free from the diseases which can be prevalent in the Middle Eastern countries.
During World War 2, Alice Springs was an important location for the Northern defense of Australia, and was a staging point for the allies movements to defeat the Japanese Imperial forces. Alice Springs' importance grew when it was established that coastal shipments to Darwin were no longer safe. Lots of relics from World War Two are still in use today in Alice Springs, primarily the Alice Springs Airport, which was constructed as a result of the War.
After the conclusion of the war, there was still a large American influence in the town, and as a result, a number of covert locations were set up in and around Alice Springs to monitor world events. One of these was a Seismic Vault, which was a bunker of sorts, dug into a mound, and which held instruments such as seismographs and other instruments to detect the ground movements of possible nuclear testing in the (at the time) USSR. One of these bunkers was recently 'discovered' and is now heritage listed.
The 1960s saw the establishment of the Joint Defence Space Research Facility, or as it's locally known, "Pine Gap". The facility was established in the 1970s and is the only area in Australia with Prohibited airspace - so forget about seeing it up close. You may, however, see it on approach or departure from Alice Springs Airport.
Tourism is a major industry in Alice Springs, with well developed facilities for travelers. Visit the Alice Springs Visitor Centre [http://www.centralaustraliantourism.com], located at 60 Gregory Terrace, at the south end of Todd Mall, for Visitor Guides, maps, tour and accommodation bookings, and suggested itineraries. You can even download or view the latest Visitor Guide for Central Australia on their website.
Almost in the exact centre of the continent, Alice Springs is some 1200 km from the nearest ocean and 1500 km from the nearest major cities, Darwin and Adelaide. Alice Springs is the midpoint of the Adelaide-Darwin Railway.
To the south are the imposing McDonnell Ranges, with all transport links to the south using "Heavitree Gap" - a distinctive narrow gap in the range where the railway, highway and Todd River run through without any climb required. Heavitree Gap was named by William Mills, a surveyor of the Overland Telegraph line. He named it in honour of his former School in Devon (UK).
The roads around Alice Springs are generally flat and tend to skirt a lot of the hills, some of which are sacred sites to the local Indigenous people.
There is an airport (ASP) in Alice Springs. The airport doesn't have air bridges, so that passengers need to use stairs to get in/out of planes. However the walk to the terminal is less than a minute. The terminal is large and efficient, but the ticket counters do close in the afternoon for about two hours. Currently Qantas has connecting flights to [wiki=a4bd01593487c956f68d360c18cb68b3]Darwin[/wiki], [wiki=1fc91e86962825bb745de53d1657b3e4]Sydney[/wiki], [wiki=7c885b9c7c703a77befcabeea54944d5]Melbourne[/wiki], [wiki=759302fb84c5f72078746e7358ba44a0]Brisbane[/wiki], [wiki=a02f9768660497d370831df932feeeaf]Adelaide[/wiki], [wiki=c0f6d8f516f49d2e7a21306270f8c21a]Cairns[/wiki] and [wiki=afdb95ee7517d683d92221c87f0f56bb]Perth[/wiki]. Virgin Australia has direct flights a few times a week to Darwin and Adelaide. There is a flying shuttle to Uluru also (but Uluru has an airport (AYQ) too, so if you're just flying in to see the rock, you don't have to stop off at Alice). Both have car rental outlets in the terminal. Watch out for the flies when leaving the airport, head netting is worth considering on the way to your rental car.
[wiki=44fbd22b21df2c73fd8b4ecc3938384b]The Ghan[/wiki] is a private tourist train covering the vast distance from [wiki=a02f9768660497d370831df932feeeaf]Adelaide[/wiki] to [wiki=a4bd01593487c956f68d360c18cb68b3]Darwin[/wiki] stopping in Alice. Expect to pay a premium over the airfare, even for a sitting seat. You can put your car on the train.
Alice Springs is 17 hours drive from [wiki=a4bd01593487c956f68d360c18cb68b3]Darwin[/wiki], and 18 hours drive from [wiki=a02f9768660497d370831df932feeeaf]Adelaide[/wiki]. The [wiki=5106a8a287d40c4aede17757a661c5d8]Stuart Highway[/wiki] from [wiki=a02f9768660497d370831df932feeeaf]Adelaide[/wiki] is well-maintained and goes right through [wiki=cc2f0420f6ae7278abbf85bcc429de88]Coober Pedy[/wiki], an underground town famous also for being the opal capital of the world (and therefore well worth stopping off for a visit on the way). It continues through [wiki=0e85716c56e24d09e2203d83721faa20]Tennant Creek[/wiki] and [wiki=092ebe465c6804f482e9af6a4a387116]Katherine[/wiki] all the way up to Darwin.
If you are driving on the main sealed routes from other Australian Capital cities, you will likely not be driving on remote roads, and provided you do not take side trips, there will likely be passing traffic. It is worthwhile reading the safety tips for [wiki=16e8cb4dc8594375ff77522f204b7ea9]Driving in Australia[/wiki] and always carrying water and ensuring you know the location and opening hours of your fuel and food stops.
Read the rental car conditions carefully. Rental cars in Alice Springs may not offer unlimited free kilometres. Rental cars hired outside of the Northern Territory may not be able to be driven into it. Driving after dark outside of the city limits may be prohibited. Rental companies in AC do not offer hand-controls for the handicapped. If the vehicle is damaged, get an independent assessment before returning the vehicle to the rental company.
The official visitor information centre has access to unlimited kilometre rates, so it's worth getting in touch with them if you are going to clock up the Kms on the car! Do the math however, it doesn't always work out cheaper since the km inclusive rates seem to have a higher daily rate.[http://www.centralaustraliantourism.com]
Greyhound [http://www.greyhound.com.au]] ply the route to Alice Springs from the north and the south.
Alice Show [url=http://www.alice-springs.com.au/asp_show.php]]- the annual festival with shopping, fair ground rides, animal displays, fireworks, art and crafts, races and performances.
*Henley On Todd [url=http://www.henleyontodd.com.au/[/url]]- river sand race poking fun at the British tradition of boat racing, usually held in late August each year.
*Camel Cup [url=http://www.camelcup.com.au/[/url]]- Camel race day - a fun day out held in early July.
*Beanie Festival [url=http://www.beaniefest.org/[/url]]- knitting festival including mostly 'beanie' hats knit from every conceivable material in every conceivable pattern, all for sale. Also afternoon teas and art displays and music.
*Finke Desert Race [url=http://www.finkedesertrace.com.au/[/url]]- motorcycles or 4wd buggies racing over the Finke river track.
*Alice Masters Games [url=http://www.alicespringsmasters.com.au/[/url]]- sports cup for people of all ages, held every 2nd year. To be held next in October 2012.
For a detailed and up-to-date calendar of events in Alice Springs, go to the Alice Springs Town Council website. [http://www.alicesprings.nt.gov.au/events[/url]
Anzac Hill. Anzac Hill Rd. Low hill with great view on the city and the MacDonnell Ranges. Its Aboriginal name is Untyeyetweleye.
*Stargazing - Alice Springs is in the middle of the largest land area without lights on earth, so the view of the Milky Way is unmatched unless you're on a dark boat in the middle of the ocean. Anyone from the city stopping on the road just out of town at night and tipping their head back is likely to fall over from the sheer shock of all those stars. as a result astronomy is popular in town.
* Alice Springs Desert Park located outside of town is truly memorable in its examples of local flora and fauna. They give a number of interesting lectures, such as aboriginal use of local plants for food. The nocturnal exhibit is excellent, a very low-light building with offset day and night schedule to induce the nocturnal critters to come out during the day so people can see them. The best time to go to the park is early morning, before it gets hot; you can spend a full day walking the trails, going to the birds of prey exhibition where they fly the local aerial predators overhead, and getting the bushfoods and medicine tour.
* Reptile Centre, [http://www.reptilecentre.com.au/]. Examples of the local reptiles and one NT croc specially imported, on display by the guy the locals call when something with fangs is in the kitchen.
*Olive Pink Botanical Garden - A desert botanical garden. Doesn't bloom much, but if you happen to get here after a rain, it's a really nice spot. Bring your sunscreen. There's a biography at Dymock's on the life of the lady it's named after, Olive Pink.
Adelaide House - the first stone building in Alice, located on the Todd Mall and well worth a visit if only for the absolutely amazing early air-conditioning system. Really cool display of old communications technology, like the bike-powered communications radio. Run by a couple old women who serve tea - an excellent place to have a sit-down. Nice and quiet.
*Old Timer's Museum - located at the Old Timer's Retirement Village, off the South Stuart Highway leading into town from the airport before you get to the Gap. Really cool history of the outback, with a big collection of amazing stuff from the first white folks to hop a camel for the middle of nowhere. Definitely worth a visit.
*The Residency - Built in 1927 as the residence of the Government Representative to Central Australia, the house was the centre of government and social activity right up to the early 1970s. Visited by foreign dignitaries, government officials, and even royalty, the Residency operates as a museum house where people immerse themselves in the early administrative history of the town and region. Speak with one of the friendly volunteers who are on hand to answer your questions. Located on the corner of Parsons and Hartley Streets "phone="+61 (8) 8953 6380" Entry is by gold-coin donation, and opening hours are 10 am - 2pm Monday to Friday. Its generally closed over the very quiet summer months, December til late March.
* National Pioneer Womens Hall of Fame, 2 Stuart Terrace, Old Alice Springs Gaol. Next to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. ☎ +61 (8) 8952 9006 [http://www.pioneerwomen.com.au/]. Entry fees apply. Hundreds of women are recognized for their special contributions to Australia’s heritage. Exhibitions include the 'Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives - Women First in Their Field', the Signature Quilt - 'Women at the Heart' and 'Women's Work of yesteryear'.
The Old Gaol buildings are open for visitors to look through and gaol stories are told in a complementary booklet. The museum is devoted to the women who picked up stakes, hauled a whole house in a wagon out to the hottest, most dangerous place they could find, plunked themselves down where you couldn't see another house for a thousand miles in any direction and said, "This looks like a nice spot to live." Amazing stories.
There is plenty to see and do for all ages with a gift shop, toilets and access for people with disabilities available.
*Alice Springs Telegraph Station. A little history, a little food, a little tea, a big old place to walk around. Restored buildings marking the site of the original European settlement in Alice Springs, it's also surrounded by a lovely park, making it a great place for a picnic. You can see the original Alice Spring, a waterhole named after the daughter of the then governor. It was discovered in 1871 when the telegraph line from Darwin to Adelaide was constructed. In the 1930s, the station was used as a home for children of the stolen generations and during World War Two as a military base. Two km walk from the town centre.
*Alice Springs Cemetery. Next to Araluen Cultural Precinct, you can visit the old cemetery and Albert Namatjira's grave.
*Hartley Street School
Royal Flying Doctor Service, [http://www.flyingdoctor.net/] with School of the Air - a museum and cafe. Famous!
* Aviation Museum - a number of older planes, showing the history of aviation in a town which relies on it to survive.
’’’Pyndan Camel Tracks’’’ - Take a one-hour or half day journey aboard a “ship of the desert”, through the scenic Ilparpa Valley, located in the famous MacDonnell Ranges. Owner and cameleer Marcus has been working with camels since 1982 and his camels are well trained. Pyndan Camel Tracks is the only camel-riding experience based out of Alice Springs, and he also offers a free shuttle service from most hotels and the Alice Springs Visitor Information Centre to help people get to his property.
* Outback Ballooning - Take a balloon ride and see the sunrise. Alice Springs has ideal weather for ballooning and the tour operators run almost every day of the year.
*Quads & Motorcycles - Some tour groups do quadding through the spinifex, and Harley rides through remote Central Australia - lovely day trips.
*Cycle hire - You can hire a bicycle and tour around town the healthy way. Just remember your water!
*Golf Course - For the incurable golfer, the golf course is rated one of the best desert golf courses . There are a whole lot of golfers here so I guess it must be good. There's also a clubhouse with drinks & snacks.
*Pioneer Park Races [http://www.alicespringsturfclub.org.au/club_race_track.htm] - the local racetrack with pretty much guaranteed lovely weather.
*Rugby League - Sport is part of life in Australia - what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Winter then at the Rugby League? Matches are held at Anzac Oval from March and finalise in the Grand Final usually held on the first Saturday of September. League was founded in Alice Springs in 1963, and to this day, two of the foundation teams, Wests and United still play, as well as Memo and Vikings. It is a good strong competition and makes for a wonderful day out!
Explore the 12 craters, which were formed when a meteor hit the earth’s surface 4,700 years ago. The Henbury Meteor, weighing several tonnes and accelerating to over 40,000km/h, disintegrated before impact, and the fragments formed the 12 craters.
*The exhibitions explore the unique features of the region through time and space, following the evolution of the landscape and the creatures that inhabited it. Featured is a replica of a local paleontological dig, an ancient waterhole with some surprising mega fauna including a giant freshwater crocodile and the largest bird that ever lived, Dromornis stirtoni, dated at eight million years old. Other exhibits include present day Central Australian mammals, reptiles, insects and meteorite fragments.
*Totem Theatre [url=http://totemtheatre.blogspot.com/2007/09/about-totem.html]]- Not open to the public unless a play is on - the little local theatre, heritage listed building put up during World War 2 to entertain the troops after they retreated from Darwin because of the Japanese bombing. Small local theatre groups put on productions on a semi-regular basis; ask at Dymocks if there are any tickets. Theatre on a shoestring budget!
*Araluen Arts & Cultural Centre [http://www.nretas.nt.gov.au/arts-and-museums/ascp[/url] - An amazing local art museum, with works by Namatjira and other local artists. Regular traveling art shows, plays, and film festivals. The front desk will know what events are ongoing - there's always something ongoing.
Say hello to one of their friendly camels, take a short ride around the enclosure or browse through the interesting assortment of souvenirs and local Aboriginal art on display in their shop. Sit back, relax and enjoy the view while enjoying a cold drink and something to eat.
North of Alice - The area stretching north of Alice Springs is known for its serene beauty and as a setting for gem fossicking, bush walking, bush camping and four-wheel-driving. A few hours north are gem fields with Garnet, Zircon, Tourmaline, Apatite and various kinds of Quartz. Contact the Gem Tree for details. Garnet is the easiest to go for on your first try, as the garnet chips are easy to find on the surface and require no digging or special equipment. You do need a permit though [http://www.nt.gov.au/dpifm/Minerals_Energy/index.cfm?header=Fossicking].
There are a fair few options here in Alice Springs for tucker (dinner). McDonald's, KFC, Hungry Jacks (Burger King), and Red Rooster (Australian made KFC) are the main take away chains, but there are also your small family take aways, such as Big Al's, East Side Fish and Chips and Scoff.
Additionally, there are some great Pizza Shops in town, La Casalinga is a great feed. It's on Gregory Terrace, and it's got a really nice old school atmosphere about it. Has not changed for 20 years, and won't in the near future!
Ling's Supermarket In shop 8 & 9 113 Todd St has a huge range of Asian food available including: noodles, (white red and black) rice, sauces, kim chi, dried, fresh and frozen products. They have an interesting range of authentic Asian Cooking gear and health products to see and you will find a quality vegetarian range to choose from. Open seven days with very helpful staff Phone 0417962121 Fax 08 89533678 e-mail lings.supermarket@gmail.com
*The Tea Shrine is on 113 Todd Street - right next to the Greyhound station, and serves a large variety of teas both hot and cold, and some excellent light Asian-style vegetarian meals. The Korean iced tea is really, really good - don't leave without trying it! M-Sa 09:00-16:00.
Town and Country is a pub on the Todd Mall. They serve light meals, and it's usually got quite a nice atmosphere about it.
On the Todd Mall:
*Sporties has a long history in Alice; it used to be the little casual place owned by and attached to the only 5-star place in town, Puccini's. But Puccini's closed and transferred some of their menu to Sporties, so as rough and tumble as they look, their food is amazing. "I’ve never had a bad meal at Sporties" is a common saying amongst locals. Very good service - surprisingly quick.
*The Thai Room is down an alley off the Todd Mall. It has home-style Thai food, from paw-paw salad to beef salad to the best Tom Yum ever and pad Thai. Excellent food, not too pricey, and if you ask for it spicy they will accommodate you. Open for lunch and dinners most days.
*Red Ochre Grill is attached to the Aurora Hotel on the Todd Mall, and serves an ever-changing menu of various local things. Tries to use a lot of indigenous ingredients in their menu, and in 2009-2010 did a revamp of the menu to introduce many new dishes. The ribs come highly recommended.
Other locations around town:
*Bojangles - better known as Bo's - has really nice food, somewhere behind all the dancing drunk people. Good meals ranging from Mango Roo salad to steak and salmon.
*Overlander's Steakhouse is the classic outback steak restaurant. Excellent beef, but they do nice chicken and barramundi too; home of the "Drover's Blowout" where you try a little crocodile, kangaroo, emu, camel etc. An Amazing wine cellar with some of the best Australian wines available in the cellar. They do the "Tourist Humiliation Routine" for tours, where you participate in some traditional Australian songs with the Wobble Boards ala Rolf Harris and Home Amongst the Gum Trees.
*Hanuman, in the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Indian and Thai and it's yummy but expensive. Nice place, good wine. Service can be spotty. Recently lost head chef.
*’’’Hong Kong Restaurant’’’ next to Yeperenye Shopping Centre on Hartley Street, is one of the best Asian restaurants in town. Delicious food, relatively inexpensive food, with a large upstairs restaurant and an exstensive take-away menu. Been in Alice Springs for many years.
*La Casalinga, across from Mbantua Gallery,near The Diplomat has truly excellent pizza; they have the old-fashioned pizza bar atmosphere, with dark wood paneling and cold beer. Good steak and lasagna, too.
*Casa Nostra, across the river via the causeway from the Todd Tavern. Excellent fresh pizza and some lovely pasta. More of a romantic atmosphere, old-style Italian. BYO.
Alice Springs YHA, (08) 8952 8855, [url=http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/details.cfm?hostelid=35]]is convenient located near Todd St in a former cinema. Clean, has a pool but no aircon in the rooms.
*Alice's Secret Traveller Inn, 6 Khalick Street, (08) 8952 8686 (Fax: (08) 8953 7660), [http://asecret.com.au[/url].
* Alice Lodge Backpackers, 4 Mueller St, (08) 8953 1975; (Fax: (08) 8953 0804), [url=http://alicelodge.com.au].]Cozy hostel with pool and outdoor areas, tour desk, free pickup from airport, TV room, free luggage storage.
* Toddy's Accommodation Resort, 41 Gap Rd, (08) 8952 1322, [url=http://toddys.com.au[/url].]Two swimming pools. Aircon in rooms. Dorm beds from $22 and up. Budget double private $76 for two.
* Annie's Place, [http://www.anniesplace.com.au/anniesplace/default.htm[/url].
* The Heavitree Gap Outback Lodge,Palm Circuit, Alice Springs, NT 0870, +61 (8) 8950 4444 [http://www.auroraresorts.com.au/Accommodation/HeavitreeGapOutbackLodge/tabid/114/language/en-US/Default.aspx], online booking at the website.
The Juicy Rump restaurant inside has an outdoor deck with views of the MacDonnell Ranges and a casual family friendly menu. There's also Sukra, serving Asian-fusion meals in intimate surroundings.
*Alice Springs Resort, (08) 8951 4545 (Fax: (08) 8953 0995), [http://alicespringsresort.com.au].
*Crowne Plaza, (08) 8950 8000 (Fax: (08) 8952 3822), [http://crowneplaza.com.au].
*Alice Motor Inn, 25-27 Undoolya Rd, (08) 8952 2322 (Fax: (08) 8953 2309), [http://alicemotorinn.com.au].
*
*The All Seasons Oasis, 10 Gap Rd, (08) 8952 1444 (Fax: (08) 8952 3776).
*Alice in the Territory, 46 Stephens Rd, (08) 8952 6100 (Fax: (08) 8952 1988). Name change note for reference purposes: The hotel used to be called the Comfort Inn Outback, which used to be called the Novotel, which used to be the Outback, which used to be the Vista; it still gets called the Vista by some. It has a nice quiet location and a really good view of the ranges, and has undergone an extensive overhaul in 2010. [http://www.alicent.com.au]
*Diplomat Alice Springs, Hartley Street, (08) 8952 8977 (08) 8953 0225 - Fax
*Desert Palms Resort, 74 Barrett Drive, (08) 8952 5977 (08) 8953 4176 - Fax, [http://desertpalms.com.au].
*Desert Rose Inn, 15 Railway Trace, (08) 8952 1411 (Fax:(08) 8952 3232), [http://desertroseinn.com.au].
*Best Western Elkira Court Motel, 65 Bath Street, (08) 8952 1222 (Fax: (08) 8953 1370), [http://bestwestern.com.au].
*Aurora Alice Springs Hotel 11 Leichhardt Terrace, +61 (8) 8950 6666 [http://www.auroraresorts.com.au/Accommodation/AuroraAliceSprings/tabid/57/language/en-US/Default.aspx], see rates and online booking at the website.
A Good Rest B&B, 51 Dixon Rd, (08) 8952 5272 [http://www.agoodrest.com.au]
*Alice Station B&B, 25 The Fairway (08) 8953 6600 [http://www.alicestation.com]
*Nthaba Cottage B & B, 83 Cromwell Drive, (08) 8952 9003 (Fax: (08) 8953 3295), [http://nthabacottage.com.au].
*The Gallery Bed & Breakfast, 16 Range Cres, (08) 8953 3514 (Fax: (08) 8953 3113).
[wiki=99685b0a5028bbc02674894d977a2939]Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve[/wiki] - a spectacular solitary column towering 40 metres above the Simpson Desert plain
* [wiki=eae4357f5c786f94eaab975b890a168e]East MacDonnell Ranges[/wiki] - following Ross Highway, you'll find plenty of gaps, rocks and gorges
* [wiki=ec087b3348b622a99a402585dff1ec86]Ewaninga Conservation Reserve[/wiki] - gain insight into an ancient culture as you explore the small, six hectare Ewaninga Rock Carvings
* Hermannsburg - once a German mission and now an Aboriginal community, and the home of famous painter Albert Namatjira. Historical buildings including the church. Café.
* Jim's Place - an outback roadhouse with Dinky, the singing dingo. Next door to this property is a great camel farm, too
* Palm Valley & Cycad Gorge - part of Finke Gorge National Park, the only place where Red Cabbage Palm Trees grow, creating a bizarre contrast of red rocks and exotic plants. Fascinating rock formations and great hiking.
* [wiki=3ae5145b450829766be35b8857bec7d2]Rainbow Valley[/wiki] - a scenic natural reserve consisting of various formations of sandstones and rocks
* [wiki=c4059dddf8fa1ab0a50177f9caf4c7d4]West MacDonnell National Park[/wiki] - Simpson's Gap, Glen Helen Gorge and other stunning gorges and rock formations
[wiki=cc2f0420f6ae7278abbf85bcc429de88]Coober Pedy[/wiki] - the home of opal mining in Australia with underground hotels
*Mount Conner - a plateau frequently mistaken for Ayers Rock by travelers
* [wiki=815ec4e753c7c711c52437e6b4b30fac]Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park[/wiki] - home to Australia's most recognisable natural icon
* [wiki=7a3f8480975f5cc38086b7720c6227b6]Watarrka National Park[/wiki] - home to Kings Canyon, a mighty chasm reaching a depth of 270 metres with some great options for the less energetic to explore
[wiki=0e85716c56e24d09e2203d83721faa20]Tennant Creek[/wiki] - a small town, makes a great base for seeing the Devil's Marbles and the Pebbles.
[wiki=3ca2690b99ebbc5cbccd1a0592cfcb34]ja:アリス・スプリングス[/wiki]
[[WikiPedia:Alice Springs, Northern Territory]]