Alice Springs

Alice Springs, or The Alice, is a nice, modern town in the desert of Australia's Northern Territory. The Arrernte people have lived in the area since at least 28,000 BC and they have always called it Mparntwe.

Alice Springs was founded as a staging point for Australia's overland telegraph line in 1870, on the banks of the Todd River. The river doesn't bring much water though, as it is usually dry. Alice Springs was named after Alice Todd, who was the wife of the telegraph pioneer Charles Todd.

The town has started growing rapidly in the 1970s and in 1987 the sealed road to Adelaide in the south was completed. There are numerous old buildings in Alice Springs.

Points of interest

The Adelaide House was originally built as a hospital in 1926. It currently houses a local history museum, dedicated to health in Central Australia.
The Alice Springs Telegraph Station was established in 1872, to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide. It is located in the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve, 4 km north of the city center. It was the first European settlement in central Australia.
Anzac Hill provides excellent views over Alice Springs.
The Central Craft is a contemporary crafts shop and gallery. Items on sale include ceramics, fabric, paintings and stained glass.
The Frontier Camel Farm.
Her Majesty's Gaol and Labour Prison operated between 1938 and 1996. The prison building currently houses the Women's Museum of Australia.
The Kookaburra Memorial.
The Old Courthouse.
The Stuart Town Gaol.
The ephemeral Todd River runs through the center of town. The springs that are the river's source, where the namesake for Alice Springs. The river has flooded parts of the city on several occasions.
The Yaye's Cafe.
The Yeperenye Sculpture commemorates the Yeprenye (Ayepe-arenye) Caterpillar Dreaming, which is a major Tjukurpa (dreaming story) for the Arrernte people of Mparntwe.

Museums

The Araluen Cultural Precinct includes the Araluen Arts Center, the Museum of Central Australia with the Strehlow Research Center, the Central Australian Aviation Museum, Kookaburra Memorial, the Yeperenye Sculpture, Central Craft, Yaye's Cafe and several Aboriginal sacred sites.
- The Araluen Arts Center.
- The Central Australian Aviation Museum was established in 1977. It is housed in a hangar of a former airport at 6 Memorial Avenue. The museum has free admission.
- The Museum of Central Australia includes the Strehlow Research Center. The museum's collection consists of natural history and archival material related to the culture and history of central Australia.
- The Strehlow Research Center is a museum and cultural center within the Museum of Central Australia. It was established in 1991 to commemorate linguist and anthropologist Ted Strehlow, who studied the Arrernte people, their culture and language. The collection features items related to indigenous ceremonial life.
The John Flynn Memorial Museum.
A Local History Museum, dedicated to health in Central Australia, is housed in the former hospital of Adelaide House.
The Old Timer's Traeger Museum exhibits artefacts from the town's early Afghan and German residents, as well as traditional Aboriginal items. Many of the objects show the early fusion of European and Aboriginal cultures. The museum is located on the North Stuart Highway.
The Women's Museum of Australia is dedicated to the importance women have had in Australian history. The museum was established in 1993 and it has been located in the building of the former HM Gaol and Labour Prison since 2007.

Libraries

Alice Springs Public Library houses a collection of Central Australian content, which includes Aboriginal language resources and cultural heritage information. It also has a database of some 6,000 related photographs.
The library of the Arid Zone Research Institute (AZRI).
The Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education Library.
The Central Land Council Library.
The Charles Darwin University Library.
The NT Department of Health Library.
The Strehlow Research Centre Library.

Parks and recreation areas

The Alice Springs Desert Park opened in 1997. It is an environmental education facility and wildlife park. The park features a walking trail that leads visitors through several separate habitats and demonstrations:
- Aboriginal Survival demonstrates how Aboriginal people gather food and water to survive in the desert environment. It also tells about Aboriginal culture and customs.
- Desert Rivers features dry river beds, flooded areas, former swamps and water holes. Demonstrations are given on Aboriginal food and medicine harvesting.
- The Nature Theater shows which animals may be seen, when visiting the park. Birds of prey fly over the audience during the presentation.
- The Nocturnal house is home to animals that roam the area during the night, as well as daytime animals that are normally hard to spot.
- Sand Country is a recreation of a sandy desert with clay, gypsum and salt pans.
- The Woodland habitat features enclosures for kangaroos and emus, where visitors can walk among the animals.
Alice Springs Desert Park is home to about 120 different animal species.
The Alice Springs Reptile Center is home to a large variety of reptiles, including lizards and nakes. The center opened in 2000 and it is located in central Alice Springs.
The cemetery where Albert Namatjira and Harold Lasseter are buried, is also worth a visit.
The Olive Pink Botanic Garden was named after its founder, Australian botanical illustrator and anthropologist Olive Muriel Pink. The botanic garden measures 16 ha (40 acres) and is focused on plants native to the arid region. Olive Pint started the botanic garden in 1955, but it didn't open to the public until 1985. The botanic garden is not far from the center of town.

Around Alice Springs

Alice Springs is a good place to stay if you want to explore the nearby MacDonnell Ranges with their fantastic gorge and cliff scenery.
Finke Gorge National Park was established in 1966. The protected area includes the desert oasis of Palm Valley, which is home to unique plant species. The national park is popular for bushwalking and bushcamping. It is located about 100 km southwest from Alice Springs.
About half way between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek is the Devil's Marbles Conservation Reserve. The reserve boasts unusual, scattered spherical boulders, which were laid there by the Rainbow Serpent according to Aboriginal mythology.
The Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park features Ayers Rock. It is located about 350 km southwest from Alice Springs.

There are several hotels and restaurants in Alice Springs. The town is located roughly in the geographic center of Australia, 1,280 km south of Darwin and 1,950 km northwest of Canberra. It has excellent rail and road connections with the rest of Australia.

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