Alice Springs Destination Guide

Things to See and Do

The spirit of adventure remains well and truly alive in Central Australia. A modern-day frontier town, Alice Springs’s rugged backdrop of Spinifex plains, peaks and chasms set the scene for a variety of activities.

An early morning balloon ride provides the prefect light for photography or peaceful reflection, or you can relive an exotic part of outback history, meandering along the dry Todd River bed on a camel, passing towering river red gums at sunrise or sunset.

Some of the most popular attractions are listed below.

Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery
Located in the Todd Mall, Alice Springs, the Gallery represents over 50 local Aboriginal artists and travellers can visit to view unique, beautiful artworks, to either browse or purchase.

Cultural Precinct
The Alice Springs Cultural Precinct encompasses performing and visual arts, the natural history of the region, Aboriginal culture and the more recent European settlement.

Desert Park
Hundreds of the species of plants and animals found across Central Australian deserts can be seen, smelt and heard at the Desert Park. You will have the opportunity to experience desert habitats as they are at night, seeing some of the animals near impossible to see in the wild.

School of the Air
They call it the biggest classroom in the world - 1.3 million square kilometres - and for children living in isolated areas around the Northern Territory, it is the only classroom they know. The Alice Springs School of the Air was the first of its type, officially opening in 1951, and is a system used only in Australia.

Telegraph Station
This historical reserve marks the original site of the first European settlement in Alice Springs. Established in 1872 to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide, the Alice Springs Telegraph Station is the best preserved of the 12 stations along the Overland Telegraph Line.

Anzac Hill
Anzac Hill is the ideal spot for an overview of the town. The Anzac Hill Memorial was unveiled on 25 April 1934 (Anzac Day) and was originally dedicated to all those members of the armed services who had paid the supreme sacrifice during World War I.

Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve
Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve, located 160 kilometres from Alice Springs, is home to Chambers Pillar, a spectacular solitary column towering 40 metres above the Simpson Desert plain. Chambers Pillar was formed from sandstone deposited and worn down over 340 million years.

Ellery Creek Big Hole
High red cliffs, a large waterhole and a sandy creek fringed by gums make this one of the most popular and picturesque picnicking spots in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Much more than just a popular place for the locals to take a refreshing dip, Ellery Creek Big Hole is also recognised as an internationally significant geological site.

Larapinta Trail
The Larapinta Trail is an exciting long distance walking track through the West MacDonnell National Park in the heart of central Australia. The Trail runs for 223 kilometres along the backbone of the West MacDonnell Ranges from Alice Springs to Mt Sonder.