Alice Springs

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Alice Springs Travel Guide

City Map

City Introduction

Australia’s interior is called The Red Center, and with the red color of the soil, you quickly see why. The sunsets add an extra red glow and that is just the icing on the cake. Already from the air you can see the red earth, and in the middle of it all you find the oasis Alice Springs, which despite its relatively small population is like a big city in the desert.

The city of Alice Springs is not one of Australia’s largest, but on the other hand the sights are unique. The history of colonizing and developing the vast land area is something that one can follow around the city, which also serves as a kind of capital for the country’s indigenous population, the Aborigines, whose arts and traditions, you can see several places in the city.

Institutions such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the School of the Air portray the story of living in and developing life in central Australia, where there is often a long way to go to a neighbor. The sites have fine museums that provide interesting knowledge into this part of the community. In the city you can also take a shopping trip to Todd Mall or see it all from above from the top of Anzac Hill.

On an exciting drive through the countryside you can enjoy the scenery on the way to eg Ayers Rock and The Olgas, which are unforgettable rock formations. A walk around Ayers Rock or into The Olgas is one of the things that gives lasting impressions from a walk down under, and both the sunrise, sunset and the star’s on a dark sky create special moods.

Top Attractions

Alice Springs Telegraph Station

Alice Springs Telegraph Station

Alice Springs’ historic telegraph station marks the site of the first European settlement in the area. When the Overland Telegraph Line was to be established between Adelaide and Darwin (and from there on to Asia), 12 telegraph stations were built, of which Alice Springs’ is the best preserved of them.

The buildings were erected in 1871-1872, and it functioned as a telegraph station for approximately 60 years. For a period thereafter, a school was set up here. Today, the place functions as a historical museum, and you get a particularly good impression of the living conditions back then.

The area around the telegraph station is also interesting to look at. Behind the buildings lies the bed of the normally completely dry river Todd River, in which the locals rarely see water. You can see the place where John McDouall Stuart and his entourage found the water that decided to build here at all. Beautiful trees and many parrots are also part of the experience on the grounds of the telegraph station.

 

Royal Flying Doctor Service

The Royal Flying Docotr Service is the name of the Australian flying medical corps that began their flights in 1928. In 1939 a base was established in Alice Springs. Over time, several bases were established so that the large country could be covered by doctors with a relatively short response time. The base in Alice Springs is still active, and on a visit here you will, among other things, pass the control center so that you can follow the work.

Every year, several million kilometers are flown, and tens of thousands of citizens in outlying areas without immediate medical assistance are assisted. Both here and in the Central Australian Aviation Museum, also located in Alice Springs, you can get to know the corps.

 

School of the Air, Alice Springs

School of the Air

As the first of its kind, the School of the Air in Alice Springs began distance learning in 1951 from the offices of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The idea originated in 1944, when Adelaide Miethke proposed using two-way radios to teach children in the Australian outback, which is far from regular schools.

In addition to the school teaching itself, in 1955 a social aspect also entered the School of the Air, when the first meeting week was held. 30 students aged 5-15 met here. In 1974, the school’s teachers began visiting each student once a year. Enrollment increased and when the school opened on its current site in 1978, 13 teachers were employed.

In 1996, the visitor center at the School of the Air opened, and here you can learn about the history of the school and its importance to the students, who continuously use new technologies in connection with distance learning.

 

Anzac Hill, Alice Springs

Anzac Hill

Anzac Hill is a hill located in the center of Alice Springs. The hill is easily accessible, and from the top there is a nice view of the city and the area. Many use the place to enjoy the typical, red sunset.

On Anzac Hill stands the right monument, which was erected in 1934 in memory of those who died in the First World War, in which ANZAC troops took part. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and they formed the Australian and New Zealand military units under joint command.

Today, the monument on Anzac Hill is a memorial to all those who have fallen in all the wars in which Australia has been involved.

Other Attractions

Alice Springs Railway Station

Alice Springs Railway Station

Alice Springs Railway Station is the first thing many people see when they come to Alice Springs. Many come here on the train The Ghan, which made its first trip here from Adelaide in 1929. Until 2004, the railway only went to Alice Springs, but since then The Ghan has crossed the Australian continent the 2,979 km between Adelaide in the south and Darwin in nerd.

Work on building The Ghan began in 1878 in the city of Port Augusta in South Australia. The original line was narrow gauge and followed the Overland Telegraph Line. The connection and operation was increasingly irregular over the years and in 1980 a standard gauge railway could be opened between Tarcoola on the Trans-Australian Railway and Alice Springs. The track had been moved to the west to avoid flooding, which had been a problem on the old line.

The name The Ghan comes from the Afghan camel drivers who, before the opening of the railway, maintained the connection across the continent. In the middle of the platform at Alice Springs Railway Station you can today see a statue of one of these Afghans.

At the station in Alice Springs you can see the modern station building as well as three cabins that were built for the start of the line. Two of the cabins were inhabited by the local people, while the third was for the staff of The Ghan.

 

Stuart Town Gaol

Stuart Town Gaol was a building constructed as Alice Springs’ jail and police station from 1907. The jail was completed in 1909 and was in use until 1938, when it was converted into a warehouse for the local police. Stuart Town Gaol is now renovated and it stands as an interesting reminder of the time in Alice Springs at the beginning of the 20th century.

 

Hartley Street School

Hartley Street School is a small and cozy school in Hartley Street in Alice Springs. The school was built in 1929 as the city’s first actual school building. The renovated building now functions as a cultural centre, and a small school museum has been set up in the building.

 

Todd Mall, Alice Springs

Todd Mall

Todd Mall is the name of Alice Springs’ business district. There are shops, restaurants and also a shopping center here. In addition to many ordinary goods, Alice Springs is a good place to look at Aboriginal art, which can be found in a number of places along Todd Mall. A trip to Todd Mall is also a natural place to stroll among the locals.

 

Central Australian Aviation Museum

The Central Australian Aviation Museum is Alice Springs’ aviation museum, and it is located in the city’s former airport. At the museum, you can see various airplanes in the exhibition, where you can also learn about the great importance of air traffic for the development of European civilization in the Northern Territory.

The first plane landed here in 1921, and over the following decades mail was flown around to the large cattle farms. For many, it was the most frequent and for a long time the only connection to the outside world.

In the period 1939-1973, the airline Connellan Airways operated flights for the flying medical corps, the Royal Flying Doctor Service. More than 5,000 medical flights were flown over the years, and at the museum you can see, among other things, two of the historic medical planes. It is a special story because the museum is housed in Connellan Airways’ old hangar.

 

John Flynn Memorial Church, Alice Springs

John Flynn Memorial Church

John Flynn Memorial Church is a church located in the center of Alice Springs. The church is named after John Flynn, who had a dream to build a cathedral in central Australia where people of all faiths could come. After Flynn’s death, the church was built in his memory and dedicated in 1956.

 

Alice Springs Desert Park

Alice Spring Desert Park is a miniature version of the landscape and wildlife of central Australia. There are hiking trails where you come through different desert landscapes, such as a river area and an actual sandy desert. Along the paths there are informative signs about what you see and experience.

Day Trips

Simpson's Gap, Alice Springs

Simpson’s Gap

Simpson’s Gap is a mountain pass that has been formed over time by water cutting through the mountains of the West MacDonnell Ranges. You can walk along the river bed to Simpson’s Gap itself, where the life-giving water lies like a lake on the surface.

The walk is beautiful and there are countless interesting plants, and the place is known as one of the areas where you can be lucky to see some of the black-footed mountain kangaroos, known locally as Black-footed Rock-wallabies.

 

King's Canyon, Australia

King’s Canyon

King’s Canyon is a gorge cut 300 meters into the central Australian mountains by the stream King’s Creek, which runs in the lush valley in the middle of the area that tourists usually visit.

The mountain walls around the valley rise steeply, and you can choose to hike both through the valley and along the cliff edge around the valley. Both tours are beautiful, and they give quite a different impression of the magnificent nature.

The trip through the valley is approximately two kilometers long, and at the bottom of the gorge there is a platform where you really get a look up at the mountain slopes.

The trip to the top and along the edge of the cliff is a round trip of six kilometers. Already at the steep ascent of Heartbreak Hill you are rewarded with a fine view of the surrounding terrain. Among the highlights of this tour is Edens Have/Garden of Eden, which is a permanent waterhole that sits as a green oasis. The view of countless sandstone formations that stand like domes in the landscape is also very breathtaking.

 

Uluru Ayers Rock, Australia

Uluru Ayers Rock

Uluru Ayers Rock is one of Australia’s best-known landmarks, and the large rock is today on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites. Uluru Ayers Rock is one of the world’s largest rocks, and it lies as if thrown with gigantic force into the otherwise completely flat plain. Geologically, Uluru Ayers Rock is a monolith, which means an unbroken rock, and it has been determined that it goes at least 6 kilometers into the ground. The stone comes from a historic mountain range to the west, and from here it has ended up in its current location. If you look at the structure of the stone, you can see that it actually stands on the edge.

Uluru Ayers Rock measures 348 meters in height from the surface of the terrain, and the circumference of the rock is a whopping 9.8 kilometers. It is famous for its almost magical color play that varies with the sunlight and both morning and evening gathers crowds of spectators who want to enjoy the red-brown colors that make the stone glow.

Uluru is the Aboriginal name of the place, while Ayers Rock was given in 1873 when the first European climbed the rock and named it after the Prime Minister of the colony of South Australia, Henry Ayers. Today, the two names have been merged into Uluru Ayers Rock.

There is a walking trail around Uluru Ayers Rock, and this trip is highly recommended, as you get to see all the details of the rock up close. On the trip, you can easily be surprised by the great variety in the stone on the way around.

South of the stone is the site’s cultural centre, the Cultural Centre, which provides a fine introduction to the area with its history and sights. The cultural center is run by the Aboriginal people, who also formally own the land and the stone Uluru Ayers Rock itself.

 

Kata Tjuta The Olgas, Australia

Kata Tjuta The Olgas

A little west of Uluru Ayers Rock you can see another of nature’s wonders in the form of Kata Tjuta The Olgas, an area with 36 round-topped rock formations of up to 545 meters in height above ground. Kata Tjuta The Olgas, like Uluru Ayers Rock, consists of monoliths originating from a now collapsed mountain range to the west.

Kata Tjuta The Olgas is a sacred place for the Aboriginal people. Kata Tjuta is an Aboriginal name for the area, and it refers to the many-headed appearance of the rocks. The name The Olgas comes from the site’s highest point, Mount Olga, which in 1872 was named after German Württemberg’s Queen Olga. The reason for this was as a thank you from the discoverer Ernest Giles, who via Baron Ferdinand von Müller owed a thank you to Queen Olga for an appointment.

There are good hiking opportunities in the very red and exciting rocks. A trip through Vindenes Dal/Valley of the Winds is unforgettable, and if you want to see it all from a distance, the best place is the panoramic area west of the rock formations.

Shopping

Alice Plaza

Todd Mall

 

K-Mart

Bath Street

 

Yeperenye

36-38 Hartley Street
yeperenye.com.au

 

Shopping streets

Todd Mall

With Kids

Alice Springs Reptile Center

Stuart Terrace 9
reptilecentre.com.au

 

Alice Springs Desert Park

Larapinta Drive
alicespringsdesertpark.com.au

 

Royal Flying Doctor Service

Stuart Terrace
flyingdoctor.net

City History

Pre European history

Central Australia is believed to have been inhabited for tens of thousands of years, of which the local Arrente-people have been in the area for the past millennia.

The Arrente people consisted of three groupings: Western, Eastern and Central, all living in Central Australia around the present Alice Springs and MacDonnell Ranges.

The culture and language of the people continue to thrive today, and the Eastern and Central Arrente languages ​​are the dominant one in the region where the Arrente name of Alice Springs is Mparntwe.

 

John McDouall Stuart’s expeditions

Alice Springs is located in the middle of Australia, far from all the major cities of the country. The non-Aboriginal presence in the area started with John McDouall Stuart’s expedition to find the way across the Australian landmassy from south to north in 1862.

After Stuart’s voyage, a telegraph line, The Overland Telegraph Line, was constructed from Adelaide to Darwin, and the center of the telegraph station was called Alice Springs, believed to have found a water source at the exact location of the telegraph station itself. The name Alice comes from Charles Todd’s wife named Alice. Charles Todd, who has given his name to the Todd River, was responsible, among other things, for the construction of the Telegraph Line in the South Australia Colony.

 

The city grows

After the construction of the telegraph station, the first citizens established themselves around it, and the settlement was called Stuart until 1933, when it was officially called Alice Springs. The town grew slightly from 1887, when gold was found east of the city, but until well into the 1900s there were only a few hundred inhabitants.

Alice Springs was quite isolated, and for the first several years the camel caravans carried out the transport to and from the town. The isolation was broken only when the Adelaide railway line was opened in 1929. The city has grown steadily since then, and today Alice Springs is home to about 27,000 citizens.

 

Alice Springs today

The tourist industry is big in the city and there are daily flights from several of the Australian metropolitan areas. Since the beginning of 2004 it has also been possible to drive by train from Darwin in the north, which has created extra traffic and more opportunities for the tourist industry, which not least organizes trips to the magnificent scenery here in the heart of Australia, for example to Uluru Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta The Olgas.

Geolocation

In short

Alice Springs 1800x1245 Uluru Ayers Rock

Overview of Alice Springs

Australia’s interior is called The Red Center, and with the red color of the soil, you quickly see why. The sunsets add an extra red glow and that is just the icing on the cake. Already from the air you can see the red earth, and in the middle of it all you find the oasis Alice Springs, which despite its relatively small population is like a big city in the desert.

 

The city is not one of Australia’s largest, but on the other hand the sights are unique. The history of colonizing and developing the vast land area is something that one can follow around the city, which also serves as a kind of capital for the country’s indigenous population, the Aborigines, whose arts and traditions, you can see several places in the city.

 

About the upcoming Alice Springs travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Alice Springs travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Australian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Alice Springs is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Alice Springs and Australia

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Alice Springs you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Todd Mall • ANZAC Hill • The Ghan • Uluru Ayers Rock • The Olgas

Alice Springs 1800x1245 Uluru Ayers Rock

Overview of Alice Springs

Australia’s interior is called The Red Center, and with the red color of the soil, you quickly see why. The sunsets add an extra red glow and that is just the icing on the cake. Already from the air you can see the red earth, and in the middle of it all you find the oasis Alice Springs, which despite its relatively small population is like a big city in the desert.

 

The city is not one of Australia’s largest, but on the other hand the sights are unique. The history of colonizing and developing the vast land area is something that one can follow around the city, which also serves as a kind of capital for the country’s indigenous population, the Aborigines, whose arts and traditions, you can see several places in the city.

 

About the upcoming Alice Springs travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Alice Springs travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Australian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Alice Springs is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Alice Springs and Australia

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Alice Springs you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Gallery

Gallery

Other Attractions

Alice Springs Railway Station

Alice Springs Railway Station

Alice Springs Railway Station is the first thing many people see when they come to Alice Springs. Many come here on the train The Ghan, which made its first trip here from Adelaide in 1929. Until 2004, the railway only went to Alice Springs, but since then The Ghan has crossed the Australian continent the 2,979 km between Adelaide in the south and Darwin in nerd.

Work on building The Ghan began in 1878 in the city of Port Augusta in South Australia. The original line was narrow gauge and followed the Overland Telegraph Line. The connection and operation was increasingly irregular over the years and in 1980 a standard gauge railway could be opened between Tarcoola on the Trans-Australian Railway and Alice Springs. The track had been moved to the west to avoid flooding, which had been a problem on the old line.

The name The Ghan comes from the Afghan camel drivers who, before the opening of the railway, maintained the connection across the continent. In the middle of the platform at Alice Springs Railway Station you can today see a statue of one of these Afghans.

At the station in Alice Springs you can see the modern station building as well as three cabins that were built for the start of the line. Two of the cabins were inhabited by the local people, while the third was for the staff of The Ghan.

 

Stuart Town Gaol

Stuart Town Gaol was a building constructed as Alice Springs’ jail and police station from 1907. The jail was completed in 1909 and was in use until 1938, when it was converted into a warehouse for the local police. Stuart Town Gaol is now renovated and it stands as an interesting reminder of the time in Alice Springs at the beginning of the 20th century.

 

Hartley Street School

Hartley Street School is a small and cozy school in Hartley Street in Alice Springs. The school was built in 1929 as the city’s first actual school building. The renovated building now functions as a cultural centre, and a small school museum has been set up in the building.

 

Todd Mall, Alice Springs

Todd Mall

Todd Mall is the name of Alice Springs’ business district. There are shops, restaurants and also a shopping center here. In addition to many ordinary goods, Alice Springs is a good place to look at Aboriginal art, which can be found in a number of places along Todd Mall. A trip to Todd Mall is also a natural place to stroll among the locals.

 

Central Australian Aviation Museum

The Central Australian Aviation Museum is Alice Springs’ aviation museum, and it is located in the city’s former airport. At the museum, you can see various airplanes in the exhibition, where you can also learn about the great importance of air traffic for the development of European civilization in the Northern Territory.

The first plane landed here in 1921, and over the following decades mail was flown around to the large cattle farms. For many, it was the most frequent and for a long time the only connection to the outside world.

In the period 1939-1973, the airline Connellan Airways operated flights for the flying medical corps, the Royal Flying Doctor Service. More than 5,000 medical flights were flown over the years, and at the museum you can see, among other things, two of the historic medical planes. It is a special story because the museum is housed in Connellan Airways’ old hangar.

 

John Flynn Memorial Church, Alice Springs

John Flynn Memorial Church

John Flynn Memorial Church is a church located in the center of Alice Springs. The church is named after John Flynn, who had a dream to build a cathedral in central Australia where people of all faiths could come. After Flynn’s death, the church was built in his memory and dedicated in 1956.

 

Alice Springs Desert Park

Alice Spring Desert Park is a miniature version of the landscape and wildlife of central Australia. There are hiking trails where you come through different desert landscapes, such as a river area and an actual sandy desert. Along the paths there are informative signs about what you see and experience.

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