Uluru, near Alice Springs
An oasis in the middle of nowhere and the only link to the outer world for the local aboriginals like the Arrernte, this gateway to Red Centre desert landscape, Alice Springs, is Australia’s most famous outback town.
Travelling to Australia and New Zealand is one of the latest trends among the affluent Indians, for leisure or adventure purposes or for both. Due to the presence of a strong Indian diaspora community including numerous Indian students, traffic from India to Australia has been rising every year. And those who travel to Australia try not to miss a visit to Red Centre, the desert corridor in the central land, especially to see the most famous natural icon of Australia, Uluru. Nestled between the East and West MacDonnell Ranges, Alice Springs is famous for its beautiful desert landscapes, colourful outback characters, huge opportunities for adventure and a strong aboriginal culture.
About 3,000 km north-west of Sydney and only a few hours’ flying time from other important Australian cities, this modern town of Alice Springs has both European and aboriginal influences. With cavernous gorges, boundless desert landscapes, aboriginal communities and colourful heritage, Alice represents the hardy outback of the Northern Territory’s Red Centre and is a travel hub for sightseeing and hikes in the region.
The West and East MacDonnell Ranges stretch out either side of Alice Springs and are a must-visit on a trip to the Red Centre. The Red Centre is the place where you will find the most famous monolith of Australia, Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) and it is where the heart of the outback beats. The oxidised iron in the soil gives the whole area its distinctive and immediately recognisable reddish glow. As it is a sacred site, aboriginal communities wish tourists would not climb ‘the Rock’. However, visiting Uluru itself, which is a world heritage site, is a lifetime experience one must not miss.
Depending on the length of the stay, one can pick and choose the activities. See the black-footed rock wallabies near the permanent waterhole at Simpsons Gap; watch the walls of Standley Chasm glow bright red; swim in natural swimming holes at Ellery Creek Big Hole, Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen or Redbank Gorge; watch the sunrise from a hot-air balloon; meet aboriginal artists in one of the town’s art galleries; join a four-wheel-drive and camping tour or hike through the nearby ranges or simply explore the desert landscapes on a camel, Can-am ATV or mountain bike – the options are in abundance.
And if the trip is synced along with one of Alice’s famous and unique festivals or events, like the Camel Cup, the Finke Desert Race or the hilarious Henley-on-Todd Regatta, then heritage, culture as well as nature and thrill all are packed in one!
The town’s focal point is Todd Mall, mostly a promenade which serves as its main street and is one of the primary locations for shopping and leisure with lots of shops and restaurants. It is important to note that hotels in Alice Springs work differently. They are rated on their facilities rather than the actual rooms because the distance Alice Springs has from anywhere and the difficulties that are involved in getting materials from far of places.
There is a small airport in Alice Springs. Qantas and Virgin Australia have connecting flights from Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Cairns and Perth. There is a flying shuttle to Uluru also which has its own airport too. In the post-COVID-19 world, when tourism will start to bounce back, newer connections will be established as clearly this small town in the heart of Australia has a wider audience in its captivity. Indians are yet to explore this place in large numbers, but their love for deserts and camels fits in very well with the landscape of Alice Springs.
