Set in the heart of Australia’s Red Centre, Alice Springs is a charismatic town with a rich Indigenous culture. Galleries selling Aboriginal artwork and didgeridoos cluster in the town centre, while magnificent desert landscapes radiate in the surrounds.

Things to do

Visit the Araluen Cultural Precinct, which contains one of the most important collections of Aboriginal art in Australia. It is set within a culturally important landscape in the Indigenous Dreamtime and home to a 300-year-old corkwood tree sacred to the local Arrernte people.

Visit Albert Namatjira Gallery, dedicated to the much-loved artist, then admire the stained-glass foyer window depicting local Aboriginal stories. Also within the Araluen Cultural Precinct is the Central Australian Aviation Museum and the Museum of Central Australia, which boasts an impressive collection of local minerals.

Spend a day exploring the landscapes and watering holes of Simpsons Gap that lies within the West MacDonnell Ranges. Follow part of the famous Larapinta Trail that passes through the gap, taking in its rugged cliffs, desert plains and white-barked ghost gums.

To learn more about the native flora and fauna of the Red Centre, head to the Alice Springs Desert Park on the edge of town. See how Aboriginal people use local plants for food, watch birds of prey soaring overhead and visit the nocturnal exhibit to see the animals that only come out after dark.

Getting around

Alice Springs Airport is the main gateway to the city or you can ride the famous Ghan train south to Adelaide and north to Darwin. The town centre of Alice Springs is compact enough to explore on foot, although hiring a car is best for accessing the surrounding sights.