Travel Australia

The purpose of this series of travel Guides is to introduce you the reader or new traveller as to what is available in the different parts of Australia and New Zealand and what types of Activities you might like to know about and where they are available.

The Travel Guide is not intended to be the authority on traveling and visitor information for the whole of Australia. We recommend that you use the Tourist Information Centres around Australia for more specific aspects of the local regions.

Guide 5 – Alice Springs and the Red Centre

The Northern Territory is the most barren of all areas in the whole of Australia to travel. It encapsulates a total area of 1.35 million square kilometres and accounts for 20% of the whole country. However, just 182,000 or 1% of Australia's population lives here.

Red is the predominant colour found in the soil, the rocks and Uluru (Ayers Rock) which are all situated in Central Australia (also known as the Red Centre). Surrounding the centre are a number of meteorite crators, canyons and valleys.

The Stuart Highway is the main road that leads from Darwin to Alice Springs and is packed with many interesting places. Darwin is a large cosmopolitan city in the far north. Watch out for the thunder, they have on average over 90 days of it a year!!

Alice Springs

Alice Springs (or the Alice) received its name in 1933, although it developed in 1871 as a telegraph repeater station between Adelaide and Darwin. The town's development was slow, however, and the old road to Adelaide wasn't replaced until 1987. Although the town is fairly modern and a moderate size, it is set amongst the harsh outback, although ideally situated next to some of Australia's great wonders.

From the top of Anzac Hill you can get some great views overlooking Alice Springs and the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges and Western MacDonnell Ranges. By the Aboriginal people the hill is called Untyeyetweleye and is the home to the Corkwood Dreaming Story.

The town covers only about 5 blocks and is situated in-between the Todd River to the east, Anzac Hill to the north, Stuart Highway to the west and Stuart Terrace to the south. The main shops can be found on Todd Street, with a mall situated to the north of Todd Street. Todd Street also hosts numerous old buildings worth taking a look at. You should visit Adelaide House, and the John Flynn (founder of the Flying Doctor Service) Museum and Church. Getting around town is easy by foot, although there is also an Alice Wanderer that stops off at the major attractions around town.

To find out more about the Arrente Aboriginal people in the area head to the Strehlow Research Centre. A huge vault in the centre contains many artifacts of Aborignal importance, and although these cannot be viewed there are plenty of things to see in the museum. You should also visit the Araluen Arts Centre, where you can see some of the work by Albert Namatjira, as well as Panorama Guth which hosts various Aboriginal artifacts.

Kakadu National Park

Kakadu is Aboriginal land stretching 100km west to east and 200km south from the coast. The landscape and wildlife in this area is unbelievable and the Aboriginal cave paintings are fabulous.

Cutting along the south eastern side of Kakadu is the Arnhem Land which is also Aboriginal land, for which you need a permit to enter it. Along the coast you will find several swamps, to the south you will find grassland and rainforest and throughout the rest of the park you will find lilly-filled billabongs, rivers (and lakes during the wet season), as well as plenty of wildlife.

You also can't miss the Gunlorn Waterfall Creek which was made famous not only by its natural beauty, but also by the film 'Crocodile Dundee'. There are also both freshwater and saltwater crocodiles in the park so be careful around water and swampy areas. Freshies are found in both Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls and salties are found in South Alligator and Yellow Water Rivers, as well as numerous other sites throughout the park. There are also lots of snakes around the park, so be careful of these too.

Water birds are popular in Kakadu, as are many other species of animals. Birds you may see include: Barking Owls, Black Kites, Brolgas, Burdekin Ducks, Bustards, Cormorants, Darters, Egrets, Green Pygmys, Herons, Ibis, Jabiru Storks, Kingfishers, Magpie Geese, Pelicans, Rainbow Bee-eaters, Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, Wedge-tailed Eagles, Whistling Kites and White-breasted Sea Eagles. You also shouldn't miss the large Silver Barramundi, which swirl near the surface of the water.

Uluru – “Ayers Rock”

The only way to truly experience Uluru (Ayers Rock) is to visit it. No Uluru photo can show the magnificence of the size and colours of the rock (348 metres high). Like the Olgas, Uluru is set within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

There is an entrance fee into the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The fee is $25.00 per adult (16 years and over) for a 3 day pass. Children under 16 years enter free.

Uluru holds deep Aboriginal significance to the Anangu people, and many stories are told as you wander around the base. You can also learn about Ayers Rock at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Cultural Centre. Anangu Tours is also based here, and can take you on numerous tours around the base, although they do request that you respect their culture and do not climb the rock.