"Jewel in the crown" Top 5 Page for this destination Alice Springs by iandsmith

Alice Springs Travel Guide: 384 reviews and 1,215 photos

Freight train going past the Heavitree Range - Alice Springs
Freight train going past the Heavitree Range
The Alice has spring

I was focused on the Western McDonnell Range. I'd seen pictures and felt it was my kind of country. That turned out to be partially correct.
What I'd overlooked was that the Western McDonnells are only one of many ranges and, in fact, Chewings and Heavitree Ranges are actually the ones where all the exceptional stuff is.
In addition, Alice Springs has many other local attractions that are worthwhile in their own right.
There's lots of galleries, mainly aboriginal, there's a top desert golf course, there's a cafe scene in the mall, there's the Desert Park where you can get up-close-and-personal with birds in particular, the Finke Desert Race and the Todd River regatta, to name but a few.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Excellent shopping, many attractions, lots of tours, exceptional natural beauty
  • Cons:Avoid in summer, it gets awfully hot
  • In a nutshell:THE tourism venue in Central Australia
  • Last visit to Alice Springs: Jun 2010
  • Intro Written Jun 30, 2010
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Reviews (20)

Panorama at the valley - Alice Springs Palm Valley - and much more! part two Favorites (3)

All this was behind us when we hit the dirt. The road is listed as 4WD and it’s almost beyond that in places. While... more travel advice

Scenery on the way - Alice Springs Palm Valley - and much more! Favorites (3)

After finding out the previous day that Mount Zeil (1,532 metres) was the highest thing west of the Great Divide and... more travel advice

Controversial rock - Alice Springs Flynn's Memorial Favorites (3)

"His work abides; his memory is forever eloquent. For across the lonely places of the land he planted kindness, and from... more travel advice

Balmy day on the golf course - Alice Springs Alice Springs Golf Club Things to Do (13)

Someone said it was rated in the top ten of the world's desert golf courses, another (more knowledgeable I suspect) said... more travel advice

Comments (4)

  • Reply
    Donna_in_India's Profile Photo
    Nov 6, 2011 at 5:40 AM

    Wow, fantastic page and photos! Love the dingo! Thanks for sharing.

  • Reply
    starship's Profile Photo
    Jul 6, 2010 at 4:55 AM

    Excellent page! Your photos are amazing, and I especially like the ones with the dingo & bird. I'd love to see some of the sights you were able to capture so beautifully on film!

  • Reply
    850prc's Profile Photo
    Jul 4, 2010 at 11:54 AM

    Wow, Ian. Fantastic pages. You REALLY explored the bush outside Alice, didn't you? Amazing solitude and scenery. I wonder if that roadhouse is the same place we stopped going back to Alice from Uhuru?

  • Reply
    Nemorino's Profile Photo
    Jul 1, 2010 at 6:42 AM

    Great that you took the Simpsons Gap cycle path (which I had never heard of before) though it sounds tame compared to some of your walking adventures. Today is unusually hot in Frankfurt, so I've been drinking plenty of water while reading your tips.

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