Alice Springs

Alice Springs is a country town in the middle of the Red Centre of Australia. One of the brochure says it's a "modern town rich in history" and proposes a heritage walk in the CBD. It is easy to walk from one side of town to the other as well as find signs and information about the main attractions, such as either the Royal Flying Doctor Service or the School of the Air or the reptile centre.

There is plenty of tours and companies that help you to plan your perfect holidays around Alice Springs, or your visit to some cultural places.

Out of town, just 5 minutes by car from the main street, there's the Old Telegraph Station, now a museum to discover the history of the first pioneers and the first residents of Alice. It is the best preserved of the 12 stations along the Overland Telegraph Line, which was established in 1872 to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide. A visit is worthy: there's lot to learn about how the telegraph line worked, about the morse code and about the first people settled there and lived their life. It's interesting to see how they monitored the weather and sent information and news to Adelaide or Darwin, at first with the help of Afghans and camels, with horses; how the telegraph station went through the two World Wars and became a host for aboriginal children that where "stolen" from their parents (these children were part of the Stolen Generation, as it was called to identify the period from the 1909 to 1969 when descents of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander were removed from their families by the Australian Government and church missions); how life improved in the 1930s with the construction of the railway that helped to improved transportations between cities and Alice Springs and consequently this helped the town to overcome its isolation.

A wonderful view of the town and of the MacDonnell Ranges can be seen from the Anzac Hill, where there's a memorial for all the lives lost in the world conflicts. From the hill, Todd Mall distances just 5 minutes by walk. The mall was constructed in 1987 and has been recently renovated and it is a nice place where to eat, drink and/or meet up with friends. 

Alice Spring is the major town in the centre and the start point of trips along the East or West MacDonnell Ranges and the other National Parks, Watarka (Kings Canyon) and Uluru and Kata Kjuta (Ayers Rock and the Olgas).

My red centre trip started from Alice Springs and went west to the MacDonnell Ranges, south through the Mereenie Loop Road to Watarka, Uluru and Kata Kjuta.

The Mereenie Loop Road is a 4WD road and is owns by Aboriginal people, so a permit is required to enter and pass through the area. The cost of it is really cheap ($5-6) and on the way is possible to see and experience more of the culture and history of the red centre.

I'll suggest a trip in this beautiful part of Down Under, because it has a complete diverse atmosphere than there is in the main cities and on the coast.