| By Gabrielle & William Beams |
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Alice - City of the Red Centre
We arrived in Alice Springs on a warm September day. Surrounded by the spectacular MacDonnell Ranges, Alice Springs has grown, over the last 30 years, from a backwater settlement to a vibrant multi-cultural city with many attractions for the visiting tourist. Established in 1872 as the site of the Overland Telegraph Station, Alice Springs was named after the wife of Sir Charles Heavitree Todd, the Post Master General of South Australia.
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There is excellent accommodation available in this city, however we chose the MacDonnell Range Tourist Park, on the outskirts of the CBD. This well maintained caravan Park is close to Heavitree Gap where the Stuart Highway enters Alice Springs from the south. There are many facilities for adults and their children including pancakes on Sunday, courtesy of the management, where you can meet and greet fellow travellers to the Red Centre.
We arrived in Alice Springs a day before the famous “Henley-on-Todd” Regatta which is run on the “usually dry” Todd River. This hilarious event is a “must” for tourists and residents alike who line the banks of the sandy “water” course to witness the unbelievable antics of the crews in their bottomless “boats “ , racing down the Todd River carrying their yachts, canoes, surfboats and baths. Other activities during the Regatta include Tugs of War between the burliest men and women, fastest contestant to fill a 44 gallon drum with sand and water dunking by jousting teenagers. The climax of the day is the “Battle of the Galleons”, where three opposing “ships”, mounted on 4-wheel drive vehicles, fight each other with flour bombs and water spray in a fictional display of a giant armada battle. Don’t stand too close, you may end up drenched in flour and water as the contestant’s accuracy is never perfect. The winner of this “sea-faring” adventure is the only “Galleon” which does not get bogged in the thick sand. This is an event, held each September, that draws huge crowds from around Australia.
A drive up Anzac Hill, north of the city, gives you a panoramic view of Alice Springs and the surrounding MacDonnell Ranges. From here you can see Heavitree Gap where the national north – south railway line enters the city. The famous Ghan train, having completed the 1607 kilometre trip from Adelaide, runs along this line and stops in Alice Springs prior to continuing the 1490 journey to Darwin.
Alice is the mecca for aboriginal arts and crafts from around central Australia and many shops and galleries along the Todd Mall would be happy to advise you on suitable purchases. Little cafes and coffee lounges with al fresco dining dot the Mall and the nearby Yeperanye Shopping Centre can cater for your grocery needs. An easy walking tour of the city starts at the Todd Mall and takes you to the many historical buildings within the CBD including Adelaide House, built in the 1920’s as the first hospital, the Old Courthouse which is now the National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame and the Stuart Town Gaol which served as the town’s main jail in the early 1900,s.
The Royal Flying Doctor Base on Stuart Terrace services all communities and cattle stations within a 600 kilometre radius of Alice Springs. Tours are conducted daily and a souvenir shop and café are a welcome feature of the centre. The John Flynn Memorial Church is in the centre of the city and is a permanent reminder of the invaluable work this great Flying Doctor performed in the vast outback.
Alice Springs Cemetery is the final resting place for many famous Australians –among them are the noted indigenous painter, Albert Namatjira, whose artwork depicting the vibrant colours and features of the Australian outback, are known around the world and Harold Lasseter, whose ill fated exploits to relocate his fictitious rich gold reef in the red centre resulted in public humiliation. Many of the original Afghan Cameleers are also interned in the cemetery. At the base of Mount Gillen, west of Alice Springs, a boulder from the Devils Marbles, donated by the Warumungu Aboriginal People, marks the grave of John Flynn – the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The Alice Springs Desert Park, in Larapinta Drive, is a wonderful exhibit of the components of the Red Centre environment. Here the sand, woodlands and desert are showcased and the flora and fauna are featured in their natural habitat. You can view native animals including Bilbies, Thorny devils and burrowing frogs and the beautiful Sturt Desert Pea blooms in the warm gardens. A café which serves refreshments and a souvenir gift shop are available in the complex.
The distinctive MacDonnell Ranges stretch east and west of Alice Springs and feature spectacular gorges and unique gaps that are characteristic of the Red Centre. Located fifty kilometers west of the city, Standley Chasm is a narrow 9 metre gap bordered by cliffs 100 metres high. A rocky path leads to the chasm and at midday, the cliffs burn a vibrant red as the sun drenches the sheer scarp. Here tourists can venture through the gorge and watch the fiery spectacle.
Simpsons Gap is also located in the West MacDonnell Ranges and is at the end of the dry Roe Creek. Often small pools of water lie on the north side of the Gap and this is a popular picnic spot and venue for scenic walks in the gorge. Landscape artists can be seen painting on the banks of the dry creek bed, which is also the home of the local rock wallabies. The Simpsons Gap Visitors Centre is one kilometer south of the main road and maps of the area are available on request.
There are so many tourist attractions in Alice Springs that we look forward to visiting this Red Centre city again.
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