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Red centre
Ayers rock
No matter how many
pictures you've seen, nothing will prepare you for your first view of Uluru.
Once you stand at its base, touch it
and explore its mysteries, you will understand why it's not only a treasured
icon to local Aboriginal people, but also one of the great wonders of the world.
Ayers Rock (now widely known by its Aboriginal name, Uluru) is the symbol of the
Northern Territory's Red Centre, rivalling the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera
House as the best known Australian tourist icon in the world. Mount Olga (which
is actually the highest of a group of 36 outcrops commonly called The Olgas) are
the focal points in the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, about 450 kilometres
south of Alice Springs. Both are extremely important to the belief and culture
of the Aboriginal people and are World Heritage listed for their cultural
significance as well as their geological uniqueness.
Ayers Rock is the largest
monolith (single rock) on earth, standing 348 metres above the desert floor. It
is 3.1 kilometres from east to west, 1.9 km wide and 9.4 km around its base. The
Anangu people prefer visitors to respect its cultural significance and not climb
Uluru. But if you insist, as many do, you must be fit as it is 1.6 kilometres
from the base to the summit and some sections are very steep. Unless you are a
highly trained athlete, allow two hours for the return trip. Some sections are
very steep and people have died falling from the rock or from seizures after the
climb. The climb is closed when there is rain or high winds.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta
Cultural Centre
- The Cultural Centre near the base of Ayers Rock is an essential introduction
to the history and cultural importance of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
Interactive displays, video presentations and artwork present the park through
the eyes of its traditional owners, the Anangu. Here you will get and insight
into Tjukurpa, the creation stories and lores of the Aboriginal people. The
centre incorporates Maruka Arts & Crafts, an Aboriginal-owned arts cooperative
that represents hundreds of artists around Central Australia. It is the home of
wood crafting and visitors can watch artisans at work. Take home a piece of
superb, absolutely authentic artwork and small gifts from the souvenir shop. The
centre is open daily and admission is free. The building itself is a stunning
example of modern Australian architecture.
The Olgas
Kata Tjuta is the
Aboriginal name for The Olgas and means 'many heads'. The Olgas (Kata Tjuta) is
a spectacular group of 36 massive red rock outcrops separated by narrow valleys
and covering 35 square kilometres about 50 kilometres from Ayers Rock. The
highest is Mount Olga which rises 546 metres above the desert floor. Many
visitors find The Olgas even more inspiring than Ayers Rock. There are walks
from an hour to five hours through the gorges and around the outcrops, though
restrictions apply if it is forecast the temperature will exceed 36 degrees
Centigrade. Here too you can learn what makes the formation so important to the
Aboriginal people.
Ayers Rock and Mount Olga
were originally sediments in a shallow inland sea which dried out and was
covered by desert. They were forced through the desert floor by a major upheaval
about 300 million years ago and moulded by the wind. The park is a haven for
birds including the massive Wedge-tailed eagle, lizards, snakes and 24 known
mammals such as dingoes (native dogs) and red kangaroos. Uluru-Kata Tjuta
National Park is owned by the Anangu Aboriginal people who manage it jointly
with Parks Australia. World Heritage listed for its cultural and natural
significance, it covers 132,000 hectares (about 330,000 acres). It is open from
an hour before sunrise to an hour before sunset daily. There is a National Park
Entry fee for each visit.
Kings canyon
Kings Canyon is one of
the most beautiful sights in the Territory. The canyon is about 230 kilometres
south west of Alice Springs off the Stuart Highway. Watarrka National Park holds
its secret tightly, revealing little to the traveller arriving at its gates. The
surprise comes when this extraordinary chasm suddenly reveals itself, its
sandstone walls plunging over three hundred feet into the earth. This is
paradise for the serious and very fit walker who can handle the steep rise to
the rock domes at the top of the canyon to enjoy the breathtaking views below.
It is a challenging four hour hike.
The highlights are the
weathered outcrops known as the Lost City and the Garden of Eden, a palm grove
around a tranquil waterhole. The shorter, much easier Creek Walk through the
valley floor is about 1.5 km and takes an hour. Included on tours to Kings
Canyon, it gives you a lizard's eye view to the sky and escarpments above. Kings
Canyon is the focal point of the Watarrka National Parkland can be reached using
the Mereenie Loop Road (Larpinta Drive) for which a four-wheel drive is
definitely recommended, or Luritja Road, which connects to the easier but longer
Ernest Giles Road or the Lasseter Highway. Don't miss it - Watarrka National
Park is often the highlight of an Outback adventure in Central Australia.
Alice springs
Backed by the rugged
MacDonnell Ranges, Alice Springs sits in the centre of Australia, a melting pot
of cultures and traditions. Alice Springs is a spirited bush town that grew from
humble beginnings. It started out in the 1870's as a lonely repeater station for
the overland telegraph line that ran the length of Australia and on to Europe.
'The Alice', as locals call it, has since grown into a modern town that still
wears its Outback heritage on its sleeve. Situated in the middle of a huge,
sparsely populated continent, Alice Springs is legendary for its isolated
position on the map.
Innovation has worked in
bridging distances - Alice Springs is home to great Australian institutions such
as the Royal Flying Doctor Service (an airborne medical service to remote bush
communities) and the School of the Air, which uses two-way radios to give
lessons to children on far-flung cattle stations. Humour has also helped
overcome the isolation. Bottomless boat races held annually on this desert
town's dry riverbed point to a community that really knows how to enjoy itself.
Times are changing. With travel time by plane from Australia's east coast now
only three and a half hours, the Alice is within easy reach for travellers.
Alice Springs has a variety of things to do and see. It also serves as a good
starting point for exploring the surrounding attractions of Central Australia
including the MacDonnell Ranges, Kings Canyon and Uluru (Ayers Rock). Make sure
that Alice Springs is part of your Outback itinerary.
Aboriginal Art &
Cultural Centre - includes a gallery showing Arrernate culture and an Aboriginal music
museum. Learn to play a didgeridoo at the only Didgeridoo University in the
world. You can have a go at spear throwing, try billy tea and damper and
experiment with bush tucker.
Adelaide House Museum - was the first hospital in Alice Springs.
Designed by John Flynn in 1926, the air conditioning system is unique. The
museum houses period artifacts and presents information on Flynn's vision of a
mantle of safety for people in outback Australia.
Alice Springs Cultural Precinct - the precinct presents a
wonderful array of culture and history. Wander through the Araluen galleries or
the Memorial Cemetery where many early Centralian characters lay buried or relax
in the Frank McEllister Park. Visit the Central Aviation Museum, Museum of
Central Australia or see the Grand Circle Yeperenye Sculpture.
Alice Springs Desert Park - discover the secrets of the Desert.
Stroll through 3 beautiful desert habitats and the nocturnal house and let the
guides and amazing displays show you how the animals, plants and Aboriginal
people live in the desert. Allow 3 hours to a full day.
Alice Springs
Reptile Centre
- visit the largest reptile display in the Northern Territory. View frillneck
lizards, thorny devils, huge perentie goannas, large pythons, venomous snakes
and salt water crocodiles. Daily talks at set times offer hands on fun for
everyone, you can feed the lizards or even play with a python.
Alice Springs School of the Air - it is the biggest classroom in
the world, 1.3 million square kilometres and for the children living in isolated
communities around the NT, it is the only classroom they know. This unique
educational facility was the first of its type. On school days you can hear
school lessons being broadcast.
Frontier Camel Farm - for fun and information visit the Frontier
Camel Farm 4kms along the Ross Highway. All you ever wanted to know about camels
in the camel display. Tours (click to tours page) available
National Women's Hall of Fame - this heritage listed building
houses major exhibition including over 100 photographs of women who fought
social convention to become first in their profession. In addition, Women at the
Heart tells the story of the women who helped pioneer Central Australia.
National Road Transport Hall of Fame - has an outstanding display
of heavy vehicles, including the world's first motorised road train and is
unique in its approach to the preservation and presentation of road transport
Old Stuart Town Goal - located adjacent to the Alice Springs Court
House, the Stuart Town Goal was constructed and in use from 1909 - 1938 and is
Alice Springs oldest surviving building
Royal Flying Doctor Service - visit a working base operation since
1939 to learn more about this outback aero medical service. Enjoy the
audio-visual presentation, a guided tour of the communications area then browse
through the interactive museum.
Tennant creek
Tennant Creek began life as a temporary telegraph repeater station in 1872 in
the days when messages were sent by Morse code. About 1000 kilometres south of
Darwin and 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs, Tennant Creek remained an
isolated outpost visited only by a few hardy pioneers until the 1930s when gold
was discovered. It sparked the last great Gold Rush in Australia. Visitors who
happen to be carrying a metal detector can try their luck at a public fossicking
area about 50 km out of town, or take a tour to a mining lease where equipment
is included. You can see how gold bearing ore was treated and poured into ingots
at the historic Gold Stamp Battery, or visit the Battery Hill Mine demonstration
site built by a present-day producer, Normandy Mines, to see how gold is mined
and processed today. Or don a hard hat and visit the 1930s Dot Mine at night.
Tennant Creek is a welcome
overnight stop on the long drive between Darwin and Alice Springs, but has a lot
to offer if you have time to explore and a four wheel drive vehicle. Four wheel
drive tours and trail rides on horseback are available. It is also the main
centre for tours to the Devil's Marbles, about 100 km to the south in a valley
straddling the Stuart Highway. Scattered throughout the valley, hundreds of
rounded boulders up to six metres in diameter, many balanced on top of each
other, are said to be the fossilised eggs of the Rainbow Serpent of Aboriginal
Dreaming. You are allowed to climb them. Spectacular at dawn and sunset, they
make for great photographs.
West MacDonnell ranges
The panoramic
landscapes of the West MacDonnell Ranges are extraordinary, for both their
immensity and the spectacular array of sunburnt oranges, maroons and purples on
display. Yet to truly appreciate the West MacDonnells, you must explore the
ranges' rugged gorges, gaps and chasms to experience the unspoiled serenity of
this region.
Gorges & Chasms
- Each of the West MacDonnells' chasms and gorges has its own unique character
and scenery. At Simpsons Gap, walk to the permanent pool and possibly catch
sight of the rock wallabies that live in the gap's rocky ridges. At midday,
stand in Standley Chasm as it lights up in fiery oranges reflected by the
overhead sun. Plunge in for a swim at the picturesque waterholes at Ellery Creek
Big Hole, Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen Gorge and Redbank Gorge. Or visit the Ochre
Pits, which desert Aboriginal people used as a quarry for ochre, a valuable
traditional material used for paintings and ceremonial body decorations.
Continue west and you'll travel on a road winding to the south and come to Tyler
Pass, a place to stop for spectacular views of Tnorala / Gosse Bluff, a five-km
crater created by a comet 142.5 million years ago.
The Finke River
- Outside of Hermannsburg, travel 4X4 through the Finke River, thought to be one
of the world's oldest watercourses. The Finke Gorge National Park is best known
for Palm Valley, which contains groves of unique and beautiful palms that are
remnants from millions of years ago, when Central Australia was lush with
tropical forests.
East MacDonnell ranges
Explore the East MacDonnells and you'll discover an unrealised treasure of
Central Australia. To the local Arrernte people, this area is the dreamtime
birthplace of the mountain range. As the caterpillar ancestral beings moved out
from Emily Gap, they formed the MacDonnell Ranges and the site of Alice Springs.
Places like Jessie Gap, Corroboree Rock, and N'Dhala Gorge are all of great
cultural significance to the Arrernte people. The beauty of these sites and
others, such as Trephina Gorge, makes a trip to the East MacDonnells more than
worthwhile. The East MacDonnells region is also rich with bird and animal life.
Trephina Gorge offers great birdwatching opportunities. And as the East
MacDonnells are less visited by tourists, you will have a greater chance to spot
wildlife in their own natural environment.
The Simpson desert
The Simpson Desert is host to some of the best 4WD driving in this country. The
boundless horizons, rolling sand dunes and challenging desert 4WD tracks all
provide the ultimate frontier experience. Travel through this desert region and
explore territory that very few people have seen.
Most of the Simpson Desert's attractions are within a day-trip's range of Alice
Springs, but their rugged beauty will keep you in the region as long as your
itinerary allows. Chambers Pillar rises as a solitary beacon out of the vast red
plains and captivates your imagination of how the early pioneers used this as a
navigational landmark. When you walk up the hill to this 50-metre sandstone
pillar's base, be inspired by the markings made by 19th-century explorers who
carved their names into the sandstone. An easy stop off on the way to Chambers
Pillar is the Ewaninga Rock Carvings Conservation Reserve. These rock carvings,
or petroglyphs, provide a fascinating record of many important beliefs preserved
by the local Arrernte people. Also in this region and not far off the Stuart
Highway south of Alice Springs is Rainbow Valley, a spectacular sandstone bluff
with rainbow-like bands, best seen by the late afternoon sun.
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