Alice Springs sits at the geographical centre of Australia, in a wide valley flanked by the red ridges of the MacDonnell Ranges on both sides. It is a town of around 25,000 people — by far the largest settlement in Central Australia — and the main hub for visitors heading to Uluru, the West MacDonnell Ranges gorges, and the Red Centre generally. The town is sometimes underestimated as a destination in itself, but it has an unusual collection of attractions and a character unlike anywhere else in the country.
The name comes from a permanent waterhole on the Todd River, named Alice Todd in honour of the wife of Charles Todd, who oversaw construction of the Overland Telegraph Line in the 1870s. The stone Telegraph Station just north of town, built to relay Morse code signals on the Darwin-Adelaide line, survives as one of the best-interpreted historical sites in the Territory. The Royal Flying Doctor Service base tells the equally compelling story of aerial medicine in the outback. Anzac Hill, at the north end of town, gives a panoramic view of the ranges that makes immediately clear why the early settlers were drawn to this particular valley.
The surrounding landscape is extraordinary. To the west, the MacDonnell Ranges contain gorges, waterholes, and ochre pits accessible on a day drive from town. The Alice Springs Desert Park on the western edge of town is the best introduction to the arid-zone ecology — birds, reptiles, mammals, and plants of the desert presented in large naturalistic enclosures. The town also has an important Aboriginal art market: the Arrernte people have lived in this country for tens of thousands of years, and their country contains dozens of sacred sites. Genuine Western Desert and Arrernte art is available in galleries on Todd Mall, though quality and provenance vary. The Stuart Town Gaol and Adelaide House are the best surviving fragments of the town's very early colonial history.
Note: Alice Springs has significant social challenges related to its large Aboriginal population and the history of dispossession. Alcohol restrictions have been a persistent policy issue. Travellers should approach these realities with respect and awareness.