Alice Springs

I went to Alice Springs to watch my husband take part in the Central Australian Bike Challenge a seven day mountain bike race.

Alice Springs was so laid back, we had a great time and there is so much to see and do around the town.

There was alot more here than I expected.

You really get a sense of where you are even in the town. The hot, dry weather makes you realise you’re in the desert – along with the river that almost never has any water in it, but you can see from the outline it has carved in the land that it really is a river. The ranges surround you – you can see the Yipparinye/processionary caterpillar mountain of the west macs ranges from most places.

It is right smack bang in the middle of the country, and the nearest cities are all along way away, on the coast – adelaide, darwin, brisbane, perth… They have learnt to be self-sufficient to some extent, and to haul stuff a long long way.

There are some cool markets in Todd Mall (which is actually an outdoor street that is blocked off to cars with trees all along it, not a shopping mall like you might expect), some nice cafes and restaurants (shock horror! in alice springs!!!), the desert park, and nobody is in a hurry.

The racism is more overt than in bigger cities, but perhaps no greater (just more obvious), but if you want to learn about aboriginal culture first hand this is a good place to start.

It’s very hard to get fresh fruit and vegetables here, but the Todd Mall markets sell some.

Then there is lots to see in the surrounding areas – uluru and kata tjuta, the west mac ranges, king’s canyon, all quite different and quite spectacular.

wide open…

Don’t let anyone tell you that there is nothing to do here…a week on my own and I saw a lot, but there was more

This book made me want to visit Alice Springs. have been thinking about this since I was 17.

Passed through Alice many times doing the family trip from Darwin to Adelaide, but as we were always in a hurry to get to our destination, we never stopped to look around… usually it was just an overnight stay, then the next morning we were on our way.

Last year friends got married in Alice (their home town), so stayed for a few days. Granted, it’s not a huge place, but worth checking out… if you allow yourself time to really take in the environment, flora and fauna, it’s quite fascinating. Make sure you get out to the Desert Park too. We hired push bikes and rode around town, which was a great way to get around.

I have to confess, I was rather young when I passed by here, and I don’t have very fond memories. But that’s just me. There are a number of good points about this place: the outback, Uluru, the aboriginal artwork, the tropical rain, and it’s the only place you’ll find a Hungry Jacks for at least a few hundred Ks. It’s worthy of a visit, if only a short one.

Alice at itself is not very exciting. It is a good base to start travelling to more interesting places near.

I loved living in the Alice. I worked at the hospital and lived on their grounds. It is a great base to travel from. You don’t need a car in the township itself – the climate is perfect for biking and walking.
Don’t go walking around the Todd River by yourself especially at night. Its actually quite dangerous as you may be accosted by a violent drunk. Remember that traditional spearings, injuries from nullanullas etc are seen in the local emergency department.
I love the Western Macs and it was not unheard of to organise eating out for dinner at Glen Helen [about 1 hours drive out] and then staying overnight. Ormiston Gorge and the Pound walk are a favourite. In the Eastern Macs I love Ruby Gap. You need to use a 4WD and be able to drive over rocks for this one which is always fun. Or picnic dinners at Rainbow Valley at sunset.
One thing that is not in the usual tourist literature is gliding which is just outside town on the northern side. It is done using a winch for takeoff which is a really novel experience and it is fantastic being in the air in the silence sharing the thermals with the wedgetailed eagles.
If you are into geocaching [www.geocaching.com] check out the local caches. Great way of getting a really fantastic view of the place.
Re backpacker accomodation, I recommend Melanka Lodge for being a good place to party cheaply and not to stay. And my experience of their Uluru/Olgas tour means I can’t recommend them -I couldn’t fault the location but the particular tour I went on took some dodgy and potentially dangerous practices with a lack of waterbottles etc.

It’s such a unique and striking place. Pity that there is no room for expansion.