Alice Springs

Introducing Alice Springs

The thriving outback town of Alice rises out of an endless expanse of red dirt and rugged ranges from all sides. What began 135 years ago as a simple telegraph station has developed into a modern low-rise metropolis. It’s famous for its remote location, and many local business operators have a franchise on the outback look, dressing buildings with corrugated iron and other rustic touches. It’s the main town to that most popular monolith to the south, so tourists can outnumber locals six to one. Though the saying goes that residents only qualify as ‘locals’ if they’ve seen the Todd River flow three times – which can take at least 20 years.

Alice is populated by Aussie characters (where else would you find the biggest boat race on a dry river bed?) and is a national hub for Aboriginal art, with a glut of galleries and arts-related events. And, in case all those cafés and shopping centres make you forget how isolated it is, a number of sights serve as pertinent reminders, such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service Base and the School of the Air.

Though Pine Gap’s not on the tourist radar, a significant pocket of Alice’s population works for the CIA at this nearby US installation. The highly secretive satellite-tracking station has been listening in to the world since 1966. Most of the estimated 1000 workers, apparently, call themselves gardeners. And, judging by all those manicured lawns fronting cosy suburban houses, they are quite good gardeners too.

Last updated: Jul 22, 2009