Sights in Alice Springs
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Telegraph Station Historical Reserve
Laying the Overland Telegraph Line across Australia's harsh Centre was no easy task, as you'll discover at the small museum at the evocative Telegraph Station Historical Reserve. The old stone station dates to the early 1870s and operated until 1932. It later served as a welfare home for Aboriginal children of mixed descent, until 1963.
Guided tours operate between 09:00 and 16:30 (April to October); phone for times. There's also an informative station map that guides you through restored homestead buildings, a blacksmith shop and the telegraph station itself. The spring called Alice (Thereyurre to the Arrernte Aboriginal people), a semipermanent waterhole in the Todd Riv…
reviewed
-
B
Alice Springs Memorial Cemetery
The Alice Springs Memorial Cemetery is adjacent to the aviation museum and contains the graves of some prominent locals. The most famous is that of Albert Namatjira (1902-59); it's the sandstone one in the middle section to the left as you enter the cemetery.
The headstone features a terracotta tile mural of three of Namatjira's Dreaming sites in the MacDonnell Ranges. Other graves located in the cemetery include that of Harold Lasseter (1880-1931), the eccentric prospector whose fervent search for the folkloric reef of gold (Lasseter's Reef) claimed his life. (Ironically, the casino is named after Harry.) The grave of anthropologist Olive Pink (1884-1975), who campaigned…
reviewed
-
C
Museum Of Central Australia
Deftly designed displays at the Museum Of Central Australia recall the days of megafauna - when hippo-sized wombats and 3m-tall flightless birds roamed the woodlands of 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. Meticulously pinned insects, pieces of meteorite, stuffed reptiles and marsupials, and indigenous artefacts provide a window into the Centre's past.
Upstairs, the Strehlow Research Centre commemorates the anthropological work of Professor Theodor George Henry Strehlow among the Arrernte people, particularly at the Hermannsburg Mission where he was born, with a small display of Arrernte artefacts.
reviewed
-
D
School of the Air
The School of the Air, about 1km north of the town centre, is one of those innovations born out of necessity in the remote outback. Started in 1951, this was the first school of its type in Australia, broadcasting lessons to children over an area of 1.3 million sq km. While transmissions were originally all done over high-frequency radio, satellite internet connections and web-cams now mean students and teachers can study in a virtual classroom. You get a guided tour of the centre and during school term you can view a live broadcast from 8.30am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday.
reviewed
-
E
Olive Pink Botanic Garden
There’s no room for ornament in the hardy native shrubs and trees that thrive in this semi-arid botanic garden. A meandering walkway leads through the garden, which is signposted with plant information and significant details. From Meyers Hill there are fine views over Alice and Ntyarlkarle Tyaneme – one of the first sites created by the caterpillar ancestors (the name indicates that this was the place where caterpillars crossed the river). The small information centre and the excellent Bean Tree Cafe (gourmet fare, coffee and cakes) are both open until 4pm.
reviewed
-
F
Telegraph Station
Laying the Overland Telegraph Line across Australia’s harsh Centre was no easy task, as you’ll discover at the small museum at the evocative Telegraph Station. The old stone station dates to the early 1870s and operated until 1932. It later served as a welfare home for Aboriginal children of mixed descent, until 1963. Guided tours operate between 9am and 4.30pm (April to October); phone for times. There’s also an informative station map that guides you through restored homestead buildings, a blacksmith shop and the telegraph station itself.
reviewed
-
G
Reptile Centre
Ever wondered how, in the movies, they happen to be in the right place at the right time to film that lizard scampering across the screen? It’s a set-up. And many of the stars are here, in their dressing rooms, glass-fronted for us all to see. The reptile centre provides a rare opportunity to see the enormous, magnificently patterned perentie lizard, plus thorny devils, bluetongues, bearded lizards and pythons. A purpose-built fossil cave evidences the reptiles’ long history with the land. Handling takes place at 11am, 1pm and 3.30pm.
reviewed
-
H
Araluen Centre
Alice Springs' art gallery, the Araluen Centre shows off an enviable collection of works spanning decades. Permanent exhibitions include the Albert Namatjira Gallery - the Territory's largest collection of the famous watercolourist's works - plus paintings by Albert's mentor Rex Battarbee and other artists from the Hermannsburg School. Other galleries exhibit acrylics from the central desert region, plus European-style oils and outdoor sculptures.
reviewed
-
I
Kookaburra Memorial
A small circular building houses the wreck and story of the Kookaburra Memorial, a tiny plane forced to make an emergency landing in the Tanami Desert in 1929 while searching for Charles Kingsford Smith and his copilot, Charles Ulm, who had gone down in their plane, the Southern Cross. Keith Anderson and Bob Hitchcock perished in the desert, while Kingsford Smith and Ulm were rescued.
reviewed
-
J
National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame
This tribute to Australia’s pioneering women is in the former Alice Springs Gaol, very near the Royal Flying Doctor Service base. Behind the high walls and rolls of barbed wire are stories of the exploits and achievements of women from all over the country, including large pictorial displays on ‘Women First in Their Field’ and ‘Women at the Heart’ celebrating outback heroines.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Adelaide House
Built in the 1920s as the Australian Inland Mission hospital, Adelaide House was the first hospital in central Australia. Designed by the founding flying doctor Reverend John Flynn, it now displays photographs and implements of pioneering medical practice. At the rear of the building stands a small shed housing the original ‘pedal radio’ invented by Alfred Traeger.
reviewed
-
L
National Road Transport Hall of Fame
If you fancy big trucks, the National Road Transport Hall of Fame has a fabulous collection, including the chassis of the first Kenworth to come off the production line in 1971, and a few ancient road trains. There are over 100 restored trucks and vintage cars, including many of the outback’s pioneering vehicles. Admission is valid for two days so take your time.
reviewed
-
M
Alice Springs Desert Park
Like a kind of Noah’s Ark, the Alice Springs Desert Park has gathered up all the creatures of central Australia and put them on display in one accessible location. So, should the travel itinerary not allow weeks of camping in desert, woodlands and river ecologies to glimpse a spangled grunter or splendid fairy-wren, come here, where the sightings are guaranteed.
reviewed
-
N
Royal Flying Doctor Service Base
Entry to Alice’s Royal Flying Doctor Service base is on a half-hour tour; they run continuously all day. Tours include a 10-minute video, a look at an operational control room, and a wander through a museum with historical displays that include ancient medical gear. The adjoining cafe (open 9am to 4.45pm Monday to Saturday) serves light meals, cakes and drinks.
reviewed
-
O
Mbantua Gallery
This privately owned gallery, which extends through to Todd Mall, includes a cafe and extensive exhibits of works from the renowned Utopia region, as well as watercolour landscapes from the Namatjira school. The upstairs Educational & Permanent Collection (adult/child $4.60/3.30) is a superb cultural exhibition space with panels explaining Aboriginal mythology and customs.
reviewed
-
P
Araluen Cultural Precinct
The precinct combines a natural-history collection, a stellar arts centre, a cemetery, a sculpture garden, sacred sites and an aviation museum, all connected by a walking path. You can wander around freely outside, accessing the cemetery and grounds, but a precinct pass provides entry to the exhibitions and displays.
reviewed
-
Q
Old Ghan Rail Museum
The Old Ghan Rail Museum has a collection of restored Ghan locos and carriages to please train buffs and anyone interested in this pioneering railway (originally called the Afghan Express after the cameleers who forged the route).
reviewed
-
R
Aviation Museum
The Aviation Museum is in the Connellan Hangar, Alice's original aerodrome. There are exhibits on pioneer aviation in the Territory and, of course, the famous Royal Flying Doctor Service (the old plane out the front belonged to John Flynn, founder of the service).
reviewed
-
S
Gallery Gondwana
Gondwana is a well-established private gallery, recognised for dealing directly with community art centres and artists. Quality works from leading and emerging Central and Western Desert artists include those from Yuendumu and Utopia.
reviewed
-
T
Papunya Tula Artists
The Western Desert art movement began at Papunya Tula in 1971, and today this Aboriginal-owned gallery displays some of this most sought-after art. Papunya Tula works with around 120 artists, most painting at Kintore in the far west.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Aviation Museum
The Aviation Museum is in the Connellan Hangar, Alice’s original aerodrome. There are exhibits on pioneer aviation in the Territory and, of course, the famous Royal Flying Doctor Service.
reviewed
