Alice Springs and Surrounds - Plenty to do in Alice

The School of the Air is located at 80 Head Street, Alice Springs. Learn how this unique school, with a broadcast area of 1.3 million square kilometres, serves the needs of isolated children living in the outback.

Touring the school, you will share in the experience of one of the most unique educational facilities in the world. The school provides daily lessons by HF Radio to isolated children living on cattle stations and Aboriginal communities, in road houses and national parks.

Visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service to see first-hand how outback Australia benefits from the medical assistance provided by the RFDS. Uniquely Australian, the RFDS story is forever linked with that of its founder, the Very Reverend John Flynn - a story of achievement that gave courage to the pioneers of the inland. At the RFDS Visitor Centre you can learn about the history of the service, and how it maintains its vast network today.

Nestled against a backdrop of the spectacular MacDonnell Ranges, just 10 minutes drive from the centre of Alice Springs, the Alice Springs Desert Park showcases the landscapes, animals and plants of Australia's deserts and their traditional use and management by Aboriginal people.

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Blissful thermal pool

In Elsey National Park, palm trees shade a constantly flowing thermal pool on the Waterhouse River – bliss to swim in! At night, giant “flying fox” bats flit silently overhead, silhouetted against the stars. Jeannie Gunn's classic outback novel, “We of the Never Never”, was written near here in 1908.

Find life in the desert

Alice Springs Desert Park, a mere 10 minute drive from Alice Springs, gives you a sense of the vivid network of life that lies beneath the desert's barren appearance. Nestled into the McDonnell Ranges, it is a zoo, botanic garden and research centre in one tourist attraction. more

Flying Doctor Service

The Royal Flying Doctor Service, or RFDS, is as important today as when it began in 1928. It cares for all who live, work and travel the vastness of Australia. Enjoy the visitor centre in Alice Springs.

Here, under the rainbow

Come and see for yourself the magnificent diverse bands of colour - caused by water, weathering and erosion - that mark Rainbow Valley apart from other red centre icons. In the changing light of the early morning and late afternoon, the land really puts on a show. more

Ideal touring base

Alice Springs is a perfect base for an outback holiday, giving easy access to many natural wonders: Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park, Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon) and the MacDonnell Ranges. more

Indigenous cultural centre

For 40 000 years, Alice Springs has been a traditional ‘meeting place' for the trading of artefacts, knowledge, art and culture by the Arrente people. Visitors can experience this vibrant culture at the Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre, in Alice Springs. There, the Arrente people share their art, craft, food, and legends that give meaning to their culture. Visitors can learn to play a didgeridoo, throw a boomerang, and discover some of the symbolism behind central Australian art or bush tucker.

Welcoming outback city

From its pioneering roots, Alice Springs has emerged into an attractive town, with a mall, shopping precincts, casino, and a range of cafes and restaurants. There are plenty of accommodation options too. more