Best Things to Do in Alice Springs, Australia

Nestled beside the Todd River just north of Alice Springs, the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve preserves the original 1872 repeater station that connected Australia to the rest of the world via the Overland Telegraph Line — one of the great engineering achievements of the Victorian era. The 3,200-kilometre line from Adelaide to Darwin, completed in just two years across almost entirely unmapped territory, linked Australia to the global submarine cable network and ended the continent’s communication isolation. The station’s stone buildings — including the original operator’s quarters, battery room, and horse yards — have been carefully restored and furnished to their 1890s appearance. Costumed interpreters operate Morse code equipment and explain daily life at this remote outpost, where operators lived for months at a time far from any town. The reserve also marks the original Alice Springs, a waterhole named after the wife of Charles Todd, Superintendent of Telegraphs. Walking trails through the river gums and a resident population of euros (wallaroos) add natural appeal to this rich historical site.

Standing just minutes from Alice Springs’ town centre, Anzac Hill offers the finest panoramic view of the Red Centre — and a place of genuine historical and cultural significance. The hill rises 80 metres above the Todd River floodplain and has been a lookout and ceremonial site for the Arrernte people since long before European settlement. The Anzac War Memorial at the summit was erected in 1934 to honour local servicemen and women, and it remains a focal point for dawn services on Anzac Day each April — some of the most atmospheric commemorations anywhere in Australia, set against the desert sunrise. The 360-degree view from the top takes in the MacDonnell Ranges to the west and east, the town below, and the vast central Australian plain rolling toward the horizon in every direction. A sealed road allows vehicle access, while the Lions Walk provides a gentle hiking path up the southern face. Anzac Hill is best at sunrise or sunset, when the light transforms the ochre ranges into something close to luminous. Entry is free and the site is always open.

Situated at the crossroads of the Lasseter Highway and the track to Uluru, Curtin Springs is the last stop before the national park boundary — and one of the most characterful outback stations in Australia. The working cattle station has been owned by the Severin family since 1956, when the land was little more than a stock route watering point. Today it functions as a welcoming roadhouse, campground, and informal outback community hub serving travellers making the pilgrimage to Uluru and Kata Tjuta. What distinguishes Curtin Springs from an ordinary fuel stop is its authenticity: this is a genuinely operating station running over 3,000 head of cattle across 1 million acres, and the family’s frontier hospitality creates an atmosphere that feels a world away from tourist infrastructure. Cold beer, hearty meals, and a tin-roofed bar where locals and travellers mix make for memorable evening stops. Stargazing here, far from any light pollution, is exceptional. For travellers seeking a taste of real outback life alongside their Red Centre itinerary, Curtin Springs delivers it without contrivance.

One of Australia’s most remote national parks, Finke Gorge National Park protects a landscape of exceptional geological and biological significance in the heart of the Northern Territory. The park centres on the Finke River — one of the world’s oldest river systems, estimated to have followed essentially the same course for at least 100 million years — and the extraordinary Palm Valley within it. Palm Valley shelters a relict population of Red Cabbage Palms (Livistona mariae), a species found nowhere else on Earth, which survived here through successive ice ages in a microclimate created by the sandstone gorge. The sight of 3,000 palms rising from arid desert is genuinely surreal and deeply moving for botanists and casual visitors alike. Access requires a high-clearance 4WD vehicle via the Mereenie Loop Road, a journey that adds to the park’s sense of earned discovery. Walking trails within the valley range from easy boardwalk strolls to more demanding ridge climbs offering sweeping views over the palms and sandstone domes below. Camping is available within the park.

Situated 125 kilometres west of Alice Springs at the foot of the Finke River valley, Hermannsburg — known in Western Aranda as Ntaria — holds a unique place in Australian cultural history. Established in 1877 by Lutheran missionaries from Germany, the mission became the birthplace of one of Australia’s most internationally celebrated artists: Albert Namatjira, whose luminous watercolour landscapes of the MacDonnell Ranges transformed European perceptions of Aboriginal art in the 1930s and 1940s. The Historic Precinct preserves the original German stone mission buildings — church, school, and residences — in a remarkable state of integrity, operated as a living museum with guided tours. The Namatjira Gallery displays original works and prints by Albert and members of the Hermannsburg watercolour school he inspired. The surrounding community of Ntaria remains a living Aranda community, and visitors are reminded to treat it with appropriate respect. A short drive away, the start of the Mereenie Loop Road to Finke Gorge National Park makes Hermannsburg a natural launching point for deeper exploration of the Western Aranda heartland.

Roughly 50 kilometres west of Uluru, the Kata Tjuta domes rise dramatically from the desert floor — 36 rounded rock formations spread across a 21-kilometre expanse of ancient conglomerate. Known to the Anangu as a place of great men’s sacred knowledge, Kata Tjuta carries a spiritual gravity that many travellers find even more affecting than its more famous neighbour. The tallest dome, Mount Olga, reaches 546 metres — higher than Uluru — though it is the labyrinthine valleys between the domes that most captivate visitors. The Valley of the Winds walk (7.4 kilometres) threads between soaring rust-red walls, past desert oaks and spinifex, offering solitude and silence that are rare at Australia’s most iconic destinations. The shorter Walpa Gorge walk delivers dramatic views with less exertion. Both trails are best attempted in the cooler morning hours; in summer, heat can force closures by midday. Combined with a sunset viewing at the designated dune platform, Kata Tjuta provides a deeply atmospheric close to any visit to Australia’s Red Centre.

Widely regarded as one of Australia’s greatest long-distance walking trails, the Larapinta Trail traverses 223 kilometres of the Western MacDonnell Ranges from the Alice Springs Telegraph Station to the summit of Mount Sonder (1,380 metres) — one of the Northern Territory’s highest peaks. Divided into 12 sections of varying difficulty, the trail passes through ancient Arrernte country, crossing quartzite ridgelines, dry creek beds, and hidden gorges that few travellers reach by road. Standout sections include the Ormiston Gorge crossing, the exposed Chewings Range ridge, and the pre-dawn climb to Mount Sonder’s summit for a sunrise that rewards the effort with views extending to the horizon in every direction. Water is scarce along much of the trail, requiring careful planning with certified water caches at each section. The best walking months are April through September, when temperatures are manageable; summer heat routinely exceeds 45°C and renders the trail dangerous. Guided multi-day tours with camp support are available, or experienced hikers can tackle sections independently with proper preparation and satellite communication.

The MacDonnell Ranges extend nearly 650 kilometres across the heart of Australia’s Northern Territory, making them one of the continent’s longest mountain chains and among its most ancient geological formations — dating back over 300 million years. Aligned east to west through Alice Springs, the ranges divide into the Western and Eastern MacDonnells, each offering distinct landscapes and cultural significance for the Arrernte people on whose ancestral country they sit. The chain was shaped by massive tectonic folding and subsequently sculpted by wind and water into a series of parallel ridges, gorges, and hidden waterholes that become critical refuges for wildlife in the arid climate. Elevations reach 1,531 metres at Mount Zeil, the highest point in the Northern Territory. The ranges have attracted explorers since John McDouall Stuart crossed the region in 1860, and they continue to draw bushwalkers, geologists, and travellers seeking the profound quiet of Australia’s interior. The interplay of ancient rock, desert flora, and wide sky creates a landscape unlike anywhere else on the continent.

Located on Elder Street in the heart of Alice Springs, Mbantua Fine Art Gallery and Cultural Museum is one of the most respected showcases of Western Desert Aboriginal art in Australia. The gallery specialises in works by artists from the Utopia region northeast of Alice Springs, particularly the celebrated dot-painting tradition pioneered by Emily Kame Kngwarreye and continued by a community of artists whose work is held in major international collections. Beyond commercial gallery space, the attached cultural museum displays traditional artefacts, ceremonial objects, and interpretive material that contextualises the art within living Anmatyerre and Alyawarre cultural practice. Knowledgeable staff explain the stories embedded in individual works, helping visitors distinguish genuine community art from the mass-produced imitations that flood tourist markets. The gallery works directly with artists and their communities, ensuring that purchases benefit creators rather than intermediaries. For travellers seeking to understand Aboriginal art as a living cultural form rather than a decorative souvenir, Mbantua provides both the context and the quality to make that understanding meaningful.

Perched on a low hill above the Todd River just minutes from Alice Springs’ town centre, the Olive Pink Botanic Garden is Australia’s only botanic garden dedicated exclusively to the flora of arid and semi-arid central Australia. Established through the persistent advocacy of ethnologist and botanical illustrator Olive Pink — who donated her life savings and personal land to create it — the garden opened formally in 1956 and now conserves over 500 plant species native to the region. Winding trails through the 16-hectare site pass stands of mulga, desert oak, native figs, and spinifex grasses that would be encountered across thousands of kilometres of outback. Interpretive signage connects plants to their Arrernte names and uses, providing genuine ethnobotanical depth. The garden is also excellent birdwatching territory: honeyeaters, zebra finches, and raptors are resident year-round, drawn by the reliable water and native plantings. Early morning visits in spring reward walkers with flowering acacias and the scent of native blooms. Entry is by donation. The garden stands as a quiet monument to one woman’s determined vision for conservation and cross-cultural respect.

Deep within the Western MacDonnell Ranges, Ormiston Gorge is arguably the most spectacular of the accessible gorges flanking the Larapinta Trail. The gorge was carved by the Ormiston Creek through a vivid band of quartzite and phyllite, creating sheer walls that rise up to 300 metres above a permanent waterhole — one of the most reliable water sources in the entire Red Centre. The Pound Walk, a 7.5-kilometre loop, is the signature trail here: it climbs above the gorge rim to reveal sweeping views of the enclosed Ormiston Pound, a natural basin ringed by ancient ridgelines, before descending back through ghost gum woodland to the waterhole. Early mornings are magical — the still water perfectly reflects the crimson walls, and euros (wallaroos) graze on the slopes above. Swimming in the waterhole on a hot afternoon is one of those rare travel pleasures that feels genuinely earned. A well-equipped campground makes Ormiston an excellent base for multi-day walkers tackling the western sections of the Larapinta.

Few institutions better capture the spirit and ingenuity of outback Australia than the Royal Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility in Alice Springs. Founded in 1928 by Reverend John Flynn, the RFDS pioneered the concept of remote medical care, bringing doctors to patients across an area of 7.3 million square kilometres — a third of the Australian continent. The Alice Springs visitor centre blends a working RFDS base with a compelling museum that traces the service’s history through original aircraft, medical equipment, radio sets, and personal stories of outback emergencies. Life-sized dioramas and audio-visual presentations bring dramatic rescues to life, while real RFDS aircraft are displayed in the adjacent hangar. A pedal radio exhibit demonstrates how Flynn’s ‘mantle of safety’ first connected isolated homesteads to the outside world before aviation even reached many communities. The gift shop supports ongoing RFDS operations. For travellers unfamiliar with the vast distances and isolation that define Australia’s interior, this museum provides an eye-opening and deeply human perspective on what life beyond the cities truly demands.

Just 18 kilometres west of Alice Springs, Simpsons Gap offers the most accessible introduction to the Western MacDonnell Ranges — and one of the most rewarding. The gap is a narrow breach in the quartzite ridgeline through which Rungutjirpa Creek passes during rare flood events, leaving behind a shaded, sandy riverbed flanked by soaring red walls. Sacred to the Arrernte people, the site carries deep cultural significance maintained through the Western Aranda Land Trust. The short walk from the car park to the gap takes around 20 minutes and is suitable for all fitness levels, making it the ideal first gorge experience for families and casual visitors. Black-footed rock-wallabies are frequently spotted on the boulder slopes — early mornings and late afternoons offer the best sightings as the animals emerge to feed. The Cassia Hill walk (2 kilometres return) provides elevated views over the ranges and town. Simpsons Gap bicycle path, stretching 17 kilometres from Alice Springs, gives cycling enthusiasts a scenic and culturally rich route into the park.

For a brief, electrifying moment each day, sunlight squeezes between the quartzite walls of Standley Chasm and floods the narrow gorge with a blaze of red-orange fire. Located 50 kilometres west of Alice Springs, this sacred site of the Arrernte people is known in language as Angkerle Atwatye — a name that carries ancestral stories embedded in the landscape for millennia. The chasm itself is just 9 metres wide at its narrowest point but soars 80 metres overhead, creating a cathedral-like slot through the quartzite ridgeline. The best light arrives around midday when the sun is directly overhead, drawing photographers and walkers who make the easy 1.5-kilometre return hike from the car park. Ghost gums cling to the rock ledges above, their white trunks luminous against the ancient stone. The park is managed by the Iwupataka Land Trust, and a small cafe at the entrance offers refreshments before or after your walk. Standley Chasm is compact but unforgettable — one of the Red Centre’s most purely beautiful natural spectacles.

Founded by conservationist Brolga — Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns — The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs has become one of Australia’s most beloved wildlife rescue operations and a surprisingly moving visitor experience. The sanctuary rescues orphaned red kangaroos, whose mothers have been killed on outback roads, raising them through infancy in cloth pouches before gradually reintroducing them to outdoor life. Evening sanctuary tours — the only time visitors are admitted — take small groups through the grounds to meet joeys and sub-adult kangaroos in various stages of rehabilitation. Brolga’s passionate, personal storytelling about each animal transforms what could be a standard wildlife encounter into something genuinely heartfelt. The sanctuary gained international attention through the Netflix documentary series Kangaroo Dundee, which followed its founding years. All proceeds fund ongoing rescue and care operations. Visit numbers are deliberately kept small to protect the animals’ welfare, so advance booking is essential. For travellers with any affection for wildlife, The Kangaroo Sanctuary is one of the most emotionally rewarding stops in the entire Red Centre.

Visible from the air as a nearly perfect circle of ridges rising from the desert plain, Tnorala — known in English as Gosse Bluff — is one of Australia’s most dramatic geological features and one of its most sacred Indigenous sites. Formed approximately 142 million years ago when a comet or asteroid struck the Earth, the impact created a crater now eroded to a ring of quartzite cliffs roughly 5 kilometres in diameter and 180 metres high. The Western Aranda people know Tnorala as the place where a celestial baby fell to Earth during the Milky Way dance of the Dreamtime — a creation story that predates scientific understanding of the impact by countless generations. Access is via an unsealed road suitable for 4WD vehicles, approximately 175 kilometres west of Alice Springs. A short walk leads into the interior of the bluff, where the scale of the impact event becomes tangible. The remote location ensures that few tourists make it here, rewarding those who do with solitude, extraordinary geology, and a profound sense of standing at a genuine intersection of ancient science and living culture.

Stretching 160 kilometres west of Alice Springs, the West MacDonnell Ranges form one of Australia’s most ancient and dramatic landscapes — a series of parallel quartzite ridgelines carved by time into gorges, waterholes, and valley systems of extraordinary beauty. Proclaimed a national park in 1984, the region encompasses sacred Arrernte country and shelters a remarkable array of endemic wildlife, including the black-footed rock-wallaby and more than 170 bird species. The ranges are best experienced along the Larapinta Trail, a 223-kilometre walking route that traverses the spine of the ranges from Alice Springs to Mount Sonder. Day visitors are well served by a string of accessible gorges — Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek Big Hole, Serpentine Gorge, Ormiston Gorge — each offering swimming holes and distinctive geology. The ranges glow deep ochre at dawn and dusk, when the horizontal light picks out every ridge and shadow. This is quintessential outback Australia: ancient, silent, and humbling in its geological scale.