Top Things To Do In Alice Springs

Alice Springs, or as I like to call it “the Gateway to the Outback” is a great place to start your trip in Central Australia.

With direct flights from every mainland capital city, it is a useful connection hub and starting point if you want to see Uluru; but also tick off a few other amazing sites in Australia’s desert region. 

“Alice”, as it is referred to by locals, does not have many attractions that would keep you busy for a week; but a day or two at the start or end of your trip can definitely add value…or even become a highlight. 

Here are my Top 7 things to do in Alice Springs and the surrounding area:

1. Kangaroo Sanctuary

This was hands down the most AMAZING interactive wildlife encounter I have ever had. I spent an evening learning about Kangaroos and getting up close with rescued joeys. Check out the site, tour times, prices and wonderful things they do HERE!

2. Alice Springs Desert Park

This is also a great wildlife experience and the park is lucky enough to have the beautiful west MacDonnell ranges as its backdrop. You can spend a few hours or even a day here walking through the few kilometres of trails, attending cultural and wildlife talks ( some by Indigenous staff members) and witness predator birds in a fantastic live show, demonstrating their natural characteristics. They also have a Nocturnal House (where they reverse night and day) so you can experience animals that wouldn’t normally be able to see.

The Alice Springs Desert Park is a 15 minute drive out of town and is open from 7.30 am to 6pm every day. Entry tickets cost $37 AUD for an adult and $18.50 AUD for a child. Children under 5 enter for FREE.

3. Explore the local Gorges and Watering Holes 

Along what’s known as the Red Centre Way, just an hour or two out of Alice, you can find some amazing natural swimming holes and Gorges. I visited Glen Helen, Ormiston and Ellery Creek Big Hole all of which can be easily accessed, we only needed to spend a few minutes on an unsealed road (from the main road) to reach these spots. Some were even sealed the whole way to the car park. Serpentine is about 5km off the main road and the dirt road here was much more bumpy than the others. I decided not to risk it (I had a hire car so I had to be a little more precious about things).

What I loved was that, even though I visited during peak season, there weren’t too many people at each stop, which meant I could enjoy the pristine environment and also get some nice photos.

Ellery Creek Big Hole was by far my Favourite! The shape, size and the colours were beautiful. I could have spent all day sitting here soaking up the sun and dipping my toes in the (slightly cold) water.

4. Standley Chasm

Standley Chasm is a marvellous and unique geological site that is worth a stop when visiting Central Australia. It also offers photographers an excellent opportunity to get creative. Remember that depending on the time of day, you can have the sun shining directly between the two cliffs and that can impact your photos. Might be a good idea to avoid the mid-late afternoon if possible.

Just keep in mind that is in on private land and you need to pay an entry fee at the kiosk to get in. This is roughly around $10 AUD. From here it is a short, easy walk to get to.

5. Ochre Pits

For those that don’t know Australia’s Indigenous people stretch back thousands of year and have a very unique an intriguing set of practices and customs that stem from the idea of ‘living off the land’. Part of this is the creation of natural paints from Ochre Powder found in rocks. Located near the car park, there is an ‘under cover’ information area that provides details on how, when and why the Ochre Pits were used.

I thought it was super cool but it only requires a very quick stop on your itinerary. The contrast of colours within the rock is awesome and I love how remote and removed you feel here.

5. ANZAC Hill

This a view point to look out over the town and also has a memorial to commemorate those who have served and died for Australia in each war we have fought in.  

6. RFDS MUSEUM and John Flynn’s Grave.

Founded in the 1920’s, the Royal Flying Doctor service in Australia is a vital part of serving our rural and remote population. Pioneered by the Reverend John Flynn (otherwise known as ‘Flynn of the inland’) it has now evolved to not only provide critical care and airlift people to the closest major city for urgent medical treatment (which can sometimes be 1000 kilometres away), but also does patient transfers; and has an aerial clinic with medical staff being flown into remote towns to service the population that live there.

The museum gives some insight to the initial struggle and challenges  to creating such a service. The talking hologram and video of John Flynn telling the story of the RFDS from beginning is super informative and interesting. Also, the virtual reality headsets allow you to step in to the life of a pilot, nurse or patient to see what their life would be like in one of these aircrafts. 

You can even step inside a model of the current aircraft that is used to see the interior and check out the cockpit.

The Museum is open Mondays to Saturdays from 9am to 5pm (closed on major public holidays like Good Friday and Christmas Day). Sunday opening hours are 1pm-5pm. If you want to see the talking hologram then these tours run every 30 minutes from 9am-4pm. Admission will cost you $18 AUD and $11 AUD for children. A little pricey for a backpacker budget but I 100% didn’t mind paying this, as I know it supports such a wonderful and crucial organisation. You can find further pricing and visitor information HERE.

If you are wanting to visit the Reverend John Flynn’s grave site, this is just out of town (near the Desert Park). There is not much here but there is a plaque to read and his grave is marked by a giant boulder (not something you see everyday). It was special to see the resting place (one that Reverend Flynn Specifically chose himself before he passed) of such a monumental pioneer in the history of Australia and the care of its people.

7. School of Air

As a teacher in Australia’s largest city (right on the coast) I find the concept of educating in the outback both fascinating and awe inspiring.

The School of Air basically bridges the gap between remote locations and accessing education via satellite broadcasts. These cover an area of over 1 million square kilometres, which blows me away. Your entry fee to the Visitor Centre supports student programs and helps provide the necessary expensive equipment for this service to be possible for families in remote Australian towns. You can even make donations via their website. A cause I can TOTALLY get behind! 🙂

I didn’t actually know this existed until I got chatting to an older Aussie tourist couple at the Bird show in the Desert Park. They highly recommended it but sadly I didn’t have any spare time in my itinerary. I will definitely be checking it out on my next trip back to the Red Centre!

Check out the School of Air and visitor information HERE.

So go ahead, book that ticket and get yourself out to Central Australia! It sure is something 🙂