Alice Springs: The Gateway to Central Australia.

As retirees enjoying travel, we have continued on our journey travelling Australia. We made the very long road trip into Alice Springs, via Tennant Creek, to begin our Central Australian adventures . There is no denying it is a long, straight 500 kilometers. But how pleased we have been to visit Alice Springs. It has far more to offer tourists than we imagined.

About Alice Springs

Alice Springs is a city of about 30,000. It is an incredibly remote city. If you look at a map you will see Alice Springs is basically smack bang in the middle of Australia. It is approximately 1,500 kilometers to either Darwin or Adelaide. The nearest towns are Tennant Creek (approx 500 kilometers) and Yalara (near Uluru) – 447 kilometers.

West MacDonnell Ranges

We travelled out on the scenic Larapinta Trail, which winds it’s way along the Tjorita / West MacDonnell National Park. All along this road we witnessed the beauty of the MacDonnell Ranges.

The colour of the landscape is a complete palate of autumn colours. There are many shades of green contrasting against the red brown of the soil. At times, you see splashes of gold in the yellow green of the grass, purple hues in the hills, and even silvery shades in the bushes. There are so many colours, and they all contrast and compliment each other. It is just stunning.

Alice Springs: The Gateway to Central Australia. — West MacDonnell Ranges

On the Larapinta Trail you can visit Simpson’s Gap, Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek Big Hole, Serpentine Gorge, Ochre Pits, Ormiston Gorge, without need of a 4WD.

We visited Simpson’s Gap, Standley Chasm and Ellery Creek Big Hole. We left Alice Springs about 9am and returned by 4pm.

Simpson’s Gap

Simpson’s Gap is about 25 kilometers from Alice Springs. It is the easiest site to access on the West Macdonnell Ranges, with only a short walk from the car park. There is no entrance fee.

It is interesting to walk up to a place and think “I’ve seen this before”… but only in photos.

All around this area, the creek beds are mostly dry. The water filters down under the sand. How clever is that? What a great way to beat water evaporation?

In the photo above, the water hole at Simpson’s Gap wasn’t visible from where I was standing. Suddenly you come across this beautiful sight of the waterhole at Simpson’s Gap

Check out the Rock Wallaby, photoed below. They are so tiny. There were five sitting together. The Rock Wallaby’s were difficult to see, as they really blend into the rocks. The Rock Wallabies are at risk of becoming extinct, as Dingoes and wild dogs have greatly reduced their numbers.

Standley Chasm

Standley Chasm is about 50 kilometers from Alice Springs.

Standley Chasm is on Aboriginal cultural site, owned by the Iwupataka Land Trust. An entry fee is required to visit this site. There is a kiosk and picnic facilities available.

We enjoyed an easy walk along a lush gully floor, with wonderful ferns, to the chasm. There is nearly always some water in this area. The return walk took a little over half an hour. The majority of retirees would be capable of making this walk.

Alice Springs: Gateway to Central Australia. — Standley Chasm

The Standley Chasm

At the Chasm there was some rough boulders to walk across.

The ghost gums were a beautiful contrast against the quartzite walls of the Chasm.

But, what a spectacular sight? Flood water has created this Chasm over untold years. Imagine water gushing through this chasm! The walls are said to be 80 meters high, above the chasm bed.

The best time to visit this area is about lunch time. Then all the shapes and colours in the Chasm are highlighted by the sunlight.

Following our walk to the Chasm we went on another walk, left of the kiosk. This was another relatively short walk, but quite steep, and certainly harder than the walk to the Chasm. Given there was no shade on this track, it was hot. The track was rough, with loose gravelly stones. As baby boomers we didn’t want a fall, so chose our steps carefully. But, having said that, the walk was worth it.

We walked up to a lookout over a valley, and the MacDonnell Ranges in the distance.

Be aware, the last section of the walk is steep and rough. And, it is steeper than the photo looks! But, do you know what? Walking these steep, rough tracks increases our fitness, and our confidence in ourselves.

If you are keen on bushwalking there is also the Larapinta Trail section 3 and 4.

Ellery Creek Big Hole

We then drove onto the Ellery Creek Big Hole, which is about 90 kilometres from Alice Springs.

There was a couple of kilometres of dirt road, a little rough in patches, into the creek. From the car park, it is only a short walk to the big hole. Lots of people were in swimming. We couldn’t resist a swim ourselves. But, my, the water was cold when we first got in; even though it was an extremely hot day. Regardless, we recommend you bring your swimmers if you come to Ellery Creek Big Hole.

There is a picnic area, with toilet facilities. Some grey nomads had their caravans set up in the camping ground.

All in all, we recommend at least a day trip into the West MacDonnell Ranges. We believe there are other great sights to enjoy in the area, but time beat us on the day.

Alice Springs Telegraph Station Reserve

The Telegraph Station at Alice Springs was the first white settlement in Central Australia.

The Station Masters residence was built in 1888. It was said to be the grandest house in Central Australia. The buildings remain beautiful to this day.

How isolated would the Station Master, his wife and children have been? They received supplies one per year by camel! Such amazing stories.

In the early 1900s the Telegraph Station was a small village, and had more building than currently stand today.

The Station Masters kitchen was constructed in 1877. It was originally Central Australia’s first Post Office, opening in 1878.

It was Heritage Week when we visited at Easter 2017. The Morsecodian Fraternity had volunteers travel from Sydney and Melbourne to provide a Morse Code exhibition.

We enjoyed talking to the retiree – pictured, who volunteers as a Morscodian, and hearing all the history.

The Station also has a history of being an Aboriginal Mission. In the foreground is a miniature replica building where Aboriginal children lived. This building no longer exists. In the background is one of the outbuildings at the Telegraph Station.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Reserve. There is so much more to see than is in this post. We loved all the history, which is well documented to read as you walk around. We were very lucky to visit during Heritage Week and see the volunteers demonstrate Morse Code in action.

For those who love Australian history, the Telegraph Station Reserve at Alice Springs is a must.

The Reserve has a kiosk, picnic and BBQ areas, with lovely shady, grassed lawn.

Araluen Cultural Precinct

Araluen Cultural Precinct, Alice Springs.

We visited four art galleries in the Aruluen Cultural Precinct. Each gallery had paintings of a high standard. Our favorite was the gallery with the Albert Namatjira water colours, particularly from Central Australia and the Western Dessert. Another exhibition we really enjoyed was the “Portrait of a Senior Territorial”. Perhaps this says something about us being seniors ourselves?

We also enjoyed the Museum of Central Australia. This museum exhibits the natural and geological history of the area.

The National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame Inc and Old Goal.

The National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame caught our attention. We thought we would be learning all about the local pioneering women. We were surprised to find this museum was one of only three museum’s in Australia dedicated to women’s achievements. And this is the only Australian museum to celebrate Australian women who were first in their field. Who would guess such a museum would be located in Alice Springs?

The exhibition was titled “Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives”. I especially enjoyed this exhibition. It had many categories, for instance – Architects, Aviation,Telecommunications. My favourite category was Women Refusing To Stay At Home, with the likes of Kay Cottee.

There was a photo and a little blurb about each women who was first in their field. Some women were from the late 1800s.

As an Australian baby boomer the story about Margaret Throsby reminded me how much has changed since I was a young woman.

In 1975 Margaret Throsby was the first women in Australia to read a full length main evening ABC news bulletin on radio, since WW2. Three years later she was the first woman to read the 7pm ABC TV News. (ABC Radio Archives)

This exhibition is located at the Old Goal. We also toured the Old Goal.

Anzac Hill

This was actually one of the first things we did on arrival to Alice Springs. At Anzac Hill we enjoyed panoramic views over the township and the surrounding ranges.

Check out the feature image for this blog. This photo was taken from Anzac Hill.

Where to dine out?

We received a recommendation from a local to eat at Hanuman. This is a Thai & Indian restaurant, located at the Hilton Hotel in Alice Springs. We both enjoyed a lovely meal.

As retirees enjoying travel on a budget, we don’t eat out at restaurants every week. And, because we were so busy with our travels, we nearly forget. But, hey, it was our anniversary. We were so happy we remembered our anniversary, as it was a lovely meal.

Where did we stay?

We stayed in our caravan at the G’Day Mate Tourist Park. This park has lovely grassy sites, a swimming pool, and all the usual facilities. It was a very quiet park. The only noise we heard were dingoes calling out in the night.

Alice Springs has a broad range of accommodation options.

Did you know the town of Alice Springs was originally named Stuart?

Alice Springs was originally surveyed in 1888, following the discovery of gold in the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Today, Alice Springs is the gateway for tourism in Central Australia.