Think you know the Red Centre? Think again

Anna Dakin has a message to anyone dreaming of a trip to Central Australia: “There is so much more to do than just go to Uluru.”

Dakin has lived in Alice Springs for the last eight years and works as a tour guide, running art-focussed expeditions of the local region. She made the move to Australia’s Red Centre from London after visiting on a holiday and falling “totally in love” with the natural landscapes.

“Uluru is incredible, and not to be missed, but the West MacDonnell Ranges – that’s the reason I moved to Central Australia,” she says. “The landscape is absolutely beautiful. There’s an energy in the landscape of Central Australia that I haven’t picked up on anywhere else in the world.”

So how can you go beyond the postcard and really tap into that unique Red Centre energy? Here’s some expert local advice.

Start with Alice

Any great trip to Central Australia should start with getting to know Alice Springs, a town unlike any other.

Local musician Katie Harder says Alice is home to “a great arts community” that punches above its weight in terms of talent. To get a feel for the town’s vibrant creative scene, she’d recommend seeking out Watch This Space, a multi-purpose arts space that plays host to exhibitions, workshops, performances, screenings and book launches. And for something completely different? One of the more surprising venues in town is The Black Wreath, a massive heavy metal space that last year hosted performances from over 400 artists hailing from 10 different countries.

Visitors are also spoilt for choice when it comes to visual art.

“We’ve got more art galleries per capita in Alice Springs than anywhere else in the country,” says Dakin.

Perhaps the best-known gallery in Alice Springs is Araluen Art Centre, which hosts an annual program of exhibitions, performances and film. But some of Harder’s top picks include the Iltja Ntjarra Many Hands Art Centre, which showcases watercolour paintings by the descendants of Albert Namatjira, and 8 Hele Gallery. The latter is “where you can see some of the highest quality Aboriginal art in a really tucked away spot, down a back alley in the industrial area”.

“You wouldn’t necessarily know it was there if you didn’t know that it was there, but I think that’s one of Alice Springs’ best-kept secrets,” she says.

More to the menu

For brunch Harder recommends hitting the cafe next door to Araleen Art Centre, Yaye’s, “run by a young Argentinian man who’s really grown that space into something really delicious, and authentic to where he’s from”. For dinner, she’d go to Tropic of Capricorn for “interesting cocktails and tapas-style food”.

Dakin the local-made alcoholic ginger beer at Alice Springs Brew Company (“it’s a 10 out of 10″). Alice is also home to some incredible Asian food. Stuart Ord, an Alice local who has long worked in tourism and consultancy, loves Alice Vietnamese, an off-the-radar spot tucked away by the airport.

“They grow all of their own herbs. Their specialty is fish,” he says. “I enjoy taking people out there for something a little bit different. You feel as though you’re driving out in the middle of nowhere when you go to this restaurant, and it’s really quirky.”

Events for (quite honestly) everyone

Speaking of quirky, Alice is home to a calendar full of curious events that bring out subcultures of all stripes.

There’s Blacken Open Air Festival, an annual heavy metal event by the owners of The Black Wreath that the pierced, tattooed and utterly devoted fly in from around the country for. And its 2027 iteration is set to be big: Blacken Open Air X: SOLAR, the festival’s milestone tenth anniversary event, will electrify Alice from 30 April to 3 May.

Then, every June Alice plays host to Tatts Fink Desert Race, a big motorbike and buggy race “for your revheads, which adds another 15,000 people to town,” says Harder.

Drag and cabaret showcase FabAlice tips its hat to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in March (“because in the film, the bus ended up at Lasseter’s [Hotel Casino] here,” Ord says) and in August there’s the Henley on Todd Regatta, the world’s only dry river boating event, in which a Flintstone-style ‘boat’ comically races on the sandy Todd River dry bed.

It’s not a festival, but year-round you can drive seven kilometres out of town to the kooky National Road Transport Museum, which Ord affectionately refers to as the ‘Trucking Hall of Fame’ – a museum devoted to trucking history as well as artefacts of the old Ghan railway. “You can spend a good four or five hours out there,” he says.

The best part? Alice’s offering of quirky events is as generous as they come, as one would expect of a place that puts on a much-loved annual beanie festival. If you have a niche interest, chances are, Alice has you covered.

Adventure near and far

When adventure calls, you have two options: Alice or beyond? The good news is you can’t go wrong.

Within Alice Springs, there’s fun to be had on horseback, among the birds, or saying hello to scaly friends at the Reptile Park. Or, to take your trip to new heights, there’s hot air ballooning and stargazing galore.

Alongside offering plenty of experiences in its own right, Alice is the perfect “base for going on a proper adventure into the outback,” says Dakin. She recommends picking up supplies at Desert Dwellers in town before going bush. Otherwise, it’s easy to hire camping gear from Nomadic Camping.

The obvious starting points are the East and West MacDonnell Ranges, which begin just outside of town and stretch for over 150 kilometres in each direction. Both are full of “so many amazing places” to explore, says Dakin.

“For people who like to go on a decent hike, start at Standley Chasm and go up to the top of Brinkley Bluff for a proper big hiking day,” Dakin recommends. That’s just one of the hikes along the Larapinta Trail, a 223-kilometre walking track that follows the spine of the West MacDonnell Ranges.

After something shorter? “Out in the East Macs, there’s a walk called the Chain of Ponds Walk, which is one of Australia’s most underrated short walks,” Dakin says. “It’s only three kilometres, but it’s absolutely amazing.”

Harder agrees the Chain of Ponds walk is a must-do. “If you catch it after rain, it’s spectacular. It’s like you’re walking down multiple waterfalls,” she says.

The Ranges also offer plenty of waterholes to seek out for a dip along your drive, which fill and empty according to recent rainfall. “Ormiston Gorge is fantastic and has always got water,” Ord says – as do Glen Helen Gorge and Ellery Waterhole.

Ord recommends hiring a four-wheel drive for maximum adventuring.

“If you’ve only got a two-wheel drive, that would limit you a little bit. If you got a four-wheel drive, then the world’s your oyster,” he says.

Ord’s biggest piece of advice, though, is not to rush your trip to Central Australia.

“We have so many people come into Central Australia and say, ‘oh, I wish we had known how much there was to see and do – we should have allowed more time’,” he says. “You really want enough time to enjoy it and experience all we’ve got to offer.”

Alice Springs is more than just a destination; it’s a feeling, a connection, a story waiting to be told. Head for the heart. Head for Alice Springs. Discover more inspiration to start planning your Red Centre adventure here.