Experience the best of Alice Springs

Alice Springs grew from a telegraph station built in 1872 beside a waterhole on the Todd River, which is usually a wide bed of dry sand. The town, called Mparntwe by the Arrernte people, lies in a gap in the MacDonnell Ranges, and Anzac Hill gives a view over its grid of streets. Aboriginal art galleries, the Desert Park and the restored Telegraph Station are among the main sights.

The West MacDonnell Ranges run out of town with a string of gorges and waterholes, among them Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Ormiston Gorge and Glen Helen. The Larapinta Trail follows the ranges for 223 kilometres. Further south-west lie Kings Canyon and Uluru, a long day's drive away, and Palm Valley in Finke Gorge National Park shelters rare red cabbage palms left over from a wetter age.

Bush foods such as kangaroo, camel and wattleseed appear on local menus, and the town's galleries sell dot paintings from desert communities. The desert climate is dry, with hot summer days and winter nights that can fall to freezing; the cooler months from May to September suit walking best.