Alice Springs Attractions Directory : Historical Sites and Heritage Locations
Click to read more:
Journey to the heart of Alice Springs and be inspired by Rev John Flynn’s historic vision for the bush.
Designed by Flynn, Adelaide House is one of the earliest buildings in Alice Springs, built in 1920 by the Australian Inland Mission. As you step into the cool interior of this historic building situated in the heart of Todd Mall, you’ll step back in time. Wander the displays to learn Flynn’s story and the connection of the bush nursing hostel and the Traeger Pedal Radio, which brought health...
The Alice Springs War Museum is housed within the Alice Springs RSL Club. The museum is acknowledged as the most significant regional collection of war memorabilia in Australia, dating from circa 1854. The collection contains extensive displays from both World Wars, including a pictorial portrayal of Alice Springs at War. The centrepiece of the display is the motorised and or pedal power Quadricycle Gun Carriage.
The township of Alice Springs obtained its name from the waterhole at this historic Telegraph Station. This historical reserve marks the original site of the first European settlement in Alice Springs. Established in 1872 to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide, the Alice Springs Telegraph Station is the best preserved of the 12 stations along the Overland Telegraph Line.
The Telegraph Station features the original buildings of stone which have been restored with house furnishings and ar...
The most visited landmark in Alice Springs, Anzac Hill is the ideal spot for an overview of the town. The lookout offers a panoramic view of Alice Springs and the beautiful East and West MacDonnell Ranges. Anzac Hill has significance for the local Aboriginal people. The Anzac Hill Memorial was unveiled on 25 April 1934 (Anzac Day) and was originally dedicated to all those members of the armed services who had paid the supreme sacrifice during World War I. It has now become a memorial to all thos...
The Araluen Cultural Precinct is home to some of Alice Springs premier cultural and historical experiences, encompassing performing and visual arts, the natural and social history of the region, Aboriginal art and culture.
The Precinct includes – the Araluen Arts Centre, incorporating the Albert Namatjira Gallery, the Museum of Central Australia, Strehlow Research Centre, Central Australian Aviation Museum, Alice Springs Memorial Cemetery, Central Craft Studios and the Yeperenye Sculpture.
Located 110 kilometres east of Alice Springs, the historic town of Arltunga was officially Central Australia's first town and once supported up to 3000 people. Arltunga was born out of a gold rush in 1887, when alluvial gold was discovered in a dry creek bed. Fortune seekers had to travel 600 kilometres from the Oodnadatta railhead, often on foot, to seek their fortune in a harsh environment. At the time, Alice Springs consisted of just the Overland Telegraph Station, and was little more than an...
The Central Australian Aviation Museum is located on Memorial Avenue, Alice Springs, on the western edge of the north-south runway of the original aerodrome. Police and prison labour cleared the runway in 1920 with the first aircraft landing in 1921. The use of aircraft to deliver mail and supplies to isolated cattle stations was a major factor in opening up the Territory. Connellan Airways operated the aircraft for the Royal Flying Doctor Service between 1939 and 1973, making over 5,000 emergen...
Located in the Alice Springs Cultural Precinct, and now the headquarters of Central Craft Alice Springs division, the historic Central Craft building was originally the single staff quarters and mess for the employees of Connellan Airways. Tour the studio and talk to the artisans who come to create on a regular basis. Pottery, weaving, silk screen printing and woodwork are among the crafts to see. There is also a display of locally made arts and crafts for sale.
The small Central Mount Stuart Historical Reserve, 212 kilometres north of Alice Springs along the Stuart Highway, commemorates the discovery in 1860 of nthe centre of Australia by explorer John McDouall Stuart. The mountain nearby is named Central Mount Stuart and is approximately the geographic centre of Australia.
Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve, located 160 kilometres from Alice Springs, is home to Chambers Pillar, a spectacular solitary column towering 40 metres above the Simpson Desert plain. Chambers Pillar was formed from sandstone deposited and worn down over 340 million years. This landmark was very important in guiding the region’s earliest pioneers and is at its spectacular best at sunrise and sunset. John MacDouall Stuart, heading north on his earliest attempt to cross Australia, first record...
As the name suggests, this site is of great significance to local Aboriginal people, as are many of the sites in the MacDonnell Ranges. The real significance of the rocky outcrop to the Eastern Arrernte people is not well known. Corroboree Rock was probably not a corroboree site, but a site where men carried out important ceremonial activities. Information signs and a short walk help you appreciate the area. It is an easy stopover, on your way to other East MacDonnell parks such as Trephina Gorg...
The former Hartley Street School, of Alice Springs, was initially constructed in 1930 to cater for an increase in population resulting from the town's status as a railway terminal. Enrolments over the next decade caused continual overcrowding and in 1945 a kindergarten and classroom, designed by the architect, B.C.G. Burnett, were constructed. The wooden floors and distinctive octagonal shape of the new addition with its adjacent classroom provide a great contrast with the concrete floored, simp...
Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve, 145 kilometres south west of Alice Springs, contains 12 craters which were formed when a meteor hit the earth’s surface 4,700 years ago. The Henbury Meteor, weighing several tonnes and accelerating to over 40,000 kilometres per hour, disintegrated before impact and the fragments formed the 12 craters.
The scattered fragments of the Henbury Meteorite are extremely heavy since they consist mainly of iron and nickel. Pieces of these can be found at the Muse...
The Illamurta Springs Conservation Reserve is one of the most peaceful and isolated reserves in the Northern Territory. Its natural values are due to the impressive southern foothills of the James Range and the presence of a permanent natural spring. The site provides a moist habitat for several relict aquatic plant species, and it protects the ruins of the Illamurta Police Camp. The Illamurta Springs Police Camp was established between 1893 and 1912 after the closure of the Boggy Hole Police St...
John Flynn dreamed of an cathedral within Central Australia where people of all faiths could worship. After his death, his friends across Australia built one in his memory. It was opened by the Prime Minister in 1956, and its design was a result of a national architectural competition incorporating passive cooling, local and national symbolism in its design.
Take a self-guided tour, walking the sign of the Cross built into the Church's design, and learn about the many aspects of Flynn’s achiev...
The John Flynn's Memorial Historical Reserve, located seven kilometres west of Alice Springs, is the resting place for the ashes of the Reverend John Flynn, founder of the Flying Doctor Service and the Australian Inland Mission. The grave is on a low hill at the foot of the MacDonnell Ranges. The plaque expresses a lifetime achievement in just a few lines ‘His vision encompassed the continent. He established the Australian Inland Mission and founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He brought to...
The National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame is now open at the Old Alice Springs Gaol giving visitors two unique heritage attractions at one great location. A museum of national importance, it was founded in 1993 by Molly Clark from Old Andado Station.
A pioneer woman is any woman to achieve a first in a given field from the women who came by horse and cart to Central Australia to the first all women fire fighting crew. Hundreds of women are recognized for their special contributions to Austral...
The National Road Transport Hall Of Fame is a museum that is unique to most other road transport museums throughout the world in that it has taken a lateral approach to the restoration of its world. Vehicles are props to the trials and tribulations of road transport pioneers covering all forms of road transport, from the camel strings of old to today’s modern roadtrains and stretchliner coaches. With vehicles displayed in their working day condition maintained by ‘bush mechanics and engineers’...
Relive the history of the Old Ghan and the pioneering past as you wander through the Old Ghan Train Museum and take a s stroll through the old train and carriages. Learn a little about the legend that is the Old Ghan Train – one of the most famous railways in the world. Enjoy a Sunday morning train ride at the MacDonnell Siding, located 8 kilometres south of Alice Springs or get a group together and book a dinner on the Old Ghan Train for the night. This is the ideal way to view the magnifice...
The Olive Pink Botanic Garden lies adjacent to the Todd River not far from the centre of Alice Springs. Miss Olive Muriel Pink, legendary anthropologist, Aboriginal rights campaigner and artist, was responsible for the gazettal of the garden area in 1956. Miss Pink was the Honorary curator and lived on site until her death in 1975. Miss Pink and her Warlpiri gardener, Johnny Jambijinpa Yannarilyi, planted groves of mulgas and rows of bean trees, river red gums and many other native plants which ...
Owen Springs Reserve, formally Owen Springs Cattle Station, opened in 2003 and is fast becoming a favourite location for four-wheel drive visitors seeking quiet bush camping without facilities. The main access track through the reserve closely follows the route of John McDouall Stuart through the MacDonnell Ranges. The Old Owen Springs Homestead (now ruins), was the first station homestead built in Central Australia. The Hugh River, which runs through almost the entire course of the reserve has ...
The Royal Flying Doctor Service is an Australian icon and a world first. With the help of Alf Traegers pedal radio and advice from one of Australia's most famous pioneer aviators Hudson Fysh, the Reverend John Flynn's Aerial Service took to the sky on 5 May 1928, to help sick and injured outback pioneers. The organisation now services an area of more than 7,150,000 square kilometres providing a Mantle of Safety to an area larger than Western Europe. The service now has 27 bases Australia wide an...
Ryan Well Historic Reserve, located 129 kilometres North of Alice Springs, is of historic significance and illustrates an important part of the development of the Northern Territory, particularly the watering systems associated with the movement of stock along the Overland Telegraph Line. The Glen Maggie Homestead ruins within the reserve are associated with the Nicker family and the Central Australian personality 'Cloudy' Beale. The reserve is an insight into the use of local materials, providi...
The quiet, out of the way Serpentine Chalet Bush Camping Area, along Namatjira Drive, in the Alice Springs region, presents an opportunity for simple bush camping and the chance of several walks to visit spectacular sites along the main range. The chalet ruins tell a story of a failed early tourism venture.
A two-wheel drive access track runs to the first five campsites and ruins, then leads to a rough four-wheel drive track to the last six sites. This destination is not recommended for buses o...
The Stuart Town cemetery is a fascinating and sobering reminder of early hardships in Central Australia. Located in Alice Springs, the Cemetery was the town’s first, dating from 1889. Seven graves are examples of the earliest pioneers who lived in the area, and over 50 people are known to be buried here.
The construction of the Stuart Town Gaol and associated police station, located in Alice Springs, was commenced in 1907 utilising the expertise of local builders with stone and timber obtained from the district. Inadequate facilities, jeopardised by periodic flooding of the Todd River, at the former site adjacent to the southern side of Heavitree Gap, prompted the move, which was officially completed in 1909.
Following its closure in 1938, the building was used by the police for storage purpose...
Since its construction in 1928, The Residency, situated on the corner of Parsons and Hartley Streets, Alice Springs, has become a tangible symbol of the brief independence and Vice Regal power Central Australia once had from the Northern Territory. The building itself, an adaptation to life in an arid environment, is evidence of a direct reaction to climate and conditions of an earlier period. It also represents a unique reminder of regional response to Government and administration that recogni...
Titjikala Arts is located in a small Aboriginal community, about 120 kilometres from Alice Springs. Inspired by their striking environment, characterised by red sand hills and desert oaks, the artists create colourful paintings and intriguing wire creations that include animal and bird representations. These inventive sculptures of wire, metal and discarded bits and pieces have been exhibited as far afield as New York.
A purpose built gallery is an exciting addition to the art centre precinct ...
The Tropic of Capricorn Marker, a Bicentennial community project, is set back 15 metres from the road, along the Stuart Highway, 30 kilometres north of Alice Springs. In 1987 the local Alice Springs newspaper ran a competition for a design to replace the Tropic of Capricorn marker. The winning design was submitted by a local resident, it consists of a stylised globe of the world on top of a slanted pole around 6.5 metres high. A local artist was commissioned to carve the Capricorn goats into eit...
Email This Page
Add to favourites
