Backpacking Australia: Alice Springs to Darwin

  

I couldn't think of a better way to describe Alice Springs than the picture does. This town is located in the Northern Territory, a 6 hour drive from Uluru. As you are driving into it, you are greeted with wonderful views of the red hills that surround it. It is best to visit it after having been to Uluru to give you a chance to relax after all the walking!

As part of the Groovy Grape tour, we stayed here for 2 nights. Our lovely driver took us, as an extra and without any charge, to Aurora Alice Springs which is a hotel that has wallabies roaming in the grounds. You can buy pellets to feed them at the hotel.

 

 

The next day we started by walking up Anzac Hill from which gives you panoramic views of the town. Throughout Australia, there are Anzac memorials to those who have died in wars. This is where the Remembrance ceremonies take place each year on Anzac Day. If you are there on the 25th of March, don't miss it!

 

 

 

 

Alice Springs is a bustling town with many great shops and art galleries which offer Aboriginal art. There are many day tours that you can do nearby the town such as bike trails, helicopter rides and exploring the Outback. As backpackers we stuck to exploring the town itself but if I went back now, I would certainly want to visit more of the Outback and see more wildlife.

As a tourist, a visit to Bojangles Saloon is a must. Although popular with tourists, it is mainly frequented by the young Ozzies that live here. This restaurant serves amazing food and also has cameras around it. You can tell people at home to log onto a website and they can see you at the pub. For backpackers who have been away from home for a while, it is a brilliant idea and a good way of making more business.

 

What does strike you upon arrival here, and in most of the Northern territory, is the amount of Aborigine people. It is here that we found out that many are unemployed and are not treated well by the Australian government despite it being their homeland. As they have nothing to do, many lounge around in the outdoor public areas of the town. This article here explains the true reality for them: http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2008/04/alice-a07.html

 

Things to do between Alice Springs and Darwin (in geographical order)

 

1. Cross the Tropic of Capricorn.

 

2. Visit the creepy and interesting Wycliffe Well, the UFO centre of Australia.

 

3.  Visit the Devils Marbles for some cool photo opportunities.

 

4. Visit the Daly Waters aviation complex.

 

5. Visit the town of Katherine. Then, go visit Katherine Gorge. Here you can either go on a boat ride or do kayaking. Beware if kayaking as there are saltwater crocodiles.... but as the instructor tells you, they only maim you, they don't eat you alive! If you do kayaking, do not stop at the big warning signs where the breeding grounds are!

 

6. Visit Kakadu National Park. Our tour didn't include this but I know there are beautiful waterfalls and wildlife to be seen here.