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Alice Springs

Alice Springs (Eastern Arrernte: Mparntwe[3]) is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; the third largest settlement after Darwin and Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (née Alice Gillam Bell), wife of the telegraph pioneer Sir Charles Todd. Known colloquially as "The Alice" or simply "Alice", the town is situated roughly in Australia's geographic centre. It is nearly equidistant from Adelaide and Darwin.[4]

Alice Springs
Mparntwe
Northern Territory
View of Alice Springs from Anzac Hill, with MacDonnell Ranges and Heavitree Gap in the background
Alice Springs
Location in Northern Territory
Coordinates23°42′0″S 133°52′12″E / 23.70000°S 133.87000°E / -23.70000; 133.87000
Population25,912 (2021)[1]
 • Density79.121/km2 (204.92/sq mi)
Established1872
Postcode(s)0870-0872
Elevation545 m (1,788 ft)
Area327.5 km2 (126.4 sq mi)[2] (2011 urban)
Time zoneACST (UTC+9:30)
Location
LGA(s)Alice Springs Town Council
Territory electorate(s)
Federal division(s)Lingiari
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
28.8 °C
84 °F
13.2 °C
56 °F
282.8 mm
11.1 in

The area is also known locally as Mparntwe to its original inhabitants, the Arrernte, who have lived in the Central Australian desert in and around what is now Alice Springs for tens of thousands of years.

Alice Springs had an urban population of 25,912[1] in August 2021. The town's population accounts for approximately 10 per cent of the population of the Northern Territory.[5]

The town straddles the usually dry Todd River on the northern side of the MacDonnell Ranges. The surrounding region is known as Central Australia, or the Red Centre, an arid environment consisting of several deserts. Temperatures in Alice Springs can vary, with an average maximum in summer of 35.6 °C (96.1 °F) and an average minimum in winter of 5.1 °C (41.2 °F).[6]

History edit

 
Todd River spring, the "springs" that give the town its name

Traditional owners edit

The Arrernte people are the traditional owners of the Alice Springs area and surrounding MacDonnell Ranges.[7] They have lived in the area for at least 30,000 years.[8] The traditional name for the township area is Mparntwe.[9] Mparntwe is Arrernte for 'Watering Place', referencing Atherreyurre,[10] a waterhole in the Todd River at Old Telegraph Station (known as Alice Springs). Mparntwe refers to the majority of the Alice Springs township, with two additional names - Irlpme covering the south and Antulye the east.[11]

Mparntwe is pronounced M'bun-twa.

According to Eastern Arrernte traditional owners the Laughton family, Tjoritja/MacDonnell Ranges represent a chain of caterpillars (Yeperenye), one of the creation stories of the area. Alhekulyele/Mount Gillen is the tail of one of the caterpillars and its head slides into Ntaripe/Heavitree Gap.

Arrernte has been spelt in various forms, including Aranda, Arrarnta, and Arunta. There are five dialects of the Arrernte language: South-eastern, Central, Northern, Eastern and North-eastern.[12]

Arrernte country is rich with mountain ranges, waterholes and gorges, which create a variety of natural habitats. According to Arrernte traditional histories, the landscape was shaped by the Yeperenye, Ntyarlke, Utnerrengatye caterpillars[13][14] and Akngwelye or wild dogs.[15]

Sites of traditional importance include Anthwerrke (Emily Gap), Akeyulerre (Billy Goat Hill), Ntaripe (Heavitree Gap), Atnelkentyarliweke (ANZAC Hill) and Alhekulyele (Mt Gillen).[9]

European settlement edit

In 1861–62, John McDouall Stuart led an expedition through Central Australia to the west of what later became Alice Springs, thereby establishing a route from the south of the continent to the north.[16]

 
The original Alice Springs Telegraph Station was built 1872 to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide

A settlement named after Stuart was necessitated ten years later with the construction of a repeater station on the Australian Overland Telegraph Line (OTL), which linked Adelaide to Darwin and Great Britain. The OTL was completed in 1872. It traced Stuart's route and opened up the interior for permanent settlement. The Alice Springs Telegraph Station was sited near what was thought to be a permanent waterhole in the normally dry Todd River,[17] named Alice Springs[18] by W.W. Mills after the wife of the Superintendent of Telegraphs and Postmaster General of South Australia, Sir Charles Todd, who was the driving force for constructing the OTL. The nearby settlement of Stuart was renamed Alice Springs on 31 August 1933.[19] The Todd River[20] and its tributary the Charles River,[21] which meet near the telegraph station, were named after Sir Charles.

 
The historic Adelaide House, built 1926, the town's first hospital

It was not until alluvial gold was discovered at Arltunga, 100 kilometres (62 mi) east of the present Alice Springs, in 1887 that any significant European settlement occurred.[22] The town's first substantial building was the Stuart Town Gaol in Parson's Street; this was built in 1909, when the town had a European population of fewer than 20 people. Many of the gaol's first prisoners were first-contact Aboriginal men incarcerated for killing cattle.[23] The first aircraft, piloted by Francis Stewart Briggs, landed in 1921.[24] Central Australia's first hospital, Adelaide House, was built in 1926 when the European population of the town was about 40. It was not until 1929, when the train line to Alice was built, that the town's European population began to grow. Aboriginal Centralians outnumbered European Centralians until the mid-1930s.[25] From 1926 to 1931, Alice Springs was the seat of government for the now-defunct Territory of Central Australia.[26][27] Until 31 August 1933, the town was officially known as Stuart.[28]

 
Main dispatch centre of the Royal Flying Doctor Service
 
The township in 1935

The original mode of British-Australian transportation in the outback were camel trains, operated by immigrants from Pathan tribes in the North-West Frontier of then-British India (present-day Pakistan), known locally as Afghan cameleers based at Hergott Springs, or Marree as it is now known. Many cameleers moved to Alice Springs in 1929 when the railway finally reached the town. They lived on the block where the town council is now, transporting goods from the rail head to stations and settlements to the north. A gold rush in Tennant Creek in 1932 kept the wheels of the Alice Springs economy turning until the outbreak of World War II.[25]

In 1941 Father Percy Smith, an Anglican minister, founded St John's Hostel in Bath Street.[29] The hostel provided accommodation for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children from remote areas who were attending school in Alice Springs. He had been concerned at the lack of opportunities for children housed in the government facility for Aboriginal children in Alice Springs, called The Bungalow. Smith went on to found and run St Francis House in Adelaide in 1945, but St John's continued to operate. Children under the care of the Welfare Branch were also placed there, and the building had to be expanded. During World War II, the hostel served as a recreation centre for troops. The new two-storey building was designed to accommodate up to 50 children, with separate dormitories for boys and girls, each with separate study area and library. Several of the children were transferred to St Francis House over time, and St John's Hostel continued to operate until the 1970s.[30]

World War II edit

 
Army camp in Alice Springs during World War II, photo taken from the top of ANZAC Hill
 
Army camp in Alice Springs during World War II
 
Soldiers marching

World War II brought significant changes to Alice Springs. Prior to the war, Alice Springs was an isolated settlement of fewer than 500 people. During the war, however, the town was an extremely active staging base, known as No. 9 Australian Staging Camp, and a depot base for the long four-day trip to Darwin. The railway hub in Alice Springs was taken over by military operations, and the number of soldiers posted in Alice Springs grew rapidly, as did the number of personnel passing through on their way to and from Darwin. When Darwin was threatened by Japanese forces, the sea routes—the Northern Territory capital's primary means of transportation and resupply—were cut off. The evacuation of Darwin first brought a large number of civilians including elected officials and many of the territory government's records. Alice Springs became the war-time civilian capital of the Northern Territory. When Darwin was bombed by Japanese air forces, a large number of military personnel and their heavy equipment were rapidly moved south to Alice Springs.

The number of soldiers posted in Alice Springs peaked at around 8,000, and the number of personnel passing through totalled close to 200,000.[31] Once the war ended, the military camps and the evacuees departed, and Alice Springs' population declined rapidly. After being visited by nearly 200,000 people, including the American General Douglas MacArthur, Alice Springs gained considerable fame. The war years also left behind many structures. The historically listed Totem Theatre, created for the entertainment of this camp, still exists today. The Australian Army set up the 109th Australian General Hospital at Alice Springs. Seven Mile Aerodrome was constructed by the Royal Australian Air Force. War-related operations necessitated the first sealing of the road between Alice Springs and Larrimah, expansion and improvement of Alice Springs' water supply, and improving the rail head. The war-related operations left behind thousands of pieces of excess military equipment and vehicles and a marked increase in Alice Springs' population.[31][32]

During World War II, Alice Springs was the location of RAAF No. 24 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed on 20 May 1942 and closed in November 1944. Each IAFD usually consisting of four tanks; 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces, at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).[33]

After World War II edit

During the 1960s, Alice Springs became an important defence location with the development of the US/Australian Pine Gap joint defence satellite monitoring base, home to about 700 workers from both countries.

By far the major industry in recent times is tourism. Almost in the exact centre of the continent, Alice Springs is some 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) from the nearest ocean and 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) from the nearest major cities, Darwin and Adelaide. Alice Springs is at the midpoint of the Adelaide–Darwin Railway. [34]

 
Todd Tavern

Alice Springs was connected to Darwin by rail on 4 February 2004, when the first passenger train arrived in Darwin from Adelaide.

Modern town edit

The modern town of Alice Springs has both European and Aboriginal influences. The town's focal point, the Todd Mall, hosts a number of Aboriginal art galleries and community events.[citation needed] In February 2024, AIATSIS Central Australia information and exhibition centre opened in Todd Mall.[35][36][37]

Alice Springs' desert lifestyle has inspired several unique events, such as the Camel Cup, the Henley-on-Todd Regatta, Beanie Festival and the Tatts Finke Desert Race.

Built environment edit

Alice Springs has many historic buildings, including the Overland Telegraph Station, the Old Courthouse and Residency and the Hartley Street School. Adelaide House, a beautiful stone building in the middle of the Mall, Central Australia's first hospital, was designed and built by the Rev. John Flynn, founder of the world's first flying doctor service, in 1926. It was also the site of the world's first successful portable wireless radio experiment conducted by Alf Traeger. Today it is a museum, one of several significant tourist attractions which form part of The Flynn Trail a self-guided urban heritage trail.[38]

Today, the town is an important tourist hub and service centre for the surrounding area. It is a well-appointed town for its size, with several large hotels, a world-class convention centre, and a good range of visitor attractions, restaurants, and other services.

Geography edit

 
Panorama of Alice Springs

The region around Alice Springs is part of the Central Ranges xeric scrub area of dry scrubby grassland[39] and includes the MacDonnell Ranges, which run east and west of the town and contain a number of hiking trails and swimming holes, such as Ormiston Gorge, Ormiston Gorge Creek, Red Bank Gorge and Glen Helen Gorge. The 223-kilometre-long (139 mi) Larapinta Trail follows the West MacDonnell Ranges and is considered among the world's great walking experiences.

The Simpson Desert, southeast of Alice Springs, is one of Australia's great wilderness areas, containing giant, red sand dunes and rock formations, such as Chambers Pillar and Rainbow Valley.

Climate edit

Under the Köppen climate classification, Alice Springs has a subtropical hot desert climate (BWh), featuring very hot, fairly moist summers and short, very dry, mild winters.[40][41] Located just south of the Tropic of Capricorn, the town of Alice Springs straddles the usually dry Todd River on the northern side of the MacDonnell Ranges. Alice Springs is located in Central Australia, also called the Red Centre, an arid environment consisting of several different deserts. The annual average rainfall is 285.9 millimetres (11.3 in), which would make it a semi-arid climate, except that its high evapotranspiration, or its aridity, makes it a desert climate.[42]

Annual precipitation is erratic. In 2001, 741 millimetres (29.2 in) fell and in 2002 only 198 millimetres (7.8 in) fell.[43] The highest daily rainfall is 204.8 millimetres (8.06 in), recorded on 31 March 1988.

Temperatures in Alice Springs vary widely, and rainfall can vary quite dramatically from year to year. In summer, the average maximum temperature is in the mid-30s, whereas in winter the average minimum temperature can be 5.5 °C (41.9 °F), with an average of 12.4 nights below freezing every year, providing frost. The elevation of the town is about 545 metres (1,788 feet), which contributes to the cool nights in winter.[44] The highest temperature on record is 47.5 °C (117.5 °F),[45] first recorded on 24 December 1891, whilst the record low is −7.5 °C (18.5 °F), recorded on 17 July 1976. This is also the lowest temperature recorded in the Northern Territory.

Climate data for Alice Springs Airport (1991–2020 averages, 1941–present extremes)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 45.6
(114.1)
44.7
(112.5)
42.7
(108.9)
39.9
(103.8)
35.0
(95.0)
31.6
(88.9)
31.8
(89.2)
35.2
(95.4)
38.8
(101.8)
42.6
(108.7)
44.9
(112.8)
45.7
(114.3)
45.7
(114.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 37.1
(98.8)
35.8
(96.4)
33.5
(92.3)
29.3
(84.7)
23.6
(74.5)
20.1
(68.2)
20.7
(69.3)
23.5
(74.3)
28.8
(83.8)
31.9
(89.4)
34.4
(93.9)
35.7
(96.3)
29.5
(85.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 29.7
(85.5)
28.5
(83.3)
25.7
(78.3)
21.1
(70.0)
15.8
(60.4)
12.4
(54.3)
12.3
(54.1)
14.7
(58.5)
20.0
(68.0)
23.4
(74.1)
26.4
(79.5)
28.2
(82.8)
21.5
(70.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22.3
(72.1)
21.1
(70.0)
17.9
(64.2)
12.9
(55.2)
8.0
(46.4)
4.7
(40.5)
3.9
(39.0)
5.8
(42.4)
11.2
(52.2)
14.9
(58.8)
18.3
(64.9)
20.7
(69.3)
13.5
(56.2)
Record low °C (°F) 10.0
(50.0)
8.5
(47.3)
6.1
(43.0)
1.4
(34.5)
−2.7
(27.1)
−6.0
(21.2)
−7.5
(18.5)
−4.1
(24.6)
−1.0
(30.2)
1.3
(34.3)
3.5
(38.3)
9.3
(48.7)
−7.5
(18.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 48.9
(1.93)
40.7
(1.60)
19.9
(0.78)
19.9
(0.78)
17.5
(0.69)
10.3
(0.41)
13.0
(0.51)
3.8
(0.15)
7.8
(0.31)
18.7
(0.74)
33.0
(1.30)
41.3
(1.63)
274.8
(10.83)
Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) 3.7 3.2 2.0 1.4 1.9 1.5 1.4 0.9 1.3 2.4 3.9 5.0 28.6
Average relative humidity (%) 27.0 32.5 28.0 31.0 41.5 48.5 43.0 31.5 24.0 23.0 26.0 27.5 32.0
Average dew point °C (°F) 8.0
(46.4)
9.6
(49.3)
6.1
(43.0)
4.3
(39.7)
3.7
(38.7)
2.9
(37.2)
0.8
(33.4)
−1.1
(30.0)
−0.2
(31.6)
0.5
(32.9)
4.5
(40.1)
6.6
(43.9)
3.8
(38.8)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 316.2 274.0 297.6 291.0 266.6 252.0 285.2 313.3 303.0 316.2 297.0 294.5 3,506.6
Mean daily sunshine hours 10.2 9.7 9.6 9.7 8.6 8.4 9.2 10.1 10.1 10.2 9.9 9.5 9.6
Percent possible sunshine 76 73 77 81 78 78 85 89 84 80 75 72 79
Average ultraviolet index 14 13 11 8 6 5 5 7 9 11 12 13 10
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[46][47]

Demographics edit

Historical population
YearPop.±%
2001 23,384—    
2006 21,622−7.5%
2011 24,208+12.0%
2016 23,726−2.0%
2021 24,855+4.8%
Source: ABS[48] (Urban Centres and Localities)

According to the 2021 census of population, there were 24,855 people in the Alice Springs Urban Area.[49]

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 21.2% of the population.
  • 66.7% of people were born in Australia, 3.9% in India, 3.3% in New Zealand, 2.7% in the United States, 2.4% in England, and 2.3% in the Philippines.
  • 67.6% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Arrernte 1.8%, Malayalam 1.8%, Punjabi 1.7%, Tagalog 1.1% and Warlpiri 1.1%.
  • 51.6% of the population was irreligious in 2021. The largest religious groups included Christianity (41.1%), Hinduism (2.5%), Sikhism (1.5%), Buddhism (1.5%), and Islam (1.1%).[49]
     
    John Flynn Memorial Church

Aboriginal population edit

As Alice Springs is the regional hub of Central Australia, it attracts Aboriginal people from all over that region and well beyond. Many Aboriginal people visit regularly to use the town's services. Aboriginal residents usually live in the suburbs, on special purpose leases (or town camps), or further out at Amoonguna to the south and on the small family outstation communities on Aboriginal lands in surrounding areas.[citation needed]

The traditional owners of the Alice Springs area are the Central Arrernte people.[50] As it is the largest town in central Australia, there are also speakers of Warlpiri, Warumungu, Kaytetye, Alyawarre, Luritja, Pintupi, Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara, Ngaanyatjarra, Pertame, Eastern, and Western Arrernte among others.[51]

Foreign and itinerant populations edit

American population edit

 
Prohibited Area sign on the road to Pine Gap

Americans have lived in Alice Springs continuously since the establishment of the United States Air Force Detachment 421, in 1954. Currently located on Schwarz Crescent, it is part of a joint American–Australian project called the Joint Geological and Geographical Research Station (JGGRS). The unit is locally known as "Det 421" or "The Det" and has sponsored as many as 25 American families to live as temporary residents of the Alice Springs district.

To mark the longstanding friendship with the community, on 1 July 1995, the Alice Springs Town Council granted Detachment 421 honorary Freedom of Entry to Alice Springs.[52] Since the early 1970s, the majority of the American population in Alice Springs has been associated with proximity to Pine Gap, a joint Australian-US satellite tracking station, located 19 kilometres (12 mi) south-west of Alice Springs, that employs about 700 Americans and Australians.

Currently, 2,000 residents of the Alice Springs district hold American citizenship. Many of these, joined by some Australians, celebrate major American public holidays, including the 4th of July and Thanksgiving. Americans in Alice Springs are also known to participate in a variety of associations and sporting teams, including baseball, basketball and soccer competitions.[53]

Other cultures edit

Several small immigrant communities of other foreign cultures have found a home in Alice Springs, including Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, Sudanese and Indian ethnic groups. The most obvious impact of their presence in such a small and isolated town has been the opening of various restaurants serving their traditional cuisines.

Itinerant population edit

Alice Springs has a large itinerant population. This population is generally composed of foreign and Australian tourists, Aboriginal Australians visiting from nearby Central Australian communities, and Australian or international workers on short-term contracts (colloquially referred to as "blow-ins"). The major sources of work that recruit workers into town are the stations, mines, healthcare and law enforcement. Foreign tourists usually pass through on their way to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, whilst Australian tourists usually come through as a part of an event such as the Masters Games and the Finke Desert Race. These events can cause the population of the town to fluctuate by several thousand within a matter of days.

Government edit

 
The Alice Springs Civic Centre is the seat of the Alice Springs Town Council

The Alice Springs Town Council governs the Alice Springs area, which takes in the town centre, its suburbs and some rural area. The Alice Springs Town Council has governed Alice Springs since 1971. The Alice Springs council consists of nine members: the mayor and eight aldermen. The town is not divided up into wards. The current mayor of Alice Springs is Matt Paterson. Council Meetings are held on the last Monday of each month. The Alice Springs Region is governed by the newly created MacDonnell Region local government area, for which Alice Springs serves as council seat.

Alice Springs and the surrounding region have four elected members to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. Araluen and Braitling are entirely within Alice Springs, while the mostly rural seats of Gwoja (known as Stuart before 2020) and Namatjira spill into the town. Historically, Alice Springs has tilted conservative. It was a stronghold for the Country Liberal Party for many years; only the northeast (part of which is in Stuart) leans Labor. However, these trends were dramatically altered at the 2016 election. Former Chief Minister and Alice Springs resident Adam Giles lost Braitling to Labor, Araluen was retained by CLP-turned-independent Robyn Lambley, and Namatjira and Stuart fell to Labor. As a result, the CLP was completely shut out of Alice Springs for the first time ever. The CLP regained Braitling and Namatjira in 2020, while Lambley retained Araluen for her party at the time, the Territory Alliance.

In the Australian House of Representatives, Alice Springs is part of the Division of Lingiari, which includes all of the Territory outside the Darwin/Palmerston area. Lingiari is currently held by Labor member Marion Scrymgour.

Economy edit

 
Todd Mall is a major commercial and retail area
 
Alice Plaza

Alice Springs began as a service town to the pastoral industry that first came to the region. The introduction of the rail line increased its economy.[54] Today the town services a region of 546,046 square kilometres (210,830 sq mi) and a regional population of 38,749.[citation needed] The region includes a number of mining and pastoral communities, the Joint Defence Space Research Facility at Pine Gap and tourist attractions at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Watarrka National Park and the MacDonnell Ranges.

The largest employer in Alice Springs is the Northern Territory Government, with 8% of employed people working in government administration, 7% in school education, and 4% in the Alice Springs Hospital.[55] The economy of Alice Springs is somewhat reliant on domestic and international tourism, with 4% of its workforce employed providing accommodation.[55] Several major tour companies have a base in Alice Springs, as well as numerous local operators offering tours to sites in the region, including Uluru and the MacDonnell Ranges.[56]

A dispatch centre for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia operates here.[57]

Education edit

Education is overseen territory-wide by the Department of Education and Training (DET). It works to continually improve education outcomes for all students, with a focus on Indigenous students.[58]

Alice Springs is served by a number of public and private schools that cater to local and overseas students.

Alice Springs School of the Air delivers education to students in remote areas.

There are 10 private schools.[59] Yirara College is a co-educational secondary boarding school catering for around 200 Aboriginal students run by the Finke River Mission. It has another campus in Kintore[60] (Walungurru), which has four rooms and caters for around 30 students.[61]

The Alice Springs Campus of Charles Darwin University offers courses in TAFE and higher education. The Centre for Appropriate Technology was established in 1980 and provides a range of services to encourage and help Aboriginal people enhance their quality of life in remote communities.

Recreation and culture edit

Events and festivals edit

Parrtjima − A Festival in Light edit

Parrtjima − A Festival in Light (pronounced par-chee-ma[62]) subtitled − A Festival in Light, takes place over 10 days each April in the desert outside Alice Springs. The name means "shedding both light and understanding" in the local Arrernte language, and the festival aims "to celebrate the oldest continuous cultures in the world through the latest technology". It includes light shows, artworks, storytelling, and other manifestations of Aboriginal Australian culture,[63] and both Alice Springs Desert Park and at the Araluen Arts Centre[64] are also venues for interactive workshops, Indigenous music and dance, films by Aboriginal filmmakers, and talks. The festival, which has free admission,[63][62] has run annually since 2016.[65]

In 2022, the festival was curated for the fifth time by Rhoda Roberts. It featured a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) stretch of light installations; musical acts Dan Sultan, BARKAA, and King Stingray; and a retrospective of the work of Indigenous filmmaker Warwick Thornton.[66]

In 2023, Roberts once again curated Parrtjima. The festival featured the artwork which women artists of Mutitjulu had created for the Uluru Statement from the Heart,[67] led by Rene Kulitja, as a huge immersive light installation. The theme of the festival is "Listen with the heart", and musicians performing at the festival include Richard Frankland and JK-47.[68]

Other events edit

 
Camel Cup, Alice Springs

The town's focal point, the Todd Mall, hosts a number of Aboriginal art galleries and community events. Alice Springs' desert lifestyle has inspired several unique events, such as the Alice Desert Festival, the Red Centre NATS, Blacken Open Air music festival, the Camel Cup, the Henley-on-Todd Regatta, the Beanie Festival, and the Finke Desert Race. The Finke Desert Race is a "there and back" challenge from Alice Springs to Aputula (Finke) Community, covering a 460-kilometre (290 mi) round trip.[69]

Arts and entertainment edit

 
Araluen Centre for Arts and Entertainment

Galleries and museums edit

Alice Springs is home to many local and Aboriginal art galleries.[70] Several galleries showcase Indigenous Australian art. Trade in Aboriginal art soared after the painting movement began at Papunya, a Central Australian Aboriginal settlement, and swept other Indigenous communities. Central Australia is the home of some of the most prominent names in Aboriginal art, including Emily Kngwarreye, Minnie Pwerle, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Albert Namatjira, and Wenten Rubuntja.

 
Alice Springs Convention Centre

The Museum of Central Australia / Strehlow Research Centre[71] features some of the most important natural history and archival materials tied to the history and culture of the region. The Strehlow Archives, containing the work of Carl Strehlow, also contain materials linked to the Arrernte people of Central Australia.

The Araluen Centre for Arts and Entertainment presents world-class ballets and orchestras, as well as local performances.

The Women's Museum of Australia (formerly National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame) is located in the grounds of Old Alice Springs Gaol in the Heritage Precinct. Here women's stories from across Australia are presented with the lives of outback women as well as stories from the Old Gaol and Labour Prison. Objects include a large "Signature" quilt[72] with signatures of over 300 women first in their field and a 4.2 m long Aviatrix tapestry celebrating the high flying lives of Australia's aviatrixes.[73]

The town has some excellent small museums. The extensive collection at the Old Timer's Traeger Museum on the North Stuart Highway includes artefacts from the town's early Afghan and German residents, traditional Aboriginal artefacts and objects which show the early fusion of European and Aboriginal cultures, such as a spinifex-handled glass-bladed knife. Included in the collection are soapstone carvings by Arrernte artist Erlikilyika.[74]

 
Alice Springs Public Library

Library, archives, and other collections edit

Alice Springs is home to the Alice Springs Public Library, also known as the Nevil Shute Memorial Library.[75] The library, in addition to its general borrowable collections (including e-resources), is also home to two special, not-for-loan, collections. These are the Alice Springs Collection and the Akaltye Atheme Collection, both of which specifically collect Central Australian content, including Aboriginal language resources (from around 16 local languages) and cultural heritage information.[76][77][78] The Alice Springs Collection also holds a significant digital collection, including PDF copies of the Centralian Advocate from 1947  to  2015, and over 6000 images, primarily from the Central Australian Historical Images Collection.[76][79]

Library & Archives NT also has offices in Alice Springs, located at Minerals House on Hartley Street, which holds archival collections relating to Central Australia, including Tennant Creek.[80] Collections held here include community collections and government archives.[81]

AIATSIS Central Australia provides access to the major online repositories held by the Canberra-based Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, including family history, photographs, and other publications and artefacts.[36][37][82]

Other collecting institutions, excluding schools, include:

Outdoors edit

Leisure and entertainment activities include hiking in the nearby MacDonnell Ranges and driving the four-wheel-drive tracks at Finke Gorge National Park.

Parks and gardens edit

The Alice Springs Desert Park was created to educate visitors about the many facets of the surrounding desert environment. The arid climate botanic garden, Olive Pink Botanic Garden, is a short distance from the town centre. They were named after anthropologist, naturalist and artist Olive Pink, who lived in the town for almost 30 years and died in 1975. She was well known locally and referred to by all as Miss Pink. The Alice Springs Reptile Centre is located in the town centre.

Sport edit

 
Traeger Park, Alice Springs

Alice Springs has a high rate of participation in many different sports, including Australian rules, baseball, basketball, boxing, cricket, football, golf, hockey, rugby and tennis.

Australian rules is a particularly popular sport in Alice Springs in terms of both participation and as a spectator sport. The Central Australian Football League formed in 1947 has several teams. The sport is particularly popular in Indigenous communities. The local stadium, Traeger Park, has a 10,000 seat capacity and was designed to host (pre-season) AFL and was the home to the Northern Territory Thunder until 2019. In 2004, an AFL pre-season Regional Challenge match between Collingwood Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club attracted a capacity sell-out crowd.

Football is popular among the younger community. A high number of children play the game. It is also played frequently by amateur adults in different divisions. There is also an all-African league in Alice Springs. The most successful Club in the town is the Vikings Football Club, located at Traeger Park.

Both codes of Rugby are played in Alice Springs. Rugby union, managed by the Central Australian Rugby Union Association (CARU) is played in conjunction with the Northern Territory Rugby Union calendar which runs during Darwins dry season. The Central Australian Rugby Union administers a four team competition based in Alice Springs with matches played between October and March at ANZAC Oval. The First Central Australian Club Competition commenced in 1986. There are four senior teams; Dingo Cubs Rugby Union, Kiwi Warriors Rugby Union, Eagles Rugby Union and Devils Rugby Union.

Rugby league has been a part of the local sporting scene since 1963. The Australian Rugby League has held a number of pre-season games in Alice Springs, at ANZAC Oval. The local competition is the Central Australian Rugby League and sanctions both Junior and Senior Rugby League matches. The season usually kicks off around March/April and runs through to Late August. There are four senior teams in Alice Springs: Wests, Memo, United and Vikings. Matches are held during the winter months at ANZAC oval on Saturday afternoons.

Cricket is a popular sport in Alice Springs and is primarily played at Traeger Park. The Imparja Cup Cricket Carnival first was played in 1994 and attracts Indigenous teams from all across Australia. The four main clubs are Federal Demons CC, Rovers CC, RSL Works CC and Wests CC.

Organized baseball has been played in Alice Springs since the mid-1950s. Currently under the national organisation of the Australian Baseball Federation, the Alice Springs Baseball Association organises baseball competitions for youth players aged 5 to 18 and an adult competition played at Jim McConville Park and on Lyel Kempster Field at Traeger Park. As part of the worldwide Little League network, Alice Springs players and compete in the Australian National Little League competitions.

The Alice Springs Golf Course, an 18-hole championship layout golf course designed by the architects Thomson Wolveridge, was opened in 1985 by a challenge match between top professionals Greg Norman and Johnny Miller. The course record of 64 is held jointly by, amateur members, Leigh Shacklady and Kerryn Heaver, beating professional Stuart Appleby's 65. Adam Scott won the Australian Boys Amateur Championship held there in 1997.

The Traeger Park sporting complex also hosts tennis, baseball, boxing, swimming, canoe polo, hockey, basketball, squash, badminton, gymnastics and skateboarding.

A unique sporting event, held annually, is the Henley-on-Todd Regatta, also known as the Todd River Race. It is a sand river race with bottomless boats and it remains the only dry river regatta in the world. Another unusual sporting event is the Camel Cup. The annual Camel Cup is held in July at Blatherskite Park, part of the Central Australian Show Society grounds. It is a full day event featuring a series of races using camels instead of horses.

Every year, on the Queen's Birthday long weekend, the annual Finke Desert Race is held. It is a gruelling off-road race that runs from Alice Springs to the Finke community, then back again the next day. The total length of the race is roughly 500 kilometres (310 mi). It attracts spectators, who camp along the whole length of the track, and roughly 500 competitors, buggies and bikes, every year, making it the biggest sporting event in the Alice Springs calendar.

Drag racing is held at the Alice Springs Inland Dragway which in June 2013 hosted a round of the national Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.[89] In September 2017 12 people were injured when burning fuel sprayed from a drag-racing car onto a crowd of spectators at the Red CentreNATS competition.[90]

Alice Springs is also home to the Arunga Park Speedway, a 402-metre dirt oval speedway. The speedway runs from August to March and caters to cars, solos and sidecars. Located just off the Stuart Highway on the northern edge of the town, Arunga Park hosted the Australian Sidecar Championship in 1985 and the Australian Solo Championship in 1991.[91]

Crime edit

 
Law Courts building

Property crime and violent crime, including domestic violence, often linked to alcohol and drug abuse, has been a significant social issue in Alice Springs in the 21st century, with most of the victims being residents of the town. Many approaches and programs have been tried over the years, with varying levels of success. After crime in the city rose dramatically since the Northern Territory Government lifted alcohol bans for many communities in 2022,[92][93][94] the bans were reintroduced in early 2023.[95]

In popular culture edit

  • The TV series Pine Gap (2018) is set around the Australian and American joint defence intelligence facility at Pine Gap, located near Alice Springs.
  • Liz Phair included a song called "Alice Springs" on her 1994 album Whip Smart.
  • The group Midnight Oil mention Alice Springs in their songs "Kosciusko" and "Warakurna" ('There is enough in Redfern as there is in Alice'); and they mention Pine Gap in "Power and the Passion".
  • The well-known Australian song "My Island Home" was originally written about the experience of an islander living "west of Alice Springs", and this is mentioned in the lyrics of the original Warumpi Band version of the song.
  • Nevil Shute's novel A Town Like Alice, and the resulting film and television mini-series, take their name from Alice Springs, although little of the action takes place there, because part of the story is set in Willstown (possibly modelled on Burketown) situated north of Alice Springs, near the Gulf of Carpentaria. The heroine, Jean, wants to change Willstown into a town "like" Alice. The local library in Alice Springs is named after Nevil Shute: the Nevil Shute Memorial Library.
  • Lasseters Casino in Alice Springs is the destination for the drag queen protagonists in the Australian road movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The movie became a hit West End show, before transferring to Broadway.
  • The Western genre film Quigley Down Under was filmed on location in Alice Springs.
  • Alice Springs is featured in Bruce Chatwin's 1987 travelogue The Songlines, recounting the author's retreat into the Australian Outback in search of the Aboriginals' Dreaming-tracks.
  • Alice Springs is featured in Bill Bryson's 2000 travelogue Down Under (also known as "In a Sunburned Country"). Bryson visits and describes the scenes of Alice Springs including the Telegraph Office, the Springs, and his trip to Uluru from Alice Springs.
  • Dick Diver released a song called "Alice" on the 2013 album Calendar Days.
  • The opening track of Mystery Jets' 2011 album Serotonin is entitled "Alice Springs", inspired by a tour in Australia.
  • Ian Moss released a song called "Such a Beautiful Thing" on the 1988 album Matchbook, which contains the lyrics "thinking back to Alice Springs". He has stated that he wrote the song as a tribute to the Northern Territory.

Media edit

 
Imparja Television studios

Alice Springs is served by both local and national radio and television services. The government-owned ABC provides five broadcast radio stations; local radio ABC Alice Springs and the national networks ABC Radio National, ABC News Radio, ABC Classic and Triple J. The national Christian radio network Vision Radio broadcasts on 88.0 FM.

Commercial radio stations are 8HA 900 kHz, Sun 96.9 MHz and Gold 98.7 MHz. The sports station TAB Radio can be heard on 95.9 Community radio is provided by 8CCC 102.1 and Indigenous broadcaster CAAMA Radio 100.5

Alice Springs is home to Australia's largest Indigenous media company. The Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) consists of a radio station (CAAMA Radio), music recording label (CAAMA Music), television and film production company (CAAMA Productions) and CAAMA technical. CAAMA serves to record and promote Indigenous talent across its own radio network (one of the largest transmission footprints in the world), and through sales of CDs and screening of CAAMA movies and documentaries on national broadcasters.

Five broadcast television services operate in Alice Springs – commercial stations Imparja Television (callsign IMP-9), Southern Cross Central (QQQ-31) and Ten Central Digital (CDT-5), along with the Government-owned ABC TV (ABAD7) and SBS TV (SBS28). Imparja Television has a commercial agreement with the Nine Network. Southern Cross Central is an affiliate of the Seven Network. Ten Central Digital transmits programming from the Ten Network.

Imparja Television is operated from studios in Alice Springs. It has a program affiliation contract with the Nine Network. The programming schedule on Imparja is the same as Nine Darwin NTD-8 and Channel 9 Brisbane, with variations in Imparja's schedule for football, cricket, rugby league and Australian rules. The children's show Yamba's Playtime, news, regional weather, and other programs produced in Alice Springs by the station. Infomercials are shown in place of Home Shopping and other programs overnight and in some daytime timeslots. NITV is broadcast on the second channel allocated to Imparja by the Federal Government.

Indigenous community TV station ICTV is also broadcast in Alice Springs as retransmitted on digital channel 37.

From June 2020 until August 2023 no local newspaper was published in Alice Springs, following the closure of the Centralian Advocate after 76 years of publication.[96][97] The rival Alice Springs News ceased being printed in 2011, but continues publishing occasional articles online and maintains an article archive.[98] In June 2023 the Today News Group announced it would start publishing a new weekly newspaper serving Alice Springs,[99] and on 31 August 2023 the inaugural edition of The Centralian Today was published.[100]

Infrastructure edit

Transport edit

 
The Ghan at Alice Springs Station

Located on the Adelaide-Darwin railway, Alice Springs is accessible by train. Alice Springs railway station is visited by The Ghan, operated by Journey Beyond, on its journey between Adelaide and Darwin. The train arrives twice weekly in each direction.[101]

The line first opened to Alice Springs in 1929, as the narrow gauge Central Australia Railway. It was not until 1980 that the current standard gauge line was opened, which was extended to Darwin in 2004.[citation needed]

 
Alice Springs Airport

There are daily express coach services to and from Adelaide and Darwin servicing Alice Springs. The Stuart Highway, running north from Adelaide to Darwin via Alice Springs, is Northern Territory's most important road. The distance from Alice Springs to Adelaide is 1,530 kilometres (950 mi) and to Darwin is 1,498 kilometres (931 mi).[citation needed]

There are flights from Alice Springs Airport to Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, and Sydney. Four airlines serve Alice Springs: Airnorth, Bonza, Qantas and Virgin Australia.[citation needed]

Alice Springs is a base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia.[citation needed]

Sister cities edit

See also edit

References edit

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External links edit

  • Alice Springs Town Council
  • Miller, Bob. (1994), "10 photographs", Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 1994 – via Trove
  • Radiocommunications licences in Alice Springs on ACMA website
  • History of the stratospheric balloon launch base located in the Alice Spring airport and records of balloons launched there


alice, springs, this, article, about, town, australia, australian, photographer, under, same, name, june, newton, racehorse, horse, alice, redirects, here, other, uses, alice, disambiguation, eastern, arrernte, mparntwe, town, northern, territory, australia, t. This article is about the town in Australia For the Australian photographer under the same name see June Newton For the racehorse see Alice Springs horse The Alice redirects here For other uses see The Alice disambiguation Alice Springs Eastern Arrernte Mparntwe 3 is a town in the Northern Territory Australia the third largest settlement after Darwin and Palmerston The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice Lady Todd nee Alice Gillam Bell wife of the telegraph pioneer Sir Charles Todd Known colloquially as The Alice or simply Alice the town is situated roughly in Australia s geographic centre It is nearly equidistant from Adelaide and Darwin 4 Alice Springs MparntweNorthern TerritoryView of Alice Springs from Anzac Hill with MacDonnell Ranges and Heavitree Gap in the backgroundAlice SpringsLocation in Northern TerritoryCoordinates23 42 0 S 133 52 12 E 23 70000 S 133 87000 E 23 70000 133 87000Population25 912 2021 1 Density79 121 km2 204 92 sq mi Established1872Postcode s 0870 0872Elevation545 m 1 788 ft Area327 5 km2 126 4 sq mi 2 2011 urban Time zoneACST UTC 9 30 Location1 499 km 931 mi from Darwin1 532 km 952 mi from AdelaideLGA s Alice Springs Town CouncilTerritory electorate s AraluenBraitlingNamatjiraGwojaFederal division s LingiariMean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall28 8 C 84 F 13 2 C 56 F 282 8 mm 11 1 inThe area is also known locally as Mparntwe to its original inhabitants the Arrernte who have lived in the Central Australian desert in and around what is now Alice Springs for tens of thousands of years Alice Springs had an urban population of 25 912 1 in August 2021 The town s population accounts for approximately 10 per cent of the population of the Northern Territory 5 The town straddles the usually dry Todd River on the northern side of the MacDonnell Ranges The surrounding region is known as Central Australia or the Red Centre an arid environment consisting of several deserts Temperatures in Alice Springs can vary with an average maximum in summer of 35 6 C 96 1 F and an average minimum in winter of 5 1 C 41 2 F 6 Contents 1 History 1 1 Traditional owners 1 2 European settlement 1 3 World War II 1 4 After World War II 2 Modern town 3 Built environment 4 Geography 4 1 Climate 5 Demographics 5 1 Aboriginal population 5 2 Foreign and itinerant populations 5 2 1 American population 5 2 2 Other cultures 5 2 3 Itinerant population 6 Government 7 Economy 8 Education 9 Recreation and culture 9 1 Events and festivals 9 1 1 Parrtjima A Festival in Light 9 1 2 Other events 9 2 Arts and entertainment 9 2 1 Galleries and museums 9 2 2 Library archives and other collections 9 3 Outdoors 9 3 1 Parks and gardens 9 3 2 Sport 10 Crime 11 In popular culture 12 Media 13 Infrastructure 13 1 Transport 14 Sister cities 15 See also 16 References 17 External linksHistory edit nbsp Todd River spring the springs that give the town its nameTraditional owners edit The Arrernte people are the traditional owners of the Alice Springs area and surrounding MacDonnell Ranges 7 They have lived in the area for at least 30 000 years 8 The traditional name for the township area is Mparntwe 9 Mparntwe is Arrernte for Watering Place referencing Atherreyurre 10 a waterhole in the Todd River at Old Telegraph Station known as Alice Springs Mparntwe refers to the majority of the Alice Springs township with two additional names Irlpme covering the south and Antulye the east 11 Mparntwe is pronounced M bun twa According to Eastern Arrernte traditional owners the Laughton family Tjoritja MacDonnell Ranges represent a chain of caterpillars Yeperenye one of the creation stories of the area Alhekulyele Mount Gillen is the tail of one of the caterpillars and its head slides into Ntaripe Heavitree Gap Arrernte has been spelt in various forms including Aranda Arrarnta and Arunta There are five dialects of the Arrernte language South eastern Central Northern Eastern and North eastern 12 Arrernte country is rich with mountain ranges waterholes and gorges which create a variety of natural habitats According to Arrernte traditional histories the landscape was shaped by the Yeperenye Ntyarlke Utnerrengatye caterpillars 13 14 and Akngwelye or wild dogs 15 Sites of traditional importance include Anthwerrke Emily Gap Akeyulerre Billy Goat Hill Ntaripe Heavitree Gap Atnelkentyarliweke ANZAC Hill and Alhekulyele Mt Gillen 9 European settlement edit In 1861 62 John McDouall Stuart led an expedition through Central Australia to the west of what later became Alice Springs thereby establishing a route from the south of the continent to the north 16 nbsp The original Alice Springs Telegraph Station was built 1872 to relay messages between Darwin and AdelaideA settlement named after Stuart was necessitated ten years later with the construction of a repeater station on the Australian Overland Telegraph Line OTL which linked Adelaide to Darwin and Great Britain The OTL was completed in 1872 It traced Stuart s route and opened up the interior for permanent settlement The Alice Springs Telegraph Station was sited near what was thought to be a permanent waterhole in the normally dry Todd River 17 named Alice Springs 18 by W W Mills after the wife of the Superintendent of Telegraphs and Postmaster General of South Australia Sir Charles Todd who was the driving force for constructing the OTL The nearby settlement of Stuart was renamed Alice Springs on 31 August 1933 19 The Todd River 20 and its tributary the Charles River 21 which meet near the telegraph station were named after Sir Charles nbsp The historic Adelaide House built 1926 the town s first hospitalIt was not until alluvial gold was discovered at Arltunga 100 kilometres 62 mi east of the present Alice Springs in 1887 that any significant European settlement occurred 22 The town s first substantial building was the Stuart Town Gaol in Parson s Street this was built in 1909 when the town had a European population of fewer than 20 people Many of the gaol s first prisoners were first contact Aboriginal men incarcerated for killing cattle 23 The first aircraft piloted by Francis Stewart Briggs landed in 1921 24 Central Australia s first hospital Adelaide House was built in 1926 when the European population of the town was about 40 It was not until 1929 when the train line to Alice was built that the town s European population began to grow Aboriginal Centralians outnumbered European Centralians until the mid 1930s 25 From 1926 to 1931 Alice Springs was the seat of government for the now defunct Territory of Central Australia 26 27 Until 31 August 1933 the town was officially known as Stuart 28 nbsp Main dispatch centre of the Royal Flying Doctor Service nbsp The township in 1935The original mode of British Australian transportation in the outback were camel trains operated by immigrants from Pathan tribes in the North West Frontier of then British India present day Pakistan known locally as Afghan cameleers based at Hergott Springs or Marree as it is now known Many cameleers moved to Alice Springs in 1929 when the railway finally reached the town They lived on the block where the town council is now transporting goods from the rail head to stations and settlements to the north A gold rush in Tennant Creek in 1932 kept the wheels of the Alice Springs economy turning until the outbreak of World War II 25 In 1941 Father Percy Smith an Anglican minister founded St John s Hostel in Bath Street 29 The hostel provided accommodation for Aboriginal and non Aboriginal children from remote areas who were attending school in Alice Springs He had been concerned at the lack of opportunities for children housed in the government facility for Aboriginal children in Alice Springs called The Bungalow Smith went on to found and run St Francis House in Adelaide in 1945 but St John s continued to operate Children under the care of the Welfare Branch were also placed there and the building had to be expanded During World War II the hostel served as a recreation centre for troops The new two storey building was designed to accommodate up to 50 children with separate dormitories for boys and girls each with separate study area and library Several of the children were transferred to St Francis House over time and St John s Hostel continued to operate until the 1970s 30 World War II edit nbsp Army camp in Alice Springs during World War II photo taken from the top of ANZAC Hill nbsp Army camp in Alice Springs during World War II nbsp Soldiers marchingWorld War II brought significant changes to Alice Springs Prior to the war Alice Springs was an isolated settlement of fewer than 500 people During the war however the town was an extremely active staging base known as No 9 Australian Staging Camp and a depot base for the long four day trip to Darwin The railway hub in Alice Springs was taken over by military operations and the number of soldiers posted in Alice Springs grew rapidly as did the number of personnel passing through on their way to and from Darwin When Darwin was threatened by Japanese forces the sea routes the Northern Territory capital s primary means of transportation and resupply were cut off The evacuation of Darwin first brought a large number of civilians including elected officials and many of the territory government s records Alice Springs became the war time civilian capital of the Northern Territory When Darwin was bombed by Japanese air forces a large number of military personnel and their heavy equipment were rapidly moved south to Alice Springs The number of soldiers posted in Alice Springs peaked at around 8 000 and the number of personnel passing through totalled close to 200 000 31 Once the war ended the military camps and the evacuees departed and Alice Springs population declined rapidly After being visited by nearly 200 000 people including the American General Douglas MacArthur Alice Springs gained considerable fame The war years also left behind many structures The historically listed Totem Theatre created for the entertainment of this camp still exists today The Australian Army set up the 109th Australian General Hospital at Alice Springs Seven Mile Aerodrome was constructed by the Royal Australian Air Force War related operations necessitated the first sealing of the road between Alice Springs and Larrimah expansion and improvement of Alice Springs water supply and improving the rail head The war related operations left behind thousands of pieces of excess military equipment and vehicles and a marked increase in Alice Springs population 31 32 During World War II Alice Springs was the location of RAAF No 24 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot IAFD completed on 20 May 1942 and closed in November 1944 Each IAFD usually consisting of four tanks 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of 900 000 1 800 000 33 After World War II edit During the 1960s Alice Springs became an important defence location with the development of the US Australian Pine Gap joint defence satellite monitoring base home to about 700 workers from both countries By far the major industry in recent times is tourism Almost in the exact centre of the continent Alice Springs is some 1 200 kilometres 750 mi from the nearest ocean and 1 500 kilometres 930 mi from the nearest major cities Darwin and Adelaide Alice Springs is at the midpoint of the Adelaide Darwin Railway 34 nbsp Todd TavernAlice Springs was connected to Darwin by rail on 4 February 2004 when the first passenger train arrived in Darwin from Adelaide Modern town editThe modern town of Alice Springs has both European and Aboriginal influences The town s focal point the Todd Mall hosts a number of Aboriginal art galleries and community events citation needed In February 2024 AIATSIS Central Australia information and exhibition centre opened in Todd Mall 35 36 37 Alice Springs desert lifestyle has inspired several unique events such as the Camel Cup the Henley on Todd Regatta Beanie Festival and the Tatts Finke Desert Race Built environment editAlice Springs has many historic buildings including the Overland Telegraph Station the Old Courthouse and Residency and the Hartley Street School Adelaide House a beautiful stone building in the middle of the Mall Central Australia s first hospital was designed and built by the Rev John Flynn founder of the world s first flying doctor service in 1926 It was also the site of the world s first successful portable wireless radio experiment conducted by Alf Traeger Today it is a museum one of several significant tourist attractions which form part of The Flynn Trail a self guided urban heritage trail 38 Today the town is an important tourist hub and service centre for the surrounding area It is a well appointed town for its size with several large hotels a world class convention centre and a good range of visitor attractions restaurants and other services Geography edit nbsp Panorama of Alice Springs The region around Alice Springs is part of the Central Ranges xeric scrub area of dry scrubby grassland 39 and includes the MacDonnell Ranges which run east and west of the town and contain a number of hiking trails and swimming holes such as Ormiston Gorge Ormiston Gorge Creek Red Bank Gorge and Glen Helen Gorge The 223 kilometre long 139 mi Larapinta Trail follows the West MacDonnell Ranges and is considered among the world s great walking experiences The Simpson Desert southeast of Alice Springs is one of Australia s great wilderness areas containing giant red sand dunes and rock formations such as Chambers Pillar and Rainbow Valley Climate edit Under the Koppen climate classification Alice Springs has a subtropical hot desert climate BWh featuring very hot fairly moist summers and short very dry mild winters 40 41 Located just south of the Tropic of Capricorn the town of Alice Springs straddles the usually dry Todd River on the northern side of the MacDonnell Ranges Alice Springs is located in Central Australia also called the Red Centre an arid environment consisting of several different deserts The annual average rainfall is 285 9 millimetres 11 3 in which would make it a semi arid climate except that its high evapotranspiration or its aridity makes it a desert climate 42 Annual precipitation is erratic In 2001 741 millimetres 29 2 in fell and in 2002 only 198 millimetres 7 8 in fell 43 The highest daily rainfall is 204 8 millimetres 8 06 in recorded on 31 March 1988 Temperatures in Alice Springs vary widely and rainfall can vary quite dramatically from year to year In summer the average maximum temperature is in the mid 30s whereas in winter the average minimum temperature can be 5 5 C 41 9 F with an average of 12 4 nights below freezing every year providing frost The elevation of the town is about 545 metres 1 788 feet which contributes to the cool nights in winter 44 The highest temperature on record is 47 5 C 117 5 F 45 first recorded on 24 December 1891 whilst the record low is 7 5 C 18 5 F recorded on 17 July 1976 This is also the lowest temperature recorded in the Northern Territory Climate data for Alice Springs Airport 1991 2020 averages 1941 present extremes Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high C F 45 6 114 1 44 7 112 5 42 7 108 9 39 9 103 8 35 0 95 0 31 6 88 9 31 8 89 2 35 2 95 4 38 8 101 8 42 6 108 7 44 9 112 8 45 7 114 3 45 7 114 3 Mean daily maximum C F 37 1 98 8 35 8 96 4 33 5 92 3 29 3 84 7 23 6 74 5 20 1 68 2 20 7 69 3 23 5 74 3 28 8 83 8 31 9 89 4 34 4 93 9 35 7 96 3 29 5 85 2 Daily mean C F 29 7 85 5 28 5 83 3 25 7 78 3 21 1 70 0 15 8 60 4 12 4 54 3 12 3 54 1 14 7 58 5 20 0 68 0 23 4 74 1 26 4 79 5 28 2 82 8 21 5 70 7 Mean daily minimum C F 22 3 72 1 21 1 70 0 17 9 64 2 12 9 55 2 8 0 46 4 4 7 40 5 3 9 39 0 5 8 42 4 11 2 52 2 14 9 58 8 18 3 64 9 20 7 69 3 13 5 56 2 Record low C F 10 0 50 0 8 5 47 3 6 1 43 0 1 4 34 5 2 7 27 1 6 0 21 2 7 5 18 5 4 1 24 6 1 0 30 2 1 3 34 3 3 5 38 3 9 3 48 7 7 5 18 5 Average rainfall mm inches 48 9 1 93 40 7 1 60 19 9 0 78 19 9 0 78 17 5 0 69 10 3 0 41 13 0 0 51 3 8 0 15 7 8 0 31 18 7 0 74 33 0 1 30 41 3 1 63 274 8 10 83 Average rainy days 1 mm 3 7 3 2 2 0 1 4 1 9 1 5 1 4 0 9 1 3 2 4 3 9 5 0 28 6Average relative humidity 27 0 32 5 28 0 31 0 41 5 48 5 43 0 31 5 24 0 23 0 26 0 27 5 32 0Average dew point C F 8 0 46 4 9 6 49 3 6 1 43 0 4 3 39 7 3 7 38 7 2 9 37 2 0 8 33 4 1 1 30 0 0 2 31 6 0 5 32 9 4 5 40 1 6 6 43 9 3 8 38 8 Mean monthly sunshine hours 316 2 274 0 297 6 291 0 266 6 252 0 285 2 313 3 303 0 316 2 297 0 294 5 3 506 6Mean daily sunshine hours 10 2 9 7 9 6 9 7 8 6 8 4 9 2 10 1 10 1 10 2 9 9 9 5 9 6Percent possible sunshine 76 73 77 81 78 78 85 89 84 80 75 72 79Average ultraviolet index 14 13 11 8 6 5 5 7 9 11 12 13 10Source Australian Bureau of Meteorology 46 47 Demographics editHistorical populationYearPop 200123 384 200621 622 7 5 201124 208 12 0 201623 726 2 0 202124 855 4 8 Source ABS 48 Urban Centres and Localities According to the 2021 census of population there were 24 855 people in the Alice Springs Urban Area 49 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 21 2 of the population 66 7 of people were born in Australia 3 9 in India 3 3 in New Zealand 2 7 in the United States 2 4 in England and 2 3 in the Philippines 67 6 of people spoke only English at home Other languages spoken at home included Arrernte 1 8 Malayalam 1 8 Punjabi 1 7 Tagalog 1 1 and Warlpiri 1 1 51 6 of the population was irreligious in 2021 The largest religious groups included Christianity 41 1 Hinduism 2 5 Sikhism 1 5 Buddhism 1 5 and Islam 1 1 49 nbsp John Flynn Memorial ChurchAboriginal population edit As Alice Springs is the regional hub of Central Australia it attracts Aboriginal people from all over that region and well beyond Many Aboriginal people visit regularly to use the town s services Aboriginal residents usually live in the suburbs on special purpose leases or town camps or further out at Amoonguna to the south and on the small family outstation communities on Aboriginal lands in surrounding areas citation needed The traditional owners of the Alice Springs area are the Central Arrernte people 50 As it is the largest town in central Australia there are also speakers of Warlpiri Warumungu Kaytetye Alyawarre Luritja Pintupi Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Ngaanyatjarra Pertame Eastern and Western Arrernte among others 51 Foreign and itinerant populations edit American population edit nbsp Prohibited Area sign on the road to Pine GapAmericans have lived in Alice Springs continuously since the establishment of the United States Air Force Detachment 421 in 1954 Currently located on Schwarz Crescent it is part of a joint American Australian project called the Joint Geological and Geographical Research Station JGGRS The unit is locally known as Det 421 or The Det and has sponsored as many as 25 American families to live as temporary residents of the Alice Springs district To mark the longstanding friendship with the community on 1 July 1995 the Alice Springs Town Council granted Detachment 421 honorary Freedom of Entry to Alice Springs 52 Since the early 1970s the majority of the American population in Alice Springs has been associated with proximity to Pine Gap a joint Australian US satellite tracking station located 19 kilometres 12 mi south west of Alice Springs that employs about 700 Americans and Australians Currently 2 000 residents of the Alice Springs district hold American citizenship Many of these joined by some Australians celebrate major American public holidays including the 4th of July and Thanksgiving Americans in Alice Springs are also known to participate in a variety of associations and sporting teams including baseball basketball and soccer competitions 53 Other cultures edit Several small immigrant communities of other foreign cultures have found a home in Alice Springs including Vietnamese Chinese Thai Sudanese and Indian ethnic groups The most obvious impact of their presence in such a small and isolated town has been the opening of various restaurants serving their traditional cuisines Itinerant population edit Alice Springs has a large itinerant population This population is generally composed of foreign and Australian tourists Aboriginal Australians visiting from nearby Central Australian communities and Australian or international workers on short term contracts colloquially referred to as blow ins The major sources of work that recruit workers into town are the stations mines healthcare and law enforcement Foreign tourists usually pass through on their way to Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park whilst Australian tourists usually come through as a part of an event such as the Masters Games and the Finke Desert Race These events can cause the population of the town to fluctuate by several thousand within a matter of days Government edit nbsp The Alice Springs Civic Centre is the seat of the Alice Springs Town CouncilThe Alice Springs Town Council governs the Alice Springs area which takes in the town centre its suburbs and some rural area The Alice Springs Town Council has governed Alice Springs since 1971 The Alice Springs council consists of nine members the mayor and eight aldermen The town is not divided up into wards The current mayor of Alice Springs is Matt Paterson Council Meetings are held on the last Monday of each month The Alice Springs Region is governed by the newly created MacDonnell Region local government area for which Alice Springs serves as council seat Alice Springs and the surrounding region have four elected members to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Araluen and Braitling are entirely within Alice Springs while the mostly rural seats of Gwoja known as Stuart before 2020 and Namatjira spill into the town Historically Alice Springs has tilted conservative It was a stronghold for the Country Liberal Party for many years only the northeast part of which is in Stuart leans Labor However these trends were dramatically altered at the 2016 election Former Chief Minister and Alice Springs resident Adam Giles lost Braitling to Labor Araluen was retained by CLP turned independent Robyn Lambley and Namatjira and Stuart fell to Labor As a result the CLP was completely shut out of Alice Springs for the first time ever The CLP regained Braitling and Namatjira in 2020 while Lambley retained Araluen for her party at the time the Territory Alliance In the Australian House of Representatives Alice Springs is part of the Division of Lingiari which includes all of the Territory outside the Darwin Palmerston area Lingiari is currently held by Labor member Marion Scrymgour Economy edit nbsp Todd Mall is a major commercial and retail area nbsp Alice PlazaAlice Springs began as a service town to the pastoral industry that first came to the region The introduction of the rail line increased its economy 54 Today the town services a region of 546 046 square kilometres 210 830 sq mi and a regional population of 38 749 citation needed The region includes a number of mining and pastoral communities the Joint Defence Space Research Facility at Pine Gap and tourist attractions at Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park Watarrka National Park and the MacDonnell Ranges The largest employer in Alice Springs is the Northern Territory Government with 8 of employed people working in government administration 7 in school education and 4 in the Alice Springs Hospital 55 The economy of Alice Springs is somewhat reliant on domestic and international tourism with 4 of its workforce employed providing accommodation 55 Several major tour companies have a base in Alice Springs as well as numerous local operators offering tours to sites in the region including Uluru and the MacDonnell Ranges 56 A dispatch centre for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia operates here 57 Education editFurther information List of schools in the Northern Territory Education is overseen territory wide by the Department of Education and Training DET It works to continually improve education outcomes for all students with a focus on Indigenous students 58 Alice Springs is served by a number of public and private schools that cater to local and overseas students Alice Springs School of the Air delivers education to students in remote areas There are 10 private schools 59 Yirara College is a co educational secondary boarding school catering for around 200 Aboriginal students run by the Finke River Mission It has another campus in Kintore 60 Walungurru which has four rooms and caters for around 30 students 61 The Alice Springs Campus of Charles Darwin University offers courses in TAFE and higher education The Centre for Appropriate Technology was established in 1980 and provides a range of services to encourage and help Aboriginal people enhance their quality of life in remote communities Recreation and culture editEvents and festivals edit Parrtjima A Festival in Light edit Parrtjima A Festival in Light pronounced par chee ma 62 subtitled A Festival in Light takes place over 10 days each April in the desert outside Alice Springs The name means shedding both light and understanding in the local Arrernte language and the festival aims to celebrate the oldest continuous cultures in the world through the latest technology It includes light shows artworks storytelling and other manifestations of Aboriginal Australian culture 63 and both Alice Springs Desert Park and at the Araluen Arts Centre 64 are also venues for interactive workshops Indigenous music and dance films by Aboriginal filmmakers and talks The festival which has free admission 63 62 has run annually since 2016 65 In 2022 the festival was curated for the fifth time by Rhoda Roberts It featured a 2 kilometre 1 2 mi stretch of light installations musical acts Dan Sultan BARKAA and King Stingray and a retrospective of the work of Indigenous filmmaker Warwick Thornton 66 In 2023 Roberts once again curated Parrtjima The festival featured the artwork which women artists of Mutitjulu had created for the Uluru Statement from the Heart 67 led by Rene Kulitja as a huge immersive light installation The theme of the festival is Listen with the heart and musicians performing at the festival include Richard Frankland and JK 47 68 Other events edit nbsp Camel Cup Alice SpringsThe town s focal point the Todd Mall hosts a number of Aboriginal art galleries and community events Alice Springs desert lifestyle has inspired several unique events such as the Alice Desert Festival the Red Centre NATS Blacken Open Air music festival the Camel Cup the Henley on Todd Regatta the Beanie Festival and the Finke Desert Race The Finke Desert Race is a there and back challenge from Alice Springs to Aputula Finke Community covering a 460 kilometre 290 mi round trip 69 Arts and entertainment edit nbsp Araluen Centre for Arts and EntertainmentGalleries and museums edit Alice Springs is home to many local and Aboriginal art galleries 70 Several galleries showcase Indigenous Australian art Trade in Aboriginal art soared after the painting movement began at Papunya a Central Australian Aboriginal settlement and swept other Indigenous communities Central Australia is the home of some of the most prominent names in Aboriginal art including Emily Kngwarreye Minnie Pwerle Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri Albert Namatjira and Wenten Rubuntja nbsp Alice Springs Convention CentreThe Museum of Central Australia Strehlow Research Centre 71 features some of the most important natural history and archival materials tied to the history and culture of the region The Strehlow Archives containing the work of Carl Strehlow also contain materials linked to the Arrernte people of Central Australia The Araluen Centre for Arts and Entertainment presents world class ballets and orchestras as well as local performances The Women s Museum of Australia formerly National Pioneer Women s Hall of Fame is located in the grounds of Old Alice Springs Gaol in the Heritage Precinct Here women s stories from across Australia are presented with the lives of outback women as well as stories from the Old Gaol and Labour Prison Objects include a large Signature quilt 72 with signatures of over 300 women first in their field and a 4 2 m long Aviatrix tapestry celebrating the high flying lives of Australia s aviatrixes 73 The town has some excellent small museums The extensive collection at the Old Timer s Traeger Museum on the North Stuart Highway includes artefacts from the town s early Afghan and German residents traditional Aboriginal artefacts and objects which show the early fusion of European and Aboriginal cultures such as a spinifex handled glass bladed knife Included in the collection are soapstone carvings by Arrernte artist Erlikilyika 74 nbsp Alice Springs Public LibraryLibrary archives and other collections edit Alice Springs is home to the Alice Springs Public Library also known as the Nevil Shute Memorial Library 75 The library in addition to its general borrowable collections including e resources is also home to two special not for loan collections These are the Alice Springs Collection and the Akaltye Atheme Collection both of which specifically collect Central Australian content including Aboriginal language resources from around 16 local languages and cultural heritage information 76 77 78 The Alice Springs Collection also holds a significant digital collection including PDF copies of the Centralian Advocate from 1947 to 2015 and over 6000 images primarily from the Central Australian Historical Images Collection 76 79 Library amp Archives NT also has offices in Alice Springs located at Minerals House on Hartley Street which holds archival collections relating to Central Australia including Tennant Creek 80 Collections held here include community collections and government archives 81 AIATSIS Central Australia provides access to the major online repositories held by the Canberra based Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies including family history photographs and other publications and artefacts 36 37 82 Other collecting institutions excluding schools include Arid Zone Research Institute AZRI Library 83 Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education Library Desert Peoples Centre Campus Library 84 Central Land Council Library 85 Charles Darwin University Library 86 NT Department of Health Library 87 Strehlow Research Centre Library 88 Outdoors edit Leisure and entertainment activities include hiking in the nearby MacDonnell Ranges and driving the four wheel drive tracks at Finke Gorge National Park Parks and gardens edit The Alice Springs Desert Park was created to educate visitors about the many facets of the surrounding desert environment The arid climate botanic garden Olive Pink Botanic Garden is a short distance from the town centre They were named after anthropologist naturalist and artist Olive Pink who lived in the town for almost 30 years and died in 1975 She was well known locally and referred to by all as Miss Pink The Alice Springs Reptile Centre is located in the town centre Sport edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp Traeger Park Alice SpringsMain article Sport in the Northern Territory Alice Springs has a high rate of participation in many different sports including Australian rules baseball basketball boxing cricket football golf hockey rugby and tennis Australian rules is a particularly popular sport in Alice Springs in terms of both participation and as a spectator sport The Central Australian Football League formed in 1947 has several teams The sport is particularly popular in Indigenous communities The local stadium Traeger Park has a 10 000 seat capacity and was designed to host pre season AFL and was the home to the Northern Territory Thunder until 2019 In 2004 an AFL pre season Regional Challenge match between Collingwood Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club attracted a capacity sell out crowd Football is popular among the younger community A high number of children play the game It is also played frequently by amateur adults in different divisions There is also an all African league in Alice Springs The most successful Club in the town is the Vikings Football Club located at Traeger Park Both codes of Rugby are played in Alice Springs Rugby union managed by the Central Australian Rugby Union Association CARU is played in conjunction with the Northern Territory Rugby Union calendar which runs during Darwins dry season The Central Australian Rugby Union administers a four team competition based in Alice Springs with matches played between October and March at ANZAC Oval The First Central Australian Club Competition commenced in 1986 There are four senior teams Dingo Cubs Rugby Union Kiwi Warriors Rugby Union Eagles Rugby Union and Devils Rugby Union Rugby league has been a part of the local sporting scene since 1963 The Australian Rugby League has held a number of pre season games in Alice Springs at ANZAC Oval The local competition is the Central Australian Rugby League and sanctions both Junior and Senior Rugby League matches The season usually kicks off around March April and runs through to Late August There are four senior teams in Alice Springs Wests Memo United and Vikings Matches are held during the winter months at ANZAC oval on Saturday afternoons Cricket is a popular sport in Alice Springs and is primarily played at Traeger Park The Imparja Cup Cricket Carnival first was played in 1994 and attracts Indigenous teams from all across Australia The four main clubs are Federal Demons CC Rovers CC RSL Works CC and Wests CC Organized baseball has been played in Alice Springs since the mid 1950s Currently under the national organisation of the Australian Baseball Federation the Alice Springs Baseball Association organises baseball competitions for youth players aged 5 to 18 and an adult competition played at Jim McConville Park and on Lyel Kempster Field at Traeger Park As part of the worldwide Little League network Alice Springs players and compete in the Australian National Little League competitions The Alice Springs Golf Course an 18 hole championship layout golf course designed by the architects Thomson Wolveridge was opened in 1985 by a challenge match between top professionals Greg Norman and Johnny Miller The course record of 64 is held jointly by amateur members Leigh Shacklady and Kerryn Heaver beating professional Stuart Appleby s 65 Adam Scott won the Australian Boys Amateur Championship held there in 1997 The Traeger Park sporting complex also hosts tennis baseball boxing swimming canoe polo hockey basketball squash badminton gymnastics and skateboarding A unique sporting event held annually is the Henley on Todd Regatta also known as the Todd River Race It is a sand river race with bottomless boats and it remains the only dry river regatta in the world Another unusual sporting event is the Camel Cup The annual Camel Cup is held in July at Blatherskite Park part of the Central Australian Show Society grounds It is a full day event featuring a series of races using camels instead of horses Every year on the Queen s Birthday long weekend the annual Finke Desert Race is held It is a gruelling off road race that runs from Alice Springs to the Finke community then back again the next day The total length of the race is roughly 500 kilometres 310 mi It attracts spectators who camp along the whole length of the track and roughly 500 competitors buggies and bikes every year making it the biggest sporting event in the Alice Springs calendar Drag racing is held at the Alice Springs Inland Dragway which in June 2013 hosted a round of the national Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship 89 In September 2017 12 people were injured when burning fuel sprayed from a drag racing car onto a crowd of spectators at the Red CentreNATS competition 90 Alice Springs is also home to the Arunga Park Speedway a 402 metre dirt oval speedway The speedway runs from August to March and caters to cars solos and sidecars Located just off the Stuart Highway on the northern edge of the town Arunga Park hosted the Australian Sidecar Championship in 1985 and the Australian Solo Championship in 1991 91 Crime editMain article Crime in the Northern Territory Crime in Alice Springs nbsp Law Courts buildingProperty crime and violent crime including domestic violence often linked to alcohol and drug abuse has been a significant social issue in Alice Springs in the 21st century with most of the victims being residents of the town Many approaches and programs have been tried over the years with varying levels of success After crime in the city rose dramatically since the Northern Territory Government lifted alcohol bans for many communities in 2022 92 93 94 the bans were reintroduced in early 2023 95 In popular culture editThe TV series Pine Gap 2018 is set around the Australian and American joint defence intelligence facility at Pine Gap located near Alice Springs Liz Phair included a song called Alice Springs on her 1994 album Whip Smart The group Midnight Oil mention Alice Springs in their songs Kosciusko and Warakurna There is enough in Redfern as there is in Alice and they mention Pine Gap in Power and the Passion The well known Australian song My Island Home was originally written about the experience of an islander living west of Alice Springs and this is mentioned in the lyrics of the original Warumpi Band version of the song Nevil Shute s novel A Town Like Alice and the resulting film and television mini series take their name from Alice Springs although little of the action takes place there because part of the story is set in Willstown possibly modelled on Burketown situated north of Alice Springs near the Gulf of Carpentaria The heroine Jean wants to change Willstown into a town like Alice The local library in Alice Springs is named after Nevil Shute the Nevil Shute Memorial Library Lasseters Casino in Alice Springs is the destination for the drag queen protagonists in the Australian road movie The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert The movie became a hit West End show before transferring to Broadway The Western genre film Quigley Down Under was filmed on location in Alice Springs Alice Springs is featured in Bruce Chatwin s 1987 travelogue The Songlines recounting the author s retreat into the Australian Outback in search of the Aboriginals Dreaming tracks Alice Springs is featured in Bill Bryson s 2000 travelogue Down Under also known as In a Sunburned Country Bryson visits and describes the scenes of Alice Springs including the Telegraph Office the Springs and his trip to Uluru from Alice Springs Dick Diver released a song called Alice on the 2013 album Calendar Days The opening track of Mystery Jets 2011 album Serotonin is entitled Alice Springs inspired by a tour in Australia Ian Moss released a song called Such a Beautiful Thing on the 1988 album Matchbook which contains the lyrics thinking back to Alice Springs He has stated that he wrote the song as a tribute to the Northern Territory Media editThis section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information July 2015 nbsp Imparja Television studiosAlice Springs is served by both local and national radio and television services The government owned ABC provides five broadcast radio stations local radio ABC Alice Springs and the national networks ABC Radio National ABC News Radio ABC Classic and Triple J The national Christian radio network Vision Radio broadcasts on 88 0 FM Commercial radio stations are 8HA 900 kHz Sun 96 9 MHz and Gold 98 7 MHz The sports station TAB Radio can be heard on 95 9 Community radio is provided by 8CCC 102 1 and Indigenous broadcaster CAAMA Radio 100 5Alice Springs is home to Australia s largest Indigenous media company The Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association CAAMA consists of a radio station CAAMA Radio music recording label CAAMA Music television and film production company CAAMA Productions and CAAMA technical CAAMA serves to record and promote Indigenous talent across its own radio network one of the largest transmission footprints in the world and through sales of CDs and screening of CAAMA movies and documentaries on national broadcasters Five broadcast television services operate in Alice Springs commercial stations Imparja Television callsign IMP 9 Southern Cross Central QQQ 31 and Ten Central Digital CDT 5 along with the Government owned ABC TV ABAD7 and SBS TV SBS28 Imparja Television has a commercial agreement with the Nine Network Southern Cross Central is an affiliate of the Seven Network Ten Central Digital transmits programming from the Ten Network Imparja Television is operated from studios in Alice Springs It has a program affiliation contract with the Nine Network The programming schedule on Imparja is the same as Nine Darwin NTD 8 and Channel 9 Brisbane with variations in Imparja s schedule for football cricket rugby league and Australian rules The children s show Yamba s Playtime news regional weather and other programs produced in Alice Springs by the station Infomercials are shown in place of Home Shopping and other programs overnight and in some daytime timeslots NITV is broadcast on the second channel allocated to Imparja by the Federal Government Indigenous community TV station ICTV is also broadcast in Alice Springs as retransmitted on digital channel 37 From June 2020 until August 2023 no local newspaper was published in Alice Springs following the closure of the Centralian Advocate after 76 years of publication 96 97 The rival Alice Springs News ceased being printed in 2011 but continues publishing occasional articles online and maintains an article archive 98 In June 2023 the Today News Group announced it would start publishing a new weekly newspaper serving Alice Springs 99 and on 31 August 2023 the inaugural edition of The Centralian Today was published 100 Infrastructure editTransport edit nbsp The Ghan at Alice Springs StationLocated on the Adelaide Darwin railway Alice Springs is accessible by train Alice Springs railway station is visited by The Ghan operated by Journey Beyond on its journey between Adelaide and Darwin The train arrives twice weekly in each direction 101 The line first opened to Alice Springs in 1929 as the narrow gauge Central Australia Railway It was not until 1980 that the current standard gauge line was opened which was extended to Darwin in 2004 citation needed nbsp Alice Springs AirportThere are daily express coach services to and from Adelaide and Darwin servicing Alice Springs The Stuart Highway running north from Adelaide to Darwin via Alice Springs is Northern Territory s most important road The distance from Alice Springs to Adelaide is 1 530 kilometres 950 mi and to Darwin is 1 498 kilometres 931 mi citation needed There are flights from Alice Springs Airport to Adelaide Brisbane Darwin Melbourne and Sydney Four airlines serve Alice Springs Airnorth Bonza Qantas and Virgin Australia citation needed Alice Springs is a base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia citation needed Sister cities edit nbsp Paghman Afghanistan since January 2005 102 See also editAlice Springs Correctional Centre Alice Springs Juvenile Holding Centre Kings Canyon Northern Territory National Pioneer Women s Hall of Fame Pioneer Theatre Stuart Arms Hotel Stuart Town Gaol The Residency Totem Theatre List of films and TV series shot in Alice Springs Crying Out Love in the Center of the World Japanese film using Alice Springs as a location Category Suburbs of Alice SpringsPortals nbsp Australia nbsp OceaniaReferences edit a b Alice Springs 2021 Census All persons QuickStats Australian Bureau of Statistics Retrieved 1 March 2023 2011 Census Community Profiles Alice Springs ABS Census Australian Bureau of Statistics Archived from the original on 1 December 2017 Retrieved 15 September 2016 Local Community amp Culture Alice Springs Town Council Retrieved 26 August 2022 Geoscience Australia Centre of Australia States and Territories updated July 2006 Archived 12 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Officially there is no centre of Australia This is because there are many complex but equally valid methods that can determine possible centres of a large irregularly shaped area especially one that is curved by the earth s surface See the Geoscience Australia page for further details Australian Bureau of Statistics 27 June 2017 Alice Springs Urban Centre 2016 Census QuickStats Retrieved 18 December 2017 nbsp Climate statistics for Alice Springs Airport Bureau of Meteorology 2011 Archived from the original on 2 June 2011 Retrieved 19 June 2011 Local Community amp Culture Alice Springs Town Council Retrieved 17 March 2021 Thorley Peter 2004 Rock art and the archaeological record of Indigenous settlement in Central Australia Australian Aboriginal Studies 2004 1 79 90 Retrieved 26 February 2023 a b Brooks David 2003 A town like Mparntwe a guide to the dreaming tracks and sites of Alice Springs Alice Springs Jukurrpa Books ISBN 1 86465 045 1 Archived from the original on 1 June 2011 Retrieved 18 June 2011 Traynor Stuart 2016 Alice Springs from singing wire to iconic outback town Mile End SA Wakefield Press ISBN 9781743054499 Do you know what Aboriginal land you re on today NITV Retrieved 1 May 2023 C8 Arrernte at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Alice Springs Aboriginal elder s bid for better understanding www abc net au 7 September 2015 Retrieved 17 March 2021 Sacred caterpillars plentiful after the rain ABC none Australian Broadcasting Corporation www abc net au Retrieved 17 March 2021 NAIDOC celebrates the Wild Dog Story of Alice Springs Alice Springs News Retrieved 17 March 2021 Stuart John McDouall 1865 Explorations in Australia London Saunders Otley and Co p 1 Archived from the original on 17 March 2019 Retrieved 25 January 2019 Stanton Jenny 2000 The Australian Geographic Book of the Red Centre Terrey Hills New South Wales Australian Geographic p 75 ISBN 978 1 86276 013 4 Alice Springs waterhole Northern Territory Government Place Names Register Retrieved 9 June 2020 Alice Springs town Northern Territory Government Place Names Register Retrieved 9 June 2020 Todd River Northern Territory Government Place Names Register Retrieved 9 June 2020 Charles River Northern Territory Government Place Names Register Retrieved 9 June 2020 Kelham Megg Discovering Local History Through Museums in Central Australia published by the National Pioneer Women s Hall of Fame as educational resources available on line Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Kelham Megg A Very Short History of the Stuart Town Gaol Territory Stories hdl 10070 233508 State Library of South Australia De Havilland D H 4 flown by Francis Briggs after landing in Central Australia State Library of South Australia Retrieved 16 June 2014 a b Kelham Megg Flynn s Alice a pictorial history of Alice Springs with documents available on line at Following in Flynn s footsteps PDF Archived from the original PDF on 16 March 2016 Retrieved 26 July 2012 North Australia Act No 16 of 1926 Commonwealth of Australia 4 June 1926 Archived from the original on 2 October 2018 Retrieved 2 October 2018 Clause 51 Seat of government of Central Australia Northern Territory Administration Act 1931 Commonwealth of Australia Archived from the original on 3 December 2018 Retrieved 22 December 2018 About Alice Springs History Alicesprings nt gov au 31 August 1933 Archived from the original on 24 May 2011 Retrieved 30 May 2011 George Karen George Gary 5 December 2017 Church of England Hostel for Inland Children Find amp Connect Commonwealth of Australia Retrieved 30 January 2024 St John s Hostel Find amp Connect 20 May 2021 Retrieved 30 January 2024 a b Central Australia the war years 1939 1945 RSL On Line Museum RSL Sub Branch Alice Springs Archived from the original on 17 February 2011 Retrieved 8 August 2011 Alice Springs Mparntwe NT Flinders Range Research Flinders Ranges Research Archived from the original on 16 July 2011 Retrieved 8 August 2011 Australia Royal Australian Air Force Historical Section 1995 Logistics units AGPS Press ISBN 978 0 644 42798 2 The Ghan Outback experiences Northern Territory Official Travel Site Travelnt com Archived from the original on 27 September 2007 Retrieved 30 May 2011 AIATSIS Central Australia Unveiled A Cultural Milestone in Mparntwe AIATSIS 1 February 2024 Retrieved 7 February 2024 a b Allison Charmayne 2 February 2024 Alice Springs Indigenous culture collection allows access to priceless knowledge on country for first time ABC News Australia Retrieved 7 February 2024 a b New AIATSIS centre in Alice Springs Revitalising Alice 25 March 2022 Retrieved 7 February 2024 The Flynn Trail Flynn Trail heritage tour in Alice Springs Archived from the original on 11 June 2016 Retrieved 26 July 2012 World Wildlife Fund ed 2001 Central Ranges xeric scrub WildWorld Ecoregion Profile National Geographic Society Archived from the original on 8 March 2010 Retrieved 30 May 2011 Tapper Andrew Tapper Nigel 1996 Gray Kathleen ed The weather and climate of Australia and New Zealand First ed Melbourne Australia Oxford University Press p 300 ISBN 0 19 553393 3 Linacre Edward Geerts Bart 1997 Climates and Weather Explained London Routledge p 379 ISBN 978 0 415 12519 2 Archived from the original on 24 June 2016 Retrieved 21 September 2016 McKnight amp Hess pp 212 1 Climate Zones and Types Dry Climates Zone B Alice Springs Climate Archived from the original on 16 June 2005 Retrieved 6 April 2023 Weatherbase Records and Averages for Alice Springs Northern Territory Australia Weatherbase Archived from the original on 29 July 2013 Retrieved 30 May 2011 Monthly climate statistics ALICE SPRINGS POST OFFICE Bureau of Meteorology Retrieved 26 February 2023 Climate statistics for Australian locations Alice Springs Airport April 2022 Average solar ultraviolet UV Index Bureau of Meteorology Retrieved 17 October 2022 2021 Alice Springs Census All persons QuickStats Australian Bureau of Statistics abs gov au Retrieved 6 April 2023 a b Alice Springs 2021 Census Community Profiles Retrieved 24 January 2023 Alice Springs Community Indigenous Services Archived 22 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Alice Springs Town Council Alice Springs Aboriginal Culture Alice Springs Town Council 8 June 2006 Archived from the original on 18 December 2006 Retrieved 25 November 2006 Seventh Council 1992 1996 www alicesprings nt gov au Alice Springs Council 18 March 2014 Archived from the original on 23 June 2017 Retrieved 13 June 2017 The American Connection Archived from the original on 6 April 2005 Retrieved 6 April 2023 Great Southern Rail Australia May 2006 Submission to the Productivity Commission Road and Rail Freight Infrastructure Pricing PDF Productivity Commission Australian Government Retrieved 20 April 2019 a b Australian Bureau of Statistics 25 October 2007 Alice Springs T Local Government Area 2006 Census QuickStats Retrieved 14 January 2009 Alice Springs and Surrounds Alice Springs Visitor Information Centre Tourism NT Retrieved 12 March 2023 The RFDS in SA NT gt Alice Springs RFDS Base Retrieved 12 March 2023 Department of Education and Training About the Department dead link Alice Springs Private Schools Private Schools Guide Retrieved 9 December 2022 Hermannsburg Historic Precinct and Finke River Mission Today Hermannsburg Historic Precinct Retrieved 9 December 2022 Kintore Campus Walungurru Yirara College Retrieved 9 December 2022 a b McMillan Isabel 8 April 2023 Stunning scenes from unique Aussie festival news com Retrieved 9 April 2023 a b Alice Springs Events Parrtjima A Festival in Light Alice Springs Travel Guide Retrieved 9 April 2023 Festival Venues Parrtjima Parrtjima 15 March 2023 Retrieved 9 April 2023 Bremer Rudi 8 April 2023 Parrtjima A Festival in Light audio text ABC Radio National Archived from the original on 9 April 2023 Retrieved 9 April 2023 Parrtjima Festival Lights Up the MacDonnell Ranges With Aboriginal Art but It s More Than Vivid in the Desert Broadsheet 15 March 2022 Retrieved 9 April 2023 Parrtjima light festival kicks off in Alice Springs video ABC News Australia 8 April 2023 Retrieved 9 April 2023 Parrtjima Festival in Light returns National Indigenous Times 28 February 2023 Retrieved 9 April 2023 About Us Contact Business Media Membership Sponsors Volunteers Tatts Finke Desert Race Finke Desert Race Inc Archived from the original on 2 August 2017 Retrieved 4 August 2017 General Information Clean Enery Council Archived from the original on 1 September 2010 Retrieved 7 August 2010 Museum of Central Australia NRETAS Internet Site 26 April 2012 Archived from the original on 26 April 2012 Retrieved 6 April 2023 NPWHF1291 Signature Quilt Women s Museum of Australia wmoa com au Retrieved 6 April 2023 Women s Museum of Australia wmoa com au Retrieved 6 April 2023 Kelham Megg November 2010 A Museum in Finke An Aputula Heritage Project pp 1 97 hdl 10070 230199 Retrieved 11 May 2019 About the l Alice Springs Town Council Retrieved 24 May 2021 a b Catalogue and Research Alice Springs Town Council Retrieved 24 May 2021 Senior Denise March 2007 Giving Indigenous Knowledge The Akaltye Antheme Collection Alice Springs Public Library Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services 20 1 28 33 Blackburn Fiona 1 August 2009 Learning on the job collection management and aspects of cross cultural provision The Australian Library Journal 58 3 312 325 doi 10 1080 00049670 2009 10735908 ISSN 0004 9670 Alice Springs Collection Directory of Archives in Australia directory archivists org au Retrieved 24 May 2021 About the Library Northern Territory Library ntl nt gov au Archived from the original on 9 June 2021 Retrieved 24 May 2021 Our Services Northern Territory Library ntl nt gov au Archived from the original on 24 May 2021 Retrieved 24 May 2021 Brennan Dechlan 2 February 2024 AIATSIS expansion sees priceless collection of Indigenous artefacts on display in Mparntwe for the first time National Indigenous Times Retrieved 7 February 2024 Government Northern Territory 5 March 2018 Library services industry nt gov au Retrieved 24 May 2021 Batchelor Institute Library www batchelor edu au Retrieved 24 May 2021 Central Land Council Library Central Land Council librarytechnology org Retrieved 24 May 2021 Alice Springs library Charles Darwin University Retrieved 24 May 2021 McKey A Mhara Health Library LIBRARY WEBSITE Home library health nt gov au Retrieved 24 May 2021 The Strehlow Research Centre Araluen Arts Centre araluenartscentre nt gov au Retrieved 24 May 2021 ANDRA Drag Racing Series and Aeroflow Sportsman Championship Archived from the original on 17 August 2013 Retrieved 7 February 2016 Australian National Drag Racing Association Calendar Burning fuel hits crowd at Australia event BBC News 4 September 2017 Archived from the original on 3 August 2018 Retrieved 20 July 2018 Acquiring a Bike Permit Arunga Park Speedway Motorbikes Archived from the original on 26 September 2013 Retrieved 26 September 2013 Alice Springs crime rate soars after alcohol ban lifts 22 January 2023 retrieved 24 January 2023 Northern Territory MP blasts state government inaction as crime wave sweeps Alice Springs 3AW 22 January 2023 Retrieved 24 January 2023 NT government issues ultimatum to alcohol retailers amid Alice Springs crime wave The Guardian 20 January 2023 Retrieved 24 January 2023 Collard Sarah 6 February 2023 NT reinstates alcohol bans in effort to curb crime surge in Alice Springs The Guardian Retrieved 6 June 2023 Centralian Advocate National Library of Australia Centralian Advocate Alice Springs Centralian Advocate paper hits the stands for the last time after more than 70 years circulation ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 26 June 2020 About us Alice Springs News Alice Springs News Retrieved 3 September 2023 Robinson Lee 21 June 2023 The Centralian Today based in Alice Springs to launch as newspaper and online news service ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 3 September 2023 The Centralian Today 31st August 2023 The Centralian Today 31 August 2023 Australian Railmaps Rail Map Perth to Adelaide Central and Northern Australia Archived 24 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 12 June 2007 Alice Springs Sister city media release Alice Springs Town Council 9 August 2005 Archived from the original on 20 August 2006 Retrieved 5 July 2007 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alice Springs nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Alice Springs Alice Springs Town Council Miller Bob 1994 10 photographs Alice Springs Northern Territory 1994 via Trove Radiocommunications licences in Alice Springs on ACMA website History of the stratospheric balloon launch base located in the Alice Spring airport and records of balloons launched there Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alice Springs amp oldid 1204583167, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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