This cattle station (ranch in Australia’s “Red Centre” is bigger than the state of Rhode Island. Curtin Springs is a welcome, comfortable stop on the road leading west toward Uluru/Ayers Rock. Most travelers who stay here use it as a base for exploring Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and Kings Canyon, ,thereby escaping higher prices and crowds found near the rock.
One of Australia’s defining long-distance walks, the Larapinta Trail runs 139 miles (223 kilometers) along the spine of central Australia’s West MacDonnell Ranges, from Alice Springs to the summit of Mt. Sonder. Each of its 12 sections can be reached by 4WD, and highlights include Ormiston Gorge, Simpsons Gap, and Ellery Creek Big Hole.
In a landscape strewn with otherworldly formations, Tnorala (Gosse Bluff) Conservation Reserve stands out. An almost perfectly circular crater measuring 3 miles (5 kilometers) across and surrounded by 650-foot (200-meter) rock walls, it’s the last traces of a comet or asteroid that smashed into the ground around 140 million years ago.
The Kangaroo Sanctuary near Alice Springs shot to fame in 2013 when the Kangaroo Dundee BBC/National Geographic TV documentary series aired in the UK and US. Showing the daily life of sanctuary owner Chris “Brolga” Barnes, the series depicts the ins and outs of running this wildlife sanctuary and rescue center for baby kangaroos.
Devoted to desert flora, the 40-acre (16-hectare) Olive Pink Botanic Garden is home to more than 600 central Australian plant species, a network of walking trails, a visitor center with exhibitions, and the Bean Tree Cafe. It takes its name from its founder, the illustrator, activist, gardener, and anthropologist Olive Pink.
With a second branch in Darwin, Mbantua Fine Art Gallery and Cultural Museum (Mbantua Aboriginal Art Gallery) is a privately owned gallery in the heart of Alice Springs specializing in Aboriginal artworks. Buy everything from affordable souvenirs to investment-grade pieces by noted artists, via bark paintings, boomerangs, and gifts, or browse their permanent collection.
