Travel writer Leah McLennan has spent years exploring Central Australia.
asserted
McLennan → spend → Australia
What she loves about the region is the breadth of experiences it offers – from showstopping sights to off-the-beaten-track discoveries.
asserted
it → love → discoveries
“It has those big blockbuster things – it has Uluru, and it has Kings Canyon, and it has the Larapinta Trail,” McLennan says.
asserted
McLennan → have → Trail
“But I just love all the natural waterholes and the gorgeous places to swim, and the freedom that comes with that.
asserted
that → love → that
It’s full of adventure.
asserted
It → ’ → adventure
And one of the best destinations in the Red Centre, McLennan feels, is that quirky small town some 1,500 kilometres from the nearest city: Alice Springs.
asserted
McLennan → feel → city
Don’t let the coordinates spook you.
asserted
coordinates → let → you
Despite its remote location, Alice Springs is surprisingly easy to reach, with direct flights from major Australian cities and many of the Red Centre’s most rewarding experiences accessible from town.
asserted
Springs → reach → town
“It’s a really exciting destination and a melting pot of different cultures,” McLennan says.
asserted
McLennan → ’ → cultures
“There’s just so much creativity around, and so many interesting people and interesting festivals… it’s a pretty funky and unique place”.
asserted
it → ’ → ?
McLennan isn’t the only travel writer to have logged some serious kilometres in Central Australia.
asserted
McLennan → log → Australia
Nannette Holliday was there when the first big hotels opened in Alice Springs in the 1980s, and penned the very first official travel guides to the Territory’s outback driving routes in the 1990s.
asserted
hotels → open → 1990s
Now based in Darwin, she still makes regular trips to Alice, which she considers an essential first stop on any trip to the region.
asserted
she → base → region
So, with decades of experience between them, where in the Red Centre would McLennan and Holliday recommend you seek out – beyond the typical tourist trail?
asserted
you → recommend → trail
Do
McLennan says planning a trip around a festival is a great way to see Central Australia – and there are plenty to choose from.
asserted
planning → say → Australia
Two of the biggest on the calendar are Parrtjima, the light festival that takes over the Red Centre every April, and Desert Mob, an arts festival held every September and October.
asserted
that → take → Centre
“Desert Mob brings together fabulous desert culture in the middle of Australia – lots of artist talks, art markets, exhibitions,” says McLennan.
asserted
McLennan → bring → talks
“There’s so many different artists displaying their works, and you want to buy it all.
asserted
you → ’ → it
It’s just so much beautiful stuff.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
If you’re inspired to take an art tour of your own, Art Tours of Australia offers the chance to try your hand at watercolour painting amid the spectacular surrounds of Simpsons Gap.
asserted
Tours → inspire → Gap
McLennan also enjoys taking advantage of the Red Centre’s incredibly dark skies by stargazing at Earth Sanctuary, where you can enjoy guided tours of the constellations by astronomers, sit down for a gourmet dinner under the stars or even book an overnight stay in a private tent.
asserted
you → enjoy → tent
The dome-shaped tents that dot the red earth make the sanctuary “look like something from Mars,” she says.
asserted
she → dot → Mars
And to scratch her adventure itch, McLennan likes to explore the East and West MacDonnell Ranges.
asserted
McLennan → scratch → Ranges
She recommends setting the coordinates for Ormiston Gorge, a 90-minute drive out of Alice, as the trip is “pockmarked with beautiful gorges – every 30 to 40 minutes there’s somewhere new to pull into and go for a swim.”
asserted
trip → recommend → swim
For a less physical outdoor activity, Holliday recommends a walk up Anzac Hill, in the centre of town, at sunrise or sunset, which takes around 15 minutes.
asserted
which → recommend → minutes
From the summit you’ll get a panoramic view of the East and West MacDonnell Ranges, “and the sun coming up or going down completely changes the light – it’s really stunning”.
asserted
it → get → light
Eat
“In a really small town of Alice Springs, you’ve got loads of options of places to eat and cafes to go to,” McLennan says.
asserted
McLennan → get → places
The range of local and international cuisines is delightfully diverse, so much so that a single day on a plate could swing from bush tucker to bahn mi and local craft beers with ease.
uncertain
day → swing → ease
It was first recommended to her by a local tour guide as the best Indonesian food you’ll find outside of Indonesia – a “big call” that McLennan says she now agrees with.
asserted
she → recommend → that
“We tracked it down, and it’s such a humble restaurant, where you can sit outside on the ramshackle tables and chairs,” she describes.
asserted
she → track → tables
“Often, it’s completely full, and you have to wait to get a table.
asserted
you → ’ → table
It is very down to earth and has the best food – mi goreng, gado gado and the beef rendang was just amazing.
asserted
goreng → have → food
It’s BYO, so we grabbed some long necks from around the corner to have with dinner.
asserted
we → ’ → dinner
McLennan is also a big fan of an overnight trip to Kings Canyon, a four-hour drive west from Alice, where you can camp or book a luxury villa at the Discovery Resorts King Canyon.
asserted
you → camp → Canyon
In fact, she had one of the best meals of her life there.
asserted
she → have → life
You’re outside at a table next to the open fire, and it’s just dish after delicious dish.
asserted
it → ’re → dish
The dinner, called Under a Desert Moon, is a signature of the resort: capped at 16 guests, set out in a secluded spot away from the resort and lit by a canopy of stars.
asserted
dinner → call → stars
For casual eats in Alice Springs, Holliday loves Bean Tree Cafe in the Olive Pink Botanical Gardens, which serves saltbush smashed avo and lemon myrtle tea in a “relaxing and very beautiful” location.
asserted
which → love → location
McLennan is a dedicated adventure traveller who loves to camp “in a four-wheel drive with a rooftop tent” – something she’s done many times in and around Alice.
asserted
she → love → Alice
But for her next trip she is eyeing off a stay at The Sturt Desert Pea House, a gorgeous mud brick Airbnb-style property on the outskirts of Alice Springs, inspired by the floral emblem of the NT and set against the ochre backdrop of the Red Centre.
asserted
she → eye → Centre
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
