Trip to the middle of nowhere

Alice Springs has personality that I just can’t put my finger on. ‘Alice,’ as the town is fondly known, has her flaws. For example: she’s in the middle of nowhere, the very heart of Australia. But there’s something about the place that’s just irresistible.
 
I spent one month in Alice on a work exchange from the hustle and bustle of the 24/7 reception at Sydney Central YHA to the laid back and often motionless front desk of the Alice Springs YHA. My time there was hot, isolating, exuberant, weird and memorable. Everyone I met had a story or three.

Alice is a town that has always attracted eclectic groups of people – it has inspired explorers, feminists, and artists. John Stuart who the town was named after until 1933 led the first successful expedition to traverse the Australian mainland from south to north and return. His story is her story too in Alice where more than 100 Australian women were pioneers in their fields and are featured in the National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame.

Alice is also of great significance to Aboriginal culture and folklore –every rock and landmark echoes with the desert’s spiritual heritage. Many prominent names in Aboriginal art, including Emily Kngwarreye, Minnie Pwerle, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Albert Namatjira and Wenten Rubuntja learnt their craft in the town.

One very early morning I took a dawn camel ride through the dry banks of the Todd River with Pyndan Camel Tracks. From the bumpy heights of my camel I watched the sun rise slowly over the deep oranges of arid soils contrasted by the vivid purples and pinks of desert flowers that surrounded the track’s river red gums, tall coolabah trees and the scarlet red dessert peas. 

Take the time to wander to the middle of nowhere and you’ll find Alice. It’s a journey well worth the effort and a journey you won’t soon forget. Breathtaking, moving and absurd, this little town epitomizes the spirit of Australian culture and dreaming – it’s a rollicking off-the-beaten-track town that has it all.

Ted Rose