Alice Springs Desert Park is an inspiring portrayal of Australia’s central desert environment that effortlessly blends the plants, birds, animals and people of our arid regions within one, extraordinary tourism and conservation facility. Our ‘natural’ attraction is as distinctive as the Australian desert itself - a truly unique experience that continues to captivate and educate travellers from every corner of the globe. There’s much more to deserts than meets the eye and our visitors are astonished by the life and beauty they discover on their journey with us.

Our Kangaroo Sanctuary is a place to celebrate the beauty of the Red Kangaroo – an Australian icon. Join us on a pre-booked guided sunset tour (Wednesday to Friday) and meet the kangaroo characters from Kangaroo Dundee (BBC/Nat Geo Series). Our motto is Animals Come First. $105 adult $95 child (note that tours are not available for children under 7). No self-drive. Bus transfers provided.

Ranked as one of the world’s top 20 treks, the Larapinta Trail is a 231-kilometre path that follows the West MacDonnell Ranges from Alice Springs Telegraph Station to Mount Sonder. Experience key attractions in the region such as Simpsons Gap and Ellery Creek Big Hole, weave past some of the world’s most ancient rock formations, and sleep under the stars.

The 16 ha area that is now Olive Pink Botanic Garden was gazetted in 1956 as the Australian Arid Regions Flora Reserve after intense lobbying by the Garden’s founder, and first honorary curator, Miss Olive Muriel Pink.The Garden is part of a substantial area of contiguous Crown Land that extends east from the Todd River on the southern edge of the Alice Springs Central Business District. Prior to 1956 the land was unoccupied and grazed variously by feral goat, rabbit, and cattle populations, such that the vegetation on the floodplain area was fairly modified and devoid of tree and shrub cover when Miss Pink took up occupancy there in 1956.Miss Pink and her Warlpiri assistant gardeners spent the next two decades battling drought conditions and almost non-existent operational funding to develop Miss Pink’s vision for the Reserve. Together they planted a somewhat eclectic collection of trees and shrubs native to the central Australian region as well as various cacti, garden flowers, and introduced trees around Home Hut that could withstand the harsh summers.

They say home is where the heart is, even if it is spread over a million acres of remote Central Australia! Curtin Springs has been home to the Severin family since 1956, when Peter Severin arrived with his young wife Dawn, their toddler son Ashley and 1,500 head of cattle. Curtin Springs stands as a testimony to the commitment of Peter and Ashley Severin to both the pastoral and tourism industries. At Curtin Springs we balance beef production with being a million acre wildlife corridor, and offer many ways for visitors to connect with the spectacular landscape. We invite you to take a ‘peek behind the curtain’ to explore the wonders of our home. Located just 100km east of Ayers Rock, Curtin Springs (the first Wayside Inn in Central Australia) offers a perfect base from which to visit the Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon areas. Or stay a while longer and ‘peel back the layers’ by including our experiences, tours and hospitality in your travel plans.