Corner Parsons and Hartley Streets, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 0870
Phone Number: 61 08 8953 6073
Fax Number: 61 08 8953 6073

Since its construction in 1928, The Residency, situated on the corner of Parsons and Hartley Streets, Alice Springs, has become a tangible symbol of the brief independence and Vice Regal power Central Australia once had from the Northern Territory. The building itself, an adaptation to life in an arid environment, is evidence of a direct reaction to climate and conditions of an earlier period. It also represents a unique reminder of regional response to Government and administration that recognised differences in the Territory which are no longer apparent in this age of increased communications, technology and transport. Almost all individuals who have been resident in the building, or who have had occasion to be official guests, including Queen Elizabeth II, have had a significant impact on Northern Territory history. The Residency is closed for the months of December, January and February each year. Entry is via a 'donation'.

Lasseter Highway, Mount Ebenezer, via, Erldunda, Northern Territory, 0872
Email: mtebenezer1@bigpond.com
Website: www.waru.org/communities/imanpa/roadhouse.php
Phone Number: 61 08 8956 2904
Fax Number: 61 08 8956 2801

Located on the Lasseter Highway, Mt Ebenezer is one of the few Aboriginal-owned roadhouses in the Northern Territory. The roadhouse and campground sits in country that’s remarkably flat compared to its neighbours down the road, Uluru/Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta/The Olgas. The roadhouse also boasts an impressive art gallery with a floor of red sand and walls of hessian and a wide range of local Imanpa community paintings and carvings.

South of Finke River National Park, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 0870
Website: www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/find/illamurta.html
Phone Number: 61 08 8951 8250
Fax Number: 61 08 8951 8290

The Illamurta Springs Conservation Reserve is one of the most peaceful and isolated reserves in the Northern Territory. Its natural values are due to the impressive southern foothills of the James Range and the presence of a permanent natural spring. The site provides a moist habitat for several relict aquatic plant species, and it protects the ruins of the Illamurta Police Camp. The Illamurta Springs Police Camp was established between 1893 and 1912 after the closure of the Boggy Hole Police Station, in the Finke Gorge National Park. The establishment of the station was a reaction to Aboriginal resistance, in the form of cattle killing, to pastoral settlement. After the cattle killing had been subdued, the Police Station functioned for a time, as an administrative centre and as a point for the distribution of rations to Aboriginal people. The site is important to the mythology of the western Arrernte Aboriginal people as it forms part of the extensive Kunnea Snake, Python Dreaming. A large number of stone artefacts, including fragments of grindstones, occur in the reserve providing evidence of occupation. Access is by four-wheel drive vehicle only.

Lasseter Highway, via, Yulara, Northern Territory, 0872
Email: curtinsprings@bigpond.com
Website: www.curtinsprings.com
Phone Number: 61 08 8956 2906
Fax Number: 61 08 8956 2934

Outback hospitality – The way you wish it could be all the time. Curtin Springs is a working cattle station and Wayside Inn located on the Lasseter Highway just 85 kilometres east of Yulara, at the edge of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It is owned and operated by the Severin family. The family took over in 1956 and still operate the station today. Peter and Dawn Severin, along with their toddler son Ashley, opened their homestead as a key stop for visitors to Uluru / Ayers Rock. They installed petrol pumps and a small store to help Len Tuit start tourism to Uluru / Ayers Rock. Looking at the area now it’s hard to believe that Peter and Dawn only saw six people in their first year here. Curtin Springs has watched the tourism industry grow ever since. Curtin Springs stands as a testament to the passion and commitment Peter and Ashley Severin have made to Central Australia. The Severin family live on Curtin Springs and extend the unique hospitality that has made them a legend in the Northern Territory. Curtin Springs caters for the needs of the passing traveller by providing reasonable priced accommodation, fuel, cold beer, snacks, souvenirs and wonderful meals from the homestead kitchen, which are served under the historic B

9 Stuart Terrace, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 0870
Email: rex@reptilecentre.com.au
Website: www.reptilecentre.com.au
Phone Number: 61 08 8952 8900
Fax Number: 61 08 8952 8700

The Alice Springs Reptile Centre is the largest reptile display in the Northern Territory. Come and visit the extensive range of reptiles, including the huge perentie goannas, frilled neck lizards, thorny devils and many other fascinating reptiles. Also on display are large and small pythons and some of the world’s most venomous snakes such as inland taipans, brown snakes, death adders, and mulga, otherwise known as king brown, snakes. Do not miss the saltwater crocodile exhibit featuring underwater viewing. Watch the lizards feed, or play with a python. Or wander through the absorbing Fossil Cave, where you can trace the rise of reptiles over hundreds of millions of years.

Corner Larapinta and Memorial Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 0870
Email: araluen@nt.gov.au
Website: www.araluen.nt.gov.au
Phone Number: 61 08 8951 1120
Fax Number: 61 08 8953 0259

A self-guided walking tour around the Araluen Cultural Precinct provides a fascinating glimpse into the art, culture and heritage of Central Australia, and into some of the local identities that helped develop the region. The precinct was home to Eddie Connellan, a pioneer of aviation in the Northern Territory. The original hangar, associated heritage buildings and the Connellan, or Araluen Homestead, still form part of the precinct. The Araluen Cultural Precinct is also culturally significant to the local Arrernte people. There are seven registered sacred sites and trees of significance on the precinct. These are an integral component of the Two Women Dreaming Track.

330 kilometres via the Red Centre Way, 450 kilometres via the Stuart and Lasseter Highways and Luritja Road, Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, 0872
Website: www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/find/watarrka.html
Phone Number: 61 08 8951 8250
Fax Number: 61 08 8951 8290

Watarrka National Park, synonymous with its most famous landmark, Kings Canyon, is located 450 kilometres south west of Alice Springs in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta region of the Northern Territory. The park encompasses the western end of the George Gill Range and is home to a variety of unique native flora and fauna, including over 600 different plant species. Commercial accommodation can be found within the park at the Kings Canyon Resort or at nearby Kings Creek Station. The area has also been home to the Luritja Aboriginal people for the last 20,000 years. The word Watarrka refers to the umbrella bush that proliferates in this amazing landscape. The canyon’s 300 metre high sandstone walls are breathtaking, and the surrounding area is home to diverse flora and fauna. Travellers can hike to the six kilometre canyon rim, follow a walking trail through the scenic desert surrounds, or stroll along the boulder-strewn valley floor. The shady Kings Creek walk ambles one kilometre along the valley floor to a lookout point. The Giles Track, an enjoyable 22 kilometre bushwalk between Kings Canyon and Kathleen Springs, takes travellers through spectacular scenery. Enjoy the 2.6 kilometre walk to Kathleen Springs where historical sites, a sprin

Sails in the Desert Hotel, Yulara Drive, Yulara, Northern Territory, 0872
Phone Number: 61 08 8957 7352
Fax Number: 61 08 8957 7312

Mulgara Gallery opens a rare window into the unique world of Australian and Indigenous arts and crafts. Located in the foyer of Sails in the Desert Hotel at Ayers Rock Resort in the Northern Territory, Mulgara Gallery offers a superb selection of Australian hand-crafted glassware, pottery, textiles, metal and leather work. The gallery features renowned artists such as Chris Pantano, whose glass work has won numerous awards and received national and international recognition. There is an extensive range of Central Australian Indigenous art representing different regional styles, including Central Desert dot painting from Papunya and Mt Allen, colourful body art from Utopia and artefacts such as didjeridus, rainsticks and other tribal instruments. The stunning Uluru Collection is made exclusively for Mulgara Gallery by Richard Ivey. This fine collection of Australian Opal and coloured diamond jeweller is inspired by the colours and textures of the arid land and the fossils of inland sea. Every month, Mulgara Gallery has an ‘artists and craftsperson in residence’ program, including popular Indigenous artist, Maureen Nampitjinpa Hudson, who exhibits and sells her work worldwide. This program provides a unique opportunity to meet an

Stuart Highway, Northern Territory and South Australian border, Kulgera, Northern Territory, 0872
Email: info@travelnt.com
Website: en.travelnt.com/advice/itinerary-ideas/explorers-way.aspx

The Explorer’s Way bisects the Australian continent from Adelaide in the south to Darwin in the north. It covers over 3,000 kilometres and follows the corridor blazed in the 1860s by explorer John McDouall Stuart for the ‘Overland Telegraph’ that eventually linked Melbourne to London. On this drive, you’ll pass through the Central Australian desert, fertile dark soil plains of the Barkly Tablelands, Savannah woodlands and lush tropical forests surrounding Darwin. The township of Alice Springs is nestled among the MacDonnell Ranges. There is plenty to do in and around ‘The Alice’ including camel rides, balloon flights and Aboriginal art and culture. A detour to World Heritage-listed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, five hours drive south west of Alice is a must. Following the Explorer’s Way stop at historic outback pubs and quirky roadhouses. Marvel at the Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles 400 kilometres north of Alice Springs, where huge red spherical boulders balance precariously on one another. Another major stop is Tennant Creek, site of Australia’s last gold rush in the 1920s and 30s. Mataranka has thermal springs and a fascinating pioneering history. Katherine a little further up the road is the gateway to the famous Katherin

129 kilometres north of Alice Springs, Stuart Highway, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, 0870
Website: www.nt.gov.au/nreta/heritage/visit/pdf/ryan-well.pdf
Phone Number: 61 08 8951 8250
Fax Number: 61 08 8951 8290

Ryan Well Historic Reserve, located 129 kilometres North of Alice Springs, is of historic significance and illustrates an important part of the development of the Northern Territory, particularly the watering systems associated with the movement of stock along the Overland Telegraph Line. The Glen Maggie Homestead ruins within the reserve are associated with the Nicker family and the Central Australian personality 'Cloudy' Beale. The reserve is an insight into the use of local materials, providing evidence of the way of life of pastoral settlers during the early part of the Twentieth Century.