Alice Springs
 Alice Springs - it's the heart of Australia, just about exactly at the nation's geographical centre. It's also a town with a heart - people who live here love the warmth and friendliness of the place.
"The Alice", as it is known, is an outback town with all the modern conveniences, comforts and diversions you'd find in a good-sized city. It has great shopping, bars, cafes, restaurants, live entertainment, a casino and a convention centre.
Living is easy, either in tree-lined streets in the older parts of the town or in modern suburbs like any new residential area in any major Australian city. There’s a big choice of housing from budget-priced units to large, new well-designed houses.
The people of the Alice enjoy their time off. The climate promotes a healthy outdoor lifestyle, and locals take part in a range of leisure activities. Around town you’ll discover spectacular gorges and waterholes. You can get to them by road, walking trails and bicycle tracks.
There are excellent venues and facilities available for almost every sport and age – and Alice Springs even has its own yachting club (and one of the top ten desert golf courses in the world). There is also a large range of organisations, clubs and groups – whose members get together to enjoy all kinds of activities including the arts, theatre, dance, music and craft.
Alice Springs is a diverse community made up of people from all over the world. The Aboriginal presence here is strong – 20% of the population are Indigenous Australians.
In the Centre, desert certainly doesn’t mean deserted. The abundance and beauty of the Centre’s native vegetation is amazing. Ghost gums thrive in the beds of the Centre’s many underground river systems, marking where the region’s hidden waters lie. Other tress of infinite variety decorate the landscapes, from desert oaks and mulga trees to palms and cycads that have survived the millions of years since the Centre was a tropical forest. At times, brilliant wildflowers create oases of colour throughout the region.
Alice Springs is also a perfect base to explore the stunning MacDonnell Ranges, visit Uluru (Ayers Rock) or Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), fossick for gemstones and enjoy the vast unspoiled wonders of Australia's Red Centre.
Population: 28,000 approx.
Climate: Winter (May to October) is dry with cool evenings and mornings, summer (November to April) is very hot and usually dry.
Shopping:Four major shopping centres in the town centre, including the Todd Mall, corner stores and smaller shopping complexes in residential areas.
Education:Variety of government, church-run and independent schools from preschool to secondary, training and other tertiary education. Alice Springs campus, Charles Darwin University.
Health: Alice Springs Hospital, a range of general practitioners and local and visiting specialists, health clinics, range of dentists and other health professionals.
Transport: Connected to Adelaide and Darwin by the Stuart Highway and the AustralAsia Railway. Regular domestic flights link to Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin and to the rest of Australia. Regional airline services operate to surrounding communities and properties. Public bus service, taxis and rental vehicles.
Media: The Centralian Advocate is published twice weekly, and the Alice Springs News is delivered free to homes every Wednesday. Interstate newspapers are flown in daily. SBS, the ABC, Central Seven Central and Imparja (based in Alice Springs) broadcast in Central Australia. There are 10 radio stations including ABC and commercial radio and community stations to choose from.
Housing: A range of houses, units and flats are available for sale or rent at costs similar to most capital cities.
More Information: http://www.alicesprings.nt.gov.au/
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