Its arid landscape is rich with colour and form. Time is the great sculptor. Alice Springs has a population of only 26000 people, friendly and full of an easy enjoyment of life. Things used to be tough and formidably isolated in Alice, and in the 1930s there were only 300 hardy White inhabitants. Now, of course, Ayers Rock has made Alice Springs into a major tourist destination.
Tourism has, among other things, given a commercial boost to Aboriginal art.
There are over 20 shops selling Aboriginal paintings. Many of the symbols used in the artwork are derived from a tradition of body painting, many thousands of years old. Frontier life is evident in the School of the Air for far outlying farms, a flying doctor service and the old Telegraph Station, a favourite stop on organized tours. Alice Springs is an important gateway. From Alice can take longer tours that include not only Ayers Rock but Kings Canyon and other wonders of the Red Centre.