This is an gold-mining town with a turbulent history, but today it is a pleasant modern place with comfortable tourist amenities. In this area too there are geological marvels, such as the Devil's Marbles, giant boulders balanced on top of each other. The fissures and crevices are a fascinating habitat for ghost gums and reptiles like the pygmy spiny-tailed goanna. You have come to the very heart of Australia. 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.