Spring in the Red Centre 7-day itinerary

Turn up to the Red Centre in spring where everything is a little different to the rest of Australia. We’ve kicked off summer a little early in the NT (spoiler alert: we never really said goodbye to endless sunshine). Up here, blue skies are a given, while the rich red landscape of central Australia is bathed in sunshine.

Turn up to the Red Centre in spring for more affordable holidays when there’s great deals on offer, there’s fewer crowds and sunrise and sunset comes tinted with the rich red hue of outback Australia.

Check out this 7-day itinerary highlighting all the fun things to see and do on a Red Centre road trip over Australia’s spring season (September – November).

Turn up for Aboriginal art you won't see anywhere else

Turn up for Aboriginal culture aplenty at Alice Springs, where galleries and exhibitions are showcased in Australia’s thriving hub of Aboriginal art. The Araluen Cultural Precinct is the best place for a deep dive into the art and artists of Central Australia, where you’ll find some of the most significant artistic, cultural and historical experiences in Alice Springs.

In the heart of downtown Alice, Todd Mall is lined with commercial galleries specialising in Aboriginal art. Stop at Papunya Tula Artists, which is an Aboriginal-owned gallery showcasing artists from the Western Desert. Don’t miss Mbantua Art Gallery and Cultural Museum, a few minutes drive from the Todd Mall, specialising in art from the Utopia region and home to one of Australia’s largest collections of Aboriginal art.

Further afield is Keringke Arts, a working art studio, and Hermannsburg Potters in the historic precinct of Hermannsburg1.5 hours west of Alice Springs.

Get your laneway coffee fix in the Todd Mall

Wander down the leafy lane of Fan Arcade near Todd Mall to slake your hunger or pick up a takeaway coffee at Page 27. It’s a favourite haunt of locals for its all-day breakfast and vintage décor.

Be inspired by the early pioneers

Learn about the pioneers who established the Royal Flying Doctor Service in the 1930s, providing much needed medical services to outback Australia. Board a full-size replica RFDS aircraft to feel what it’s like to be a patient and experience the virtual reality and interactive displays where pioneers and their stories are brought to life.

Watch the sunset from Anzac Hill

As the sun falls on another spring day, make your way to the top of Anzac Hill for sweeping views of Alice Springs. You can drive to the lookout or stretch your legs on the ‘Lions Walk’ trail. Enjoy the views of the MacDonnell Ranges and the desert landscape surrounding the town as the sun dips behind the West MacDonnell Ranges (known locally as the West Macs).

Turn up for fewer crowds in the West Macs

Spring time means fewer visitors so it’s entirely possible you’ll have some of the best sites in the West MacDonnell Ranges all to yourself. Pack a picnic for a day trip to one of the many spectacular sites in the West Macs. At Ellery Creek Big Hole take the 3km walking trail, swim in the cool, clear water and admire the impressive landscape where massive floods have carved a canyon through the mountain range.

Other impressive sites well worth visiting are Ormiston Gorge with its swimming hole and white sandy beach, Redbank Gorge at the base of Mt Sonder and Simpsons Gap for its deep orange chasm walls, along with Standley Chasm where you can take a walking tour with traditional owners to learn about the area’s cultural significance.

Turn up for an Earth Sanctuary astronomy tour & dinner

After dark, experience the spirit of the outback on an astronomy tour with the award-winning Earth Sanctuary. Book a tour to be taken on a night sky adventure at Earth Sanctuary’s secluded location in time to watch a spectacular sunset over the East MacDonnell Ranges. As dusk falls and the star-spangled night sky is revealed through astronomy telescopes and guided viewing to learn about the unique astronomy viewable from the Red Centre’s unpolluted skies.

Turn up for rock star road tripping to Uluru

No trip to the Red Centre is complete without a visit to see the famous red rock formations of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Turn up with a sense of adventure for the drive from Alice Springs, where you’ll gain a real sense of the wide open spaces the Red Centre is known for. Allow plenty of time to admire the desert views, mountain ranges, wildlife and roadside fauna of arid desert country. There are plenty of accommodation options to choose from at Uluru, but make sure to book ahead, even in spring when there are fewer visitors.

Enjoy a bush tucker experience

After arriving at Yulara, book yourself in for a free bush tucker experience at Voyages in the town square. Learn about local native bush foods from Aboriginal staff, and enjoy tasting seasonal seeds, spices and fruits. Watch a cooking demonstration using ancient native bush ingredients and learn about the history of Australia’s bush foods.

Turn up for the light shows at Field of Light & Wintjiri Wiru

Uluru’s ochre-hued flanks glow in the late afternoon sunlight, so that claiming a spot at a sunset viewpoint is an absolute must. Sunrise is equally impressive as Uluru is revealed as darkness fades. Take sunset viewing to another level with some of the impressive light installations with Uluru as a spectacular backdrop.

Visit the Field of Light, an incredible light installation designed by internationally renowned artist, Bruce Munro at either dawn or dusk. Walk the trail surrounded by more than 50,000 solar powered glowing stems of light and admire the scene under the desert night sky or as dawn breaks and casts a golden glow across Uluru.

Another unique experience that you won’t get anywhere else is Wintjiri Wiru which tells the Anangu people’s ancient Mala story through a symphony of light displays, lasers and soundtracks choreographed with more than 1,000 drones all back dropped by Uluru.

Turn up early for sunrise from a camel's perspective

Turn up for a spectacular sunrise over Uluru with a twist. A four-legged, twin-humped, guided camel tour twist. Clamber atop a camel in the pre-dawn light and view the changing light lighting up Uluru and the arid desert landscape. Afterwards, enjoy a true-blue Aussie breakfast of billy tea and freshly baked beer bread.

Circumnavigate Uluru by foot or bike

One of the best ways to see Uluru, which is a sacred site to the Anangu people, is to see it from the trails that wind around the base of the monolith. Join a walking tour led by an Aboriginal guide, hire a bike near the Cultural Centre or jump on a segway tour to circumnavigate the 10.6km base walk. Uluru’s lower flanks are signposted with informative displays which describe the significance of the springs, waterholes, rock art caves and ancient paintings.

Turn up in the glamorous best for an Outback star-lit dinner

Dine beneath a star-spangled sky with a 360° view of Uluru and Kata Tjuta at the Sounds of Silence dinner. The unforgettable evening begins with canapés and sparkling wines, moves through to a gourmet barbecue inspired by native bush ingredients and ends with a cultural Aboriginal dance and guided tour of the night sky. In between is an exceptional evening of fine dining in one of the world’s most spectacular restaurant settings. Like we said, unforgettable. This is a dinner

For something a little less spectacular, though no less delicious, dine at one of the many restaurants at Ayers Rock Resort, from BYO BBQ's with friends, casual café or tavern-style eateries to fine dining experiences.

Turn up for the walking trails of Kata Tjuta

Turn up with your walking shoes to get up close and personal with Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). The name Kata Tjuta translates to ‘many heads’ in Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara language which refers to the series of 36 imposing rock domes which date back 500 million years.

Start your morning early with a drive to the Kata Tjuta dune viewing area to watch the arid desert landscape emerge in blaze of colours as the sun rises. For the Anangu people, Kata Tjuta is a significant site for men’s business and its associated stories and cultural knowledge, though visitors are welcome to explore the area’s walking trails.

Explore Kata Tjuta by trail

Get up close to the Kata Tjuta domes with a short walk from the carpark to gain some perspective of these ancient formations which rise 546m above the desert landscape (by comparison Uluru is 863m). Take the walking trails such as the Waḻpa Gorge Walk which is an easy one-hour return walk which follows a stream lined with rare plants. For a longer walk, take the famed Valley of the Winds walk, which is a challenging 7.4km circuit which weaves through the immense domes and offers spectacular views from two lookout points.

Camp at Kings Creek Station

Say farewell to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and drive to Kings Creek Station where visitors are welcomed to experience outback cattle station life.

Stay overnight in one of the station’s luxury bush tents or pitch your own tent in the campground. Tuck into one of the stations’ famed Kings Creek camel burger at the café or walk to the George Gill lookout for panoramic views of the mountain ranges. Notch up the adrenalin with a 4WD off-road buggy tour. As dusk falls, enjoy the evening conviviality of other travellers around the campfire.

Turn up early for spectacular views of Kings Canyon

Turn up at dawn for the Kings Canyon Rim Walk where golden early morning light catches the canyon’s vertical cliffs, tinting them striking shades of burnt orange. There’s a steep section of around 500 steps at the start but then it’s a relatively walk that follows the canyon edge. Allow a couple of hours to complete the 6km walk to admire the weathered sandstone domes of the Lost City along with the lush Garden of Eden tucked into a valley.

At the other end of the day, check out the Light Towers installation at sunset, an immersive sound and light display backdropped by George Gill Ranges and Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon).

Make your way back to Alice Springs

If travelling in a 2WD or hire car, take the sealed road back to Alice Springs via the Stuart and Lasseter Highways. If you’re in a 4WD and want to travel on a true Red Centre red-dirt road, take the unsealed Ernest Giles road or the Mereenie Loop (permit is required – purchase one from Kings Canyon Resort before you depart).

Once back in Alice Springs, check into Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters where you’ll find the perfect place to freshen up after a few days in the desert. For an exceptional dining experience take the short walk to award-winning Hanuman restaurant for a special dining experience for your final night in the Red Centre.

Turn up late for after dinner drinks

Pop into Epilogue Lounge & Rooftop Bar for after dinner drinks and cocktails (or tuck into the tapas menu if you didn’t dine at Hanuman’s) at one of the coolest places in Alice Spring. Epilogue is all stylish retro décor, a vibrant atmosphere, food served all day, a decent wine list and a great location (it’s located right in the middle of town).

Turn up early to glide above arid desert at sunrise

Sorry late risers to get you up so early, but we promise this will be worth the sleep deprivation. There’s nothing quite like drifting across the arid desert landscape surrounding Alice Springs in a hot air balloon with Outback Ballooning. Gliding gently through the dawn you’ll see the colours roll across the MacDonnell Ranges as the sun rises. Relax after the flight over a picnic breakfast accompanied by sparkling wine and juice.

Get up close with furry, feathered & thorny wildlife

Turn up to see the desert come alive at Alice Springs Desert Park where changing desert environments are showcased in three diverse habitat areas. Here, you’ll see rare and endangered animals native to the Red Centre in the nocturnal house along with a free-flying birds of prey show. Presentations and talks by local Aboriginal guides offer insight into Aboriginal people’s connection to country and the intriguing desert landscape.