We didn’t spend much time in Alice Springs, just one night on the way to Uluru and two nights at the end of the holiday before returning home. Alice Springs is nearly equidistant from Darwin and Adelaide, about 1500km in each direction. At the top of Anzac Hill,

is a memorial to the soldiers killed in World War I.

There’s not a lot to see in Alice Springs but the panoramic view of the town and surrounding ranges was quite spectacular.

Known as Mparntwe to its original inhabitants, the Arrernte, Alice Springs was named in 1872 after the wife of Sir Charles Todd, the former Postmaster General of South Australia. The Todd River, which is dry for most of the year, was named after Sir Charles.

The prominent ridge to the west is Mt Gillen, a popular destination for hikers.

I had never seen Sturt’s Desert Pea in the wild and there they were, masses of them growing on the median strips around town. Absolutely stunning.

We had excellent accommodation, choosing to stay on the edge of town at the Quest Apartments.

The end of the holiday was nigh, only one more day left.