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Updated 10/10/2008
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Red Centre
Central Australia, known as the Red Centre, occupies the lower half of the Northern Territory, including Alice Springs, Yulara, Andado, Finke, Tennant Creek, Tanami and the Plenty and Sandover Highways.
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Description
Region Feedback
Weather & Climate
Related Pages
Treks
Recommended Reading
Road Conditions
In this Region
Description
Any trip to the Red Centre begins and ends at Alice Springs, the centre of
Australia
. Supporting an area of many thousands of kilometres, Alice Springs supports regions far beyond the reach of the immediate population.
People come to the Red Centre for their first time to see our nation's icon - Ayers Rock (Uluru). Those who come again will have realised on their first visit that the region is enormous, the distances gigantic and best explored given time and self-sufficiency.
Four wheel driving has become the nation's favourite recreation, although it is not limited to locals. With a country as harsh and large as this you can always find a place to hire a 4WD that is well equipped and suited to the Australian outback conditions to get you there. For those that prefer a bit of guidance there are countless companies that offer safaris, tag-alongs and even 4WD bus
tours
to enable you to see as much of the highlights in one visit.
You can't come to the Red Centre without seeing a few major features: Ayers Rock and the Olgas, in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, some 500kms south-west of Alice Springs, at least some of the
West MacDonnell Ranges
(Simpson's Gap - Ormiston Gorge is all bitumen), Kings Canyon and Arltunga Historic Reserve.
If you've got a bit more time, have a 4WD and are self-sufficient don't miss Rainbow Valley,
Chambers Pillar
,
Boggy Hole
in the Finke Gorge and the magnificent gorges and quiet spaces of the East MacDonnell Ranges. You can also put your feet on the planimetric centre of
Australia
at the Lambert Centre just out of the Finke township.
The most important thing to remember about a trip to the Red Centre is to give yourself enough time to really soak up the atmosphere. It's a special place where the colours, the sounds and the textures really need to be savoured. The region offers some of the most varied walking trails within
Australia
, especially throughout the
West MacDonnell Ranges
. Vehicles are for travelling the great distances between attractions but once you've arrived a true appreciation of this timeless land is to put some leg work into it.
The Red Centre is one of the most photographed regions in the country and if you've always wanted to try your hand at this rewarding activity this might be the ideal place to start with rich warm colours, enchanting sunsets and never-ending clear skies.
Some excellent treks can be planned around Alice Springs in almost every direction if you have a 4WD vehicle. The McDonald Ranges, Finke Gorge, Palm Valley, New Crown, Old Andado, Dalhousie Springs, Mt Dare, are all excellent 4WD locations within reach of Alice Springs.
To head west into the
Western Deserts> Region , the Anne Beadell,
Gunbarrel Highway
, or the alternative
Great Central Road
, are the best options for 4WDs. And the quickest route into the
Kimberley
is via the Tanami, whilst the
Plenty Highway
or
Simpson Desert
is the way to go east into
Queensland
. To head south, 4WDs will enjoy the
Oodnadatta Track
.
For 2WD vehicles the Stuart Highway provides the best access north to either Darwin in the
Top End> , or towards
in the south. The Barkley Highway is the main bitumen route for heading east into
Queensland
. 2WDs can go west towards Perth along the
Great Central Road
, but not the
Gunbarrel Highway
, which is strictly 4WD.
April - October is the ideal time to visit the Red Centre, while temperatures are less extreme. Mid summer can be oppressively hot and December - March is the wet season. Winter can be very cold at night, dropping to below 0°C, although day temperatures will still be in the low twenties.
Red Centre Weather & Climate
Closest Weather Station
Alice Springs Airport at 08:30 12 Oct CST
Distance from Alice Springs 10.56km S
Temperature
Feels Like
Rel. Humidity
Dew Point
Pressure
Rainfall
Wind Direction
Wind Speed
Gusts
23.3°C
16.4°C
4%
-22.4°C
1020.0hPa
0.0mm
ENE
17km/h
9knots
22km/h
12knots
Closest Climatic Station
Alice Springs Airport
Distance from Alice Springs 10.56km S
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Mean Max. °C
36.3
35.1
32.7
28.2
23.0
19.9
19.6
22.6
27.1
30.9
33.7
35.4
Mean Min. °C
21.4
20.8
17.5
12.6
8.3
5.1
4.0
6.0
10.2
14.8
17.9
20.2
Mean Rain mm
38.0
42.3
31.9
16.8
19.4
14.4
14.7
9.5
8.3
21.9
26.7
37.5
Red Centre Treks
Boggy Hole
Finke Gorge is located within the Finke Gorge NP south of the West MacDonnell Ranges in the Alice Springs region. The most popular attraction is Boggy Hole, a permanent billabong of the Finke River. This is a good 4WD route to Uluru and/or Kings Canyon.
Chambers Pillar
Chambers Pillar is a natural sandstone formation used by our famous early explorers as a navigational point. You can still read their signatures and inscriptions carved into the rock. It is also a beautiful photographic subject in a remote 4WD area.
Hay River
Suitable only to 4WDers with a strong sense of adventure and experience in remote desert travel. This track is largely unmarked and good map-reading skills are essential.
Old Andado Track
The Old Andado Track traverses fascinating terrain that includes mountain ranges, rocky gibber plains, desert sand dunes and floodplains in the Red Centre just south of Alice Springs.
Owen Springs Reserve
An easy short trek out of Alice Springs with good bush camping and a historic value of early European explorers to Central Australia.
[Feature Story]
Plenty Highway
The is the most direct route from central Queensland across to Alice Springs in central Australia. It is a wide stretch of very red sandy soil that when wet can be impassible - 4WD only.
Simpson Desert via Geosurveys Hill
From the stone workings of our ancient aboriginal past to the routes undertaken for the old oil exploration surveys, this very remote one-way trek starting at Mount Dare to Birdsville is for experienced desert travellers ONLY.
The Tanami Track
The Tanami Track is essentially a great short-cut linking the Red Centre to the Kimberley. Although once a notorious 4WD track, it is now a graded dirt highway.
Finke to Uluru via Old Gunbarrel
An alternative route to access the wonderful Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, this trip from Finke east of the Stuart Highway takes in the Lambert Centre - the planimetric gravitational centre of Australia, and a short section of the Old Gunbarrel Highway before intersecting the main route of the Lasseter Highway near Curtain Springs.
West MacDonnell Ranges
The West MacDonnell Ranges in the heart of Australia's red centre stretch for 400km from east-west as a series of parallel ranges. Within the ranges are magnificent gaps and gorges, dramatic scenery, great bush camping and walks.
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Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is Australias 3rd largest state in terms of landsize covering 1.3 million sq km with the smallest population share of just 190,000. Over 80% of the territory is located within the tropical zone with Darwin at the Top End on the Timor Sea. NT is 9.5 hours ahead of GMT sharing the same time zone as SA.
Red Centre Road Conditions
Road conditions information for: Barkly Hwy, Carpentaria Hwy, Chambers Pillar and Rainbow Valley Access, Davenport Range, Docker River Road (Yulara to WA border), Kings Canyon, Finke Gorge & Ayers Rock Access, McDonnell Ranges, Mt Dare, Plenty Hwy, Sandover Hwy, Sandy Blight Rd, Savannah Way (Great Top Road), Stuart Highway, Tanami Rd
[Feature Story]
Recommended Reading
Alice Springs to Uluru - Digital Map
This digital map of 'Alice Springs to Uluru' will help you to safely experience the adventure of exploration, and the wonder of the outback with both detailed information and GPS readings. Some of the most unusual landforms in the world can be found in Central Australia.
$10.00
[Add to Cart]
NEW item in the Shop
Natmap Digital Maps 2008
NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 is the next generation of Geoscience Australia's popular NATMAP Raster 1:250 000 scale topographic digital maps. NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 are exact digital copies of Geoscience Australia's NATMAP topographic maps. They cover the whole of Australia at 1:250 000 scale, and are current to 2006.
$99.00
[Add to Cart]
Latest Edition
SF5314 Alice Springs
This 1:250K topographic map covers an area about 150km from east to west and 110km from north to south (1.5 degrees longitude by 1 degree latitude). The map contains natural and constructed features including road and rail infrastructure, vegetation, hydrography, contours (interval 50m), localities and some administrative boundaries.
$10.00
[Add to Cart]
Allow 2 weeks for delivery
East MacDonnells
This map features historic tracks through remote desert mining areas of the East MacDonnell Ranges. Arltunga, Trephina Gorge and the spectacular Ruby Gap can all be visited. Some of the best Australian gems are found in the Harts Range and Mud Tank fossicking areas near Gemtree.
$7.95
[Not Available]
MacDonnell Ranges
Covering both the East and West MacDonnell Ranges this map shows major roads and 4WD tracks out of Alice Springs including the Finke Gorge NP and track from Hermansburg through to Boggy Hole and onto Giles Road. It includes Rainbow Valley and Chambers Pillar.
$7.95
[Not Available]
Red Centre - Alice Springs to Uluru
This map outlines all sealed and unsealed roads, four-wheel drive tracks and roads requiring permit access. Camping sites, accommodation, fuel supplies, emergency services and local attractions are all marked and National Park and Aboriginal land boundaries are clearly outlined.
$8.95
[Add to Cart]
Red Centre CD Map
The Red Centre CD Map is based on the popular paper maps and is compatible with most PC-based major navigational progammes, and if you have a GPS, laptop or personal orgaiser then it can provide in car navigation. This CD is a great companion product to use with existing regional maps.
$29.95
[Add to Cart]
Alice Springs to Uluru
Some of the most unusual landforms in the world can be found in Central Australia. Much of this area has only been accessible to visitors for about 30 yrs and some roads and facilities are well suited to the modern adventurer.The Gunbarrel Hwy is also shown although travel permits are required.
$8.50
[Add to Cart]
Alice Springs to Uluru - Digital Map
MacDonnell Ranges
Natmap Digital Maps 2008
Red Centre - Alice Springs to Uluru
SF5314 Alice Springs
Red Centre CD Map
East MacDonnells
Alice Springs to Uluru
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Caravan Chef $19.95
Natmap Digital Maps 2008 $99.00
Fraser Island Explorer Card $20.00
Margaret River Region and Southern Forests $8.95
West Australian Map Book $9.95
Wildflower Country $9.95
Nissan Patrol GU Rear Door Bracket Extension $26.95
SPOT Satellite Messenger $249.00
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