At a Glance

The Red Centre is an extraordinary landscape of desert plains, weathered mountain ranges, rocky gorges and some of Aboriginal Australia's most sacred sites, including Uluru and Kata Tjuṯa. Alice Springs is base camp for your adventure, dotted with wild waterholes for swimming, world-class biking and hiking trails, historic sites to explore and native wildlife experiences – all within easy access of the town that homes an impressive range of accommodation options. Every visitor to Uluru (Ayers Rock) will attest that pictures just don’t do it justice. It’s a region full of ancient culture and majestic natural wonders including Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), which neighbours Uluru and Kings Canyon and can be reached within a few hours' drive. Watarrka National Park is a three hours’ drive from Uluru – home to the mighty Kings Canyon – an impressive natural formation of towering 300-metre high sandstone walls matched with a palm-filled oasis and impressive views that stretch across the Red Centre.

CONTACT US ABOUT TRIPS TO THE RED CENTRE

Nearby

A trip to the Red Centre can be combined with travel to:

• ● Adelaide (several day road trips)
• ● Darwin (several day road trips)
• ● Uluru
• ● Alice Springs

When to visit

The Red Centre is a desert. It gets very hot in the summer and very cold (at night) in the winter. The best time to visit is in the winter or shoulder seasons, when it can be very pleasant and mild, especially if there is inland rainfall. Occasionally this produces abundant blooms of wild flowers. Most people avoid travel to the red centre from about December to February and the best months to visit are about May to September..  

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Climate

Alice Springs is in Australia's desert and climate is one of extremes, with hot summers and cold winters. Though note, summer nights are clear-skies and temperatures can plummet to close to freezing. In summer temperatures can soar to around 40°C by January or February, which are also  among the wettest months, though rainfall is infrequent. Autumn through to Spring (March– November) are popular times to visit. If there are autumn rains, this can occasionally coincide with a blanket of wild flowers.

Webinar

Meet our travel specialists and learn about the diversity of things you could do in the Red Centre.

Films about the people, nature and places 

A playlist of videos from our National Landscapes Nature Series, featuring the people, wildlife and places of the Red Centre.