Is Alice Springs really the third best town in Australia?

ALICE Springs is the third best town in the nation, according to a Top 10 list compiled by an Aussie travel magazine

The public sign at the entrance to the town of Alice Springs in the dead centre of Australia. PICTURE: ISTOCK

Alice Springs is the third best town in the nation, according to a list compiled by Australian Traveller magazine.

It was the only Territory town to be named in the list — with Yallingup in Western Australia taking out the top spot and NSW’s coastal town Byron Bay ranked second.

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Alice Springs Mayor Damien Ryan says in his opinion, the Central Australian town takes home the gold.

“Looking at that list, Alice Springs is the only town not on the coast,” he said.

“Number 1 and number 2 had the surfing attraction, and if you take that into account Alice Springs is the easy winner.” Mr Ryan, who was born in Alice Springs, said it was the community itself that made the NT town so wonderful.

“It has always been the people,” she said.

“And the way the community does events, we do so many events in the year — and it’s really quite incredible.”

Mr Ryan enthused about Henley-on-Todd Regatta — which he called the “craziest boat race not on water”; the quirky Alice Springs Beanie Festival; and the thrill of the Finke Desert Race.

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“Why would you want to be anywhere else?” Mr Ryan said.

“It’s a small community, but people who come here make a decision to come here, and for some people that’s for two years and 25 years later they are still here.”