Tourism Central Australia set to take over Alice Springs Library, metres away from their old abandoned office

Tourism Central Australia is set to take over the local council’s library in a new proposal – metres away from its old office, which has sat empty for years.

Tourism Central Australia's current office at Jalistan House on the Todd Mall, Alice Springs. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Tourism Central Australia (TCA) is set to move metres away from its old Alice Springs office – which has sat empty for almost 10 years – in a big shake-up which will see the town also get a new library.

Announced as part of the CLP government’s $27 million budget redirection in Alice Springs, the not-for-profit tourism advocacy group will move into where the current Alice Springs library is housed on Leichhardt Tce as part of a $14m library redevelopment.

The library will get a $5m upgrade to accommodate TCA.

TCA chief executive Danial Rochford said the proposal came as an increasing amount caravaners and campervans visiting their current office gave “negative feedback relating to parking”.

Tourism Central Australia's old office on Gregory Tce, Alice Springs, which has sat empty for years. Picture: Gera Kazakov

“Most information centres have parking directly at the door that is fit for purpose to meet the needs of today’s visitors.”

Mr Rochford said the site was chosen after a study was commissioned into the future of a new visitor information centre.

“This site (the Alice Springs Library), as we saw originally in 2020, was very much fit for purpose given its size, it already has existing caravan and camping parking across the road, and also has other conveniences such as the Greyhound Bus stop directly outside, we are the agent for Greyhound in town, as well as the new EV charging station.”

However, on the other side of the library on Gregory Tce, sits TCA's old visitor centre – boarded up, as it’s been empty since 2013 when the centre moved into Todd Mall.

Tourism Central Australia's old office on Gregory Tce, Alice Springs, which has sat empty for years. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Mr Rochford said a 2020 study commissioned by TCA ruled out the old Gregory Tce office as “it was too small and not fit for purpose for our needs; there was not an ability to retrofit this building to meet our needs”.

The old TCA office is on land owned by the Department of Planning and Logistics (formerly Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Logistics), with Alice Springs Town Council in discussions with the government on what to do with the site, according to Mayor Matt Paterson.

“Moving the visitor information centre to the library, it means that we don’t have to spend on more infrastructure that’s required,” he said.

“In our CBD works, the second stage is investing into a play space and some sit down areas at Leichardt Terrace.”

Namatjira MLA Bill Yan, Tourism Central Australia chief executive Danial Rochford and Braitling MLA Joshua Burgoyne. Photo: Laura Hooper.

Mr Paterson said the potential location of the new library was yet to be determined, with more information to be released in the coming weeks.

Minister for Logistics and Infrastructure Bill Yan said “arrangements are underway to grant the former Tourism Central Australia dilapidated building and land on Gregory Terrace to the Alice Springs Town Council”.

“The granting of this land will support the CLP Government’s $27 million in infrastructure announcements with the Alice Springs council,” he said.