Parrtjima 2018: 10 amazing things to do in Alice Springs

This year’s Parrtjima festival is just the beginning of your outback adventure.

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This spring, from Friday 28th September to 7th of October, the Parrtjima festival will thread the night time desert of Alice Springs with light, music, art and storytelling. The Red Centre will glow for ten days and nights of colorful festivity, showing off for the whole world the beautiful Arrernte country and its talented artists. One of the great things about Parrtjima is that while your nights are filled with cultural experiences, the daylight hours are all yours to explore everything else that Alice Springs has to offer. Here are 10 activities that will make the days fly by.

1. Discover Aboriginal art at the Araluen Arts CentreInspired by the art of Parrtjima? Delve deeper into the remarkable creativity of Central Australia and beyond at the Araluen Arts Centre, a world-class theatre and art gallery just a couple of kilometres from Alice Springs town centre. More than 1000 works are on display, including iconic watercolours by one of Australia’s greatest artists, Albert Namatjira. Make sure you catch the Desert Mob 2018 exhibition. This stunning annual display of works from remote desert communities will be on at the same time as Parrtjima.
2. Explore the rest of the Araluen Cultural PrecinctThe arts centre is part of the Araluen Cultural Precinct. In a beautiful setting amid hills that are significant in the Dreaming stories of the local Arrernte people, you’ll find public art including the collaborative Yeperenye sculpture and a celebrated mural by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. Admire megafauna skeletons at the Museum of Central Australia and historic aircraft at the Central Australian Aviation Museum, as well as joining a workshop at Central Craft and grabbing a bite to eat at Yaye’s Café while you’re here.
3. Explore Alice Springs Desert Park Deserts are always very different places by day and by night, and the Alice Springs Desert Park is no exception – especially during Parrtjima. While after dark the park will be home to dazzling art installations, by day it will offer opportunities to explore life in the desert, and the animals, plants and people that call it home. Explore three desert habitats – woodland, desert rivers and sand country – and don’t miss the Nature Theatre Show, featuring the likes of barn owls and wedge-tailed eagles.

4. Take a hot air balloon ride at dawn You’ll need to get up early for this one (you’ll be picked up an hour before dawn) but it really is worth it. An Alice Springs hot air balloon ride is an unforgettable experience, with sunrise illuminating the MacDonnell Ranges and mobs of kangaroos hopping through the desert below. “Floating up there is quite surreal, it’s like no other feeling,” says Tara Smith of Outback Ballooning. “You look down on these towering white gum trees and they look so small and fragile. It’s beautiful.”

5. Visit the galleries of Todd MallOne of the main precincts for Parrtjima, Todd Mall also happens to be home to an array of Aboriginal art galleries. So set aside some time to have a wander. Mbantua Fine Art Gallery and Cultural Museum features work by artists from the nearby Utopia region, Jila Arts specialises in contemporary desert art, while This is Aboriginal Art (previously Iranti) sells everything from inexpensive gifts to major works. “The dot art of this region is recognised by people all over the world,” says This is Aboriginal Art owner Venita Poblocki. “It’s the spirit of Australia.”

6. Hold a baby kangaroo Made famous by the BBC/National Geographic documentary Kangaroo Dundee, the Kangaroo Sanctuary has become one of the Alice’s most popular attractions. Chris Barns, better known as Brolga (named after the big Aussie bird because he’s 6 feet 7 inches tall), has been rescuing baby kangaroos since 2005 and loves sharing his passion on a sunset tour of this 188-acre wildlife reserve, complete with a kangaroo hospital and lots of very cute marsupials to cuddle.

7. Have a taste of the Alice’s foodie scene The food in Alice Springs just keeps getting better. Head to Page 27 or Red Dog Café for some hipster vibes and seriously good breakfast. Locals love The Goods Coffee Shop for a coffee and a snack. For dinner, you’ll find Hanuman at the Hilton Doubletree is rightly famous for its Thai, Indian and Nonya creations (be sure to book, as it’s often full), while Monte’s Lounge is a quirky and colourful local hangout for beer, wine and great casual dining.   

8. Explore the West MacDonnell Ranges The Arrernte people believe these mountains were once giant caterpillars called the Yeperenye. Culturally fascinating and stunningly beautiful, the West MacDonnell Ranges are an easy day trip from Alice Springs, whether you’re self-driving or on a tour. If you’re fit, you can even get there by bike. Don’t miss Standley Chasm (Angkerle), where you’ll walk along a creek bed flanked by 80-metre-high cliff walls and can join an Angkerle Cultural Experience at what is a significant women’s Dreaming site.

9. Take a sunset camel rideIf you’re in Alice Springs for Parrtjima you’ve missed the Camel Cup, an iconic annual Alice Springs event that takes place in July, but you’ll still be able to jump in the saddle and hop aboard a ship of the desert yourself. Head out to Pyndan Camel Tracks to see the sun set on this ancient landscape while riding a timeless form of transport. The sky and the West MacDonnell Ranges will turn all sorts of shades of red, pink and purple as you plod along, soaking up the serenity.

10. Head out to Hermannsburg If Alice Springs has ignited your interest in Aboriginal art, you might want to head out Hermannsburg, an Aboriginal community also known as Ntaria. The birthplace of Albert Namatjira and the home of the famous Hermannsburg Potters, this is a former mission that’s now home to a significant art collection as well as some fascinating historic buildings. You can visit on a daytrip that also takes in the spectacular Palm Valley and Finke Gorge National Park, and get a real feel for this remarkable outback country and culture.

Originally published as Parrtjima 2018: 10 amazing things to do in Alice Springs