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While planning your Australia Tours, add Alice Springs Desert Park visit. The Alice Springs Desert Park is a must see for every visitor to Alice.

Hundreds of species of plants and animals found across Central Australian deserts can be seen, smelt and heard. The Alice Springs Desert Park is nestled at the base of the spectacular MacDonnell Ranges, the Park is just a 10 minute drive from the centre of Alice Springs.

The park features an easy 1.6 km walking path that takes the visitor through three magnificently presented desert habitats – desert rivers, sand country and woodland. Along this path, many of the plants and animals of these habitats are displayed and interpreted including dozens of wattles, sennas and daises, cockatoos, wrens, chats and honeyeaters, and even fish of the deserts.

You will even have the opportunity to experience desert habitats as they are at night, seeing some of the animals near impossible to see in the wild. The Alice Springs Desert Park is the newest and most exciting park in the Northern Territory. It showcases the landscapes, animals and plants of Australia’s desert and their traditional uses by aboriginal people. This park is an essential introduction to the ecology of Australia deserts and is a stepping stone to the Northern Territory vast network of national parks and reserves.

Alice Springs Desert Park is like a botanic garden, a zoo, a centre for Aboriginal culture and an environmental conservation institute, all rolled into one. On top of all that it’s located in a magnificent Australian Outback setting at the foot of the MacDonnell Ranges.

Attractions
The most popular show is the “Birds of Prey Show” in the Nature Theatre. The Birds of Prey presentation at the Nature Theatre is worth a look. The bird handlers demonstrate the agility and speed of some magnificent birds including Kites, Falcons, Owls and the Wedge-tailed Eagle. It’s a little amphitheatre and the birds here are totally free in their natural environment. You have to remain seated during the show. The birds come right in, sometimes leaving only a couple of centimeters between their claws and your head.

The other presentations happen throughout the park and may be about tracking, bush foods, desert art etc. There are several daily presentations on Aboriginal culture including bush food, medicine and hunting techniques. These presentations are given by Aboriginal Park staff. You just pick what interests you and show up at the meeting point.

Alice Springs Desert Park Visitor Information
To get to the Alice Springs Desert Park just head out of the town centre on the Larapinta Drive and look for the sign post.

The Park is open seven days a week from 7.30 am to 6 pm (except Christmas Day).

Authority: Dept of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts
Full Name:Alice Springs Desert Park,Alice Springs,Australia
Established: 1997
Location: Alice Springs
Entry Fees: Adults $20.00, Children $10.00, Concession $14.00
(Children under five are free and there are concessions for whole families and for students and seniors).
The Park is on Larapinta Drive just 10 minutes from the centre of Alice Springs. The Park is accessible by car or bus. The Larapinta bike track also leads directly to the entrance of the Park.

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Visit Alice Springs During Your Australia vacations