Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Several stores on Todd Mall sell affordable Aboriginal art and souvenirs. The
biggest, the
Original Dreamtime Gallery,
63 Todd Mall (
&
08/8952 8861
),
stocks a huge selection, and packs, mails, and insures your purchases free of charge
anywhere in the world. It also shows visiting exhibitions of Aboriginal art.
Arunta Art Gallery & Bookshop,
70 Todd St. (
&
08/8952 1544
), stocks a
great range of books on Aboriginal art, language, and archaeology, as well as
Australian history, geology, wildlife, and biographies.
If you're interested in investing in serious artwork, speak to Roslyn Premont,
proprietor of
Gallery Gondwana,
43 Todd Mall (
&
08/8953 1577
). She has
written a book on desert art, and her gallery sells only top-notch works.
A big range of art, didgeridoos, artifacts, music, and books is sold by the
Abo-
riginal Art & Culture Centre
(see “Seeing the Sights in Alice,” above) via its
website at
www.aboriginalart.com.au
.
Today's Aboriginal bands mix ancient and hip new rhythms to create some
wonderful sounds. For the country's biggest range of indigenous music, head to
the
CAAMA (Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association)
store at
101 Todd St. (
&
08/8952 9207
). It also stocks books on Aboriginal art and
issues; videos in PAL and NTSC format (on everything from how to fix your
broken-down Ford the bushman's way, to Aboriginal people's memories of their
first contact with “white man”); children's books with Aboriginal story lines; a
line of Aboriginal-print fabrics, clothes, diaries, stationery, and greeting cards;
Aboriginal artifacts and jewelry; and cute Yamba the Honey Ant dolls, modeled
after a kids' character on the local Aboriginal television station, Imparja.
WHERE TO STAY
Alice's hotel stock is not grand. Many properties have dated rooms and modest
facilities, no match for the gleaming standard of
Ayers Rock Resort
(described
later in this chapter). You may pay lower rates than those listed in the summer
off season (Dec-Mar), and even as late as June. Peak season typically runs July
through October or November. As well as the more upmarket properties below,
there are several backpacker resorts offering dorm rooms and doubles.
EXPENSIVE
Alice Springs Resort
This friendly, well-run, low-rise property is a
3-minute walk from town over the Todd River. Ask for one of the standard
rooms renovated in 2002 (the unrenovated ones are airy and comfortable, but
those bright green carpets and dated peach floral curtains are hard on the eye!),
or go for the big deluxe rooms built in 1999. In summer, it's nice to repair to
the pool under a couple of desert palms after a hot day's sightseeing. A fire glows
in the Gumtree Lounge bar on winter evenings.
34 Stott Terrace, Alice Springs, NT 0870.
&
1300/8139 889
in Australia, or 08/8951 4545. Fax 08/8953
0995. www.alicespringsresort.com.au. 144 units (108 shower only). A$200-A$234 (US$130-US$152) dou-
ble. Extra person A$25 (US$16). Children under 12 stay free in parent's room with existing bedding. Ask about
packages with Ayers Rock Resort and/or Kings Canyon Resort. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Airport shuttle.
Amenities:
Restaurant; 2 bars; solar-heated outdoor swimming pool; bike rental; concierge; tour desk; sec-
retarial services; limited room service; in-room massage; babysitting; same-day laundry/dry-cleaning service.
In room:A/C, TV w/pay movies, minibar, hair dryer, iron.
Bond Springs Outback Retreat
This working 1,515-sq.-km (585-
sq.-mile) cattle ranch is a great place to get a taste of Outback life with a real
Aussie family. A reader said it reminded her of the kind of place you'd see in
The
Thornbirds.
Janice Heaslip welcomes guests to her homestead, inviting them to
join country dinners with the family and accommodating them in simple but
Finds
