Car Rental Alice Springs Downtown

Is the Aussie outback on your bucket list? Alice “Springs” to mind! 

Nestled in the core of Australia’s continent, Alice Springs is an oasis-like refuge for the more daring traveller - but it’s no mirage. Home to a bustling nightlife, pristine endemic life and the scene of a 19th-century gold rush, this small central town has both cultural and literal treasures seeping from its veins. 

Given the plethora of activities, explorative excursions and fascinating history, the very best way to explore Alice Springs is on your own terms and time - and in a hire car. After all, the outback town is the only major settlement in an area the size of Texas! As such, having your own hire car is deemed essential to facilitate a true understanding of this ancient place and those who inhabit it. 

Alice Springs is undoubtedly one of the most rugged townships in Australia, thanks in part to its isolation. One of the most underrated experiences for many is to simply drive in any direction out of town a few miles and experience just how remote you really are, being over a thousand kilometres from the nearest ocean (don’t order the fish). 

With that being said, sit back and buckle up as we begin to unearth some of the most authentic Australian experiences on offer nationwide.

Real Australia, Real Affordable

Some of the challenges faced by locals and travellers alike are uniquely Australian. None perhaps more so than the Royal Flying Doctor Service, an institution whose mission is shared with its name. 

Their visitor centre,  located in the town centre of the centre of the country, couldn't be more ideally positioned for a stop by in your rental car. Boasting an exceptionally well-presented holographic theatre, you’re able to track their fleet of aircraft in real-time to really understand the sheer scale these local legends need to cover every day to service such a vast and remote slab of terrain.

If you’re more captivated by the history of ‘Alice’ - as it’s colloquially known - it offers a bounty of mining and settlement history and an even wider array of ancient history.

Be transcended back a mind-blowing thirty-thousand years in Aboriginal culture, up until the arrival of the first European settlers in 1862: John McDouall Stuart and his entourage. 

Where else to start, then at the start?

A trip to Araluen Cultural Precinct will take you back to the very beginning, detailing folklore creation stories of the land through art exhibitions, theatre, and significant sacred sites. 

You’ll learn of stories and culture that has been passed down orally from one generation to the next for literally thousands of years. It is however worth mentioning there are multiple locations and institutions here dedicated to the teaching and preservation of local history, thus having your hire car is greatly recommended to give you full control and flexibility to choose when and where you’d like to explore. 

From Dusk Till' Dawn

Alice Springs has just as much to offer at dusk as it has at dawn. When night falls over the red centre, take your hire car to the Alice Springs Desert Park to participate in their Nocturnal Tour. 

Running Monday to Friday from 7.30pm, this tour gives you access to the Mulga Walk, a large predator-proof enclosure tucked away in the MacDonnell Ranges. Guides will provide you with a head torch to navigate your way through the twilight tour in small groups with the help of an experienced bushranger to point out what to look for and where.

You’ll observe native and endangered species of Central Australia, such as the echidna and bilby - a must if you have children!

When you’re all out of gas, your hire car won’t be. Why not try one of the bustling local eateries? With options from Vietnamese to Middle-Eastern, and American BBQ to Traditional Australian, Alice Springs has something for everyone when it comes to wining and dining options. This hasn’t always been the case - given its remote nature, Alice used to have to obtain a vast amount of its consumables from its nearest cities, Adelaide and Darwin. This has greatly changed with the advent of new and exciting “Foodie Destinations” popping up throughout the town. What better way to scope out potential options than in the convenience of your own hire car?

All in all, Alice Springs, or Mparntwe (as it’s known to its traditional custodians) is a fantastic destination to escape the slightly corporate feel of some of Australia’s more obvious destinations. This is the final frontier of sorts, the Outback’s vast culture and practices consolidated into one easy-to-digest cultural hub. Alice is a testament to the people who have lived here, past and present, and their collaborative efforts to maintain their cultural footprint, so why not leave yours?