Central Australia Educational Tourism Activities
Uluru-Tours (*All Central Immersions)
All Red Earth groups (with very few exceptions) will fly in and out of Yulara and will be based at the Yulara Coach Campground at the beginning and end of their immersions. The campground is open to other tour groups but is not the main public campground.
At the Coach Campground, there is also a sunset/sunrise viewing point a short walk away. The leader will often incorporate a visit at the beginning and end of the immersion and this location is used for reflections, journaling or simply taking in the beautiful surrounds.
*Mala Walk and/or Kuniya Walk
Led by: First Nations Guides and Accredited Ranger Guides
On Day 1 or 2, groups will make the short drive to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and will receive a guided Mala or Kuniya Walk with a local Anangu guide and interpreter. This hour walk at the base of Uluru is a soft landing for the group introducing them to the Mala and Kuniya Tjukurpa (or creation stories) that have been carried by Anangu people of the area for many generations.
The guides have detailed knowledge of the plants, animals, habitats, seasonal changes, landscapes, places and history of the park. We recommend students be sensitive to the use of non-verbal communication cues like hand signals, use indirect eye contact and always ask permission from Anangu if you wish to film or photograph them.
*Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Cultural Centre
Led by: Red Earth
Groups have to opportunity at either the beginning or end of their immersion to visit the Cultural Centre. Here you can learn about the foundations of Anangu culture, desert life and the park’s natural environment through exhibits and free presentations. There are also displays, a visitor information desk, Aboriginal art galleries and several community-owned shops and facilities. Displays in the Nintiringkupai Information Room cover oral histories, Pitjantjatjara language, joint management activities, traditional burning and information about the park’s plants and animals. You’ll also learn about the natural environment and how Uluru was formed.
Kings Creek Station and Kings Canyon (Watarrka NP) (Not included in all Homeland Spirits, included in ALL Homeland Roam & Explore)
Led by: Red Earth
Kings Creek Station
Kings Creek Station is a cattle station approximately 30 mins from Kings Canyon. Groups that camp here will have access to the public facilities (toilets, showers and swimming pool). There are commonly dingoes at Kings Creek Station campground and leaders will brief the groups on this.
Kings Canyon (Watarrka)
Groups going to certain Homelands will visit Kings Canyon and it is a tourism highlight of their immersion. There are a variety of walks with different levels of fitness required. Students that stay at Sandy Bore or Kurku are within driving distance and will do a day trip to Kings Canyon or may visit on their departure morning before returning to Yulara. Groups staying at all other homelands will stay overnight at Kings Creek Station.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park - Wintjiti Wiru - Drone & Lights Display (Homeland & Explore)
Led by: Yulara Resort
Groups will have the opportunity to witness the Uluru Creation Stories displayed through a visual medium at the Wintjiri Wiru experience. After a short journey from Ayers Rock Resort, take a gentle stroll through the desert along an elevated walkway until you reach the open-air theatre, set upon a dune top with incredible views of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.
With the heart of Australia as the backdrop, a story passed on for thousands of generations, now passes to you.
Witness the ancient Mala story re-told like never before with ground-breaking technology. Choreographed drones, lasers, and projections will take flight, lighting up the night sky in a modern, artistic expression of an ancient, Anangu story.
Feel a powerful connection to country as you listen to a traditional Inma soundtrack and narration in the local Pitjantjatjara language and immerse yourself in a living story. This experience is a beautiful way to honour the stories of Anangu and for students to connect to the rich First Nations culture of Central Australia.
Gallery of Central Australia (Homeland & Explore)
Led by: Red Earth and Local Guide
The Gallery of Central Australia is situated in Yulara and showcases over 350 artworks by Indigenous artists of the Central and Western Desert regions. Groups on a Homeland & Explore itinerary will receive a guided tour of the gallery and will have the opportunity to learn about the techniques used and the stories within the artworks.
Anangu have used the technique of dot painting for thousands of years and students will see it depicted throughout their immersion whether within nature, on ceremonial objects and through painting activities at the Homelands.
A visit to the Gallery of Central Australia allows students to see the traditional style of painting come to life on a mixture of traditional and modern pieces, from small canvases to large statement pieces.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park – Field of Lights Display (Homeland & Roam)
Led by: Red Earth
As darkness falls and Uluru is thrown into silhouette, Field of Light illuminates. As far as the eye can see gentle rhythms of colour light up the desert.
The critically acclaimed, award-winning, Field of Light Uluru by the internationally celebrated artist Bruce Munro is on display and groups will have the opportunity to witness this after dark.
The exhibition, aptly named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakunytjaku or ‘looking at lots of beautiful lights’ in local Pitjantjatjara is Munro’s largest work to date. Overwhelming in size, covering more than seven football fields, it invites immersion in its fantasy garden of 50,000 spindles of light, the stems breathing and swaying through a sympathetic desert spectrum of ochre, deep violet, blue and gentle white.
Kata Tjuta National Park – Kata Tjuta Tour (Homeland & Roam + Homeland & Explore)
Led by: First Nations Guides and Accredited Ranger Guides
Groups spend their last morning of the immersion visiting Kata Tjuta. Groups will need to wake up early and drive 45mins, stopping for sunrise along the way.
The group will be met a local guide that will share stories on the significance of the formation and take the group on a short walk to experience the incredible landscape up close. Kata Tjuta is a Sacred Men’s Site so photography is not permitted in many locations, and some stories may not be shared for cultural reasons.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
- Itineraries with an early departure from Yulara may have this activity removed from their immersion program.
- Groups only have limited time at Kata Tjuta, this doesn’t allow for the longer walks in the park, such as Valley of the Winds.
Alice Springs Desert Park (Multi/All Grade Groups)
Led by: Desert Park + Red Earth
Groups will visit the Desert Park for a guided experience with park staff. Groups will spend a few hours at the park and see how the desert comes alive! They’ll no longer think of deserts as empty barren wastelands but will learn that they are diverse environments, rich with life and full of thousands of stories waiting to be explored.
Take easy walking trails through three desert botanical habitats including Desert Rivers, Woodland and Sand Country. Explore a living culture, witness free-flying birds of prey in the Nature Theatre, see rare and endangered animals in the spectacular Nocturnal House, and take a cinematic journey through four and a half billion years of desert creation.
Alice Springs Desert Park is only 7km from the centre of Alice Springs.
Telegraph Station: (Lunch Stop + Option for Guided Tour) - Multi Groups & All Grade
Led by: Red Earth
Telegraph Station is a historical reserve that marks the site of the first original European settlement in Alice Springs. Groups that travel through Alice Springs when doing a Homeland swap over will likely stop at Telegraph Station while the Leaders collect the Food Order in town. Immersions that exclude Kings Canyon will possibly include a paid guided tour at Telegraph Station if there isn’t another tourism component included. Telegraph Station is only a 10 min drive from Alice Springs town.
Original Purpose: It was established in 1871 to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide along Australia’s Overland Telegraph Line. This not only connected Australia’s population centres with the north of the country, but it also connected Australia up with the undersea telegraph network of the British Empire. Prior to 1872, a message back to England would travel by boat and take 3 to 4 months each way. However, after the telegraph line was built, morse code messages travelling through Alice Springs could reach London in as little as 5 hours – slow by today’s standards, but revolutionary for people of the 19th century!
The guided tour will immerse the group in the history of the Telegraph Station and the township, the lives of the early telegraphers and their families, as well as discussing the Stolen Generation history of the site in the Bungalow era of the 1930s.
Museum of Central Australia & Strehlow Research Centre (Multi Groups & All Grade)
Led by: Red Earth
The Museum of Central Australia is based in the Araluen Cultural Precinct in Alice Springs. It tells the story of the region's unique natural history, following the evolution of the landscape and the fascinating creatures that inhabited it.
The Museum of Central Australia also houses the Strehlow Research Centre, one of Australia's most important collections of film, sound, archival records and museum objects relating to Indigenous ceremonial life. MAGNT works with Traditional Owners to record traditional language, facilitate field work and provide community access to MAGNT’s collections. Culturally appropriate consultation and collection management methods are implemented by MAGNT. These Traditional Owner-led processes are considered a successful model both locally and nationally for their positive outcomes in meaningful relationships that have reconnected material to custodians.
From the big bang to the present day, meteorite fragments, fossils and interpretive displays detail the geological history of Central Australia.
West MacDonnell Ranges – Not included in all itineraries & based on proximity to your Homeland
Led by: Red Earth
The West MacDonnell Ranges, or ‘West Macs’ stretches for 161km west of Alice Springs. It is known in the Arrernte language as Tjoritja National Park and it offers several scenic and beautiful walking tracks, water holes, lookouts, geological, cultural and significant sites. Features of the landscape are significant to the Arrernte people and traditional names should be used where possible.
It is also a very popular tourist destination for those visiting Central Australia, due to its easy access from Alice Springs. Groups that wish to have additional tourism built into their program can opt to fly into Alice Springs OR Yulara, with Alice Springs providing the best access to the West MacDonnell Ranges. However, Homelands like Rodna, Kulpitharra, Sandy Bore, Kurku and Atnarpa are also within a convenient distance to be able to achieve a 50/50 Homeland/Tourism Split.
Simpsons Gap
Known as Rungutjirpa to the Arrernte people, Simpsons Gap was the mythological home of a group of giant goanna ancestors. Several dreaming trails and stories cross at this important spiritual site. There are several short walks that pass the native plants including ancient Ghost Gums and/or with views of the range.
Located just 18 kilometres from Alice Springs, it features the towering cliffs of Simpsons Range, a permanent waterhole and opportunities to spot resident wildlife. Please note that due to cultural reasons, swimming is not permitted at Simpsons Gap. An additional permit would be required for group entry.