Beyond the postcard: Two travel writers on the best of the Red Centre

Travel writer Leah McLennan has spent years exploring Central Australia . What she loves about the region is the breadth of experiences it offers – from showstopping sights to off-the-beaten-track discoveries.

“It has those big blockbuster things – it has Uluru , and it has Kings Canyon , and it has the Larapinta Trail,” McLennan says. “But I just love all the natural waterholes and the gorgeous places to swim, and the freedom that comes with that. It’s full of adventure.”

And one of the best destinations in the Red Centre, McLennan feels, is that quirky small town some 1,500 kilometres from the nearest city: Alice Springs .

Don’t let the coordinates spook you. Despite its remote location, Alice Springs is surprisingly easy to reach, with direct flights from major Australian cities and many of the Red Centre’s most rewarding experiences accessible from town.

“It’s a really exciting destination and a melting pot of different cultures,” McLennan says. “There’s just so much creativity around, and so many interesting people and interesting festivals… it’s a pretty funky and unique place”.

Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.

McLennan isn’t the only travel writer to have logged some serious kilometres in Central Australia. Nannette Holliday was there when the first big hotels opened in Alice Springs in the 1980s, and penned the very first official travel guides to the Territory’s outback driving routes in the 1990s. Now based in Darwin, she still makes regular trips to Alice, which she considers an essential first stop on any trip to the region.

So, with decades of experience between them, where in the Red Centre would McLennan and Holliday recommend you seek out – beyond the typical tourist trail? Here are their top picks.

McLennan says planning a trip around a festival is a great way to see Central Australia – and there are plenty to choose from. Two of the biggest on the calendar are Parrtjima , the light festival that takes over the Red Centre every April, and Desert Mob , an arts festival held every September and October.

“Desert Mob brings together fabulous desert culture in the middle of Australia – lots of artist talks, art markets, exhibitions,” says McLennan. “There’s so many different artists displaying their works, and you want to buy it all. It’s just so much beautiful stuff.”

If you’re inspired to take an art tour of your own, Art Tours of Australia offers the chance to try your hand at watercolour painting amid the spectacular surrounds of Simpsons Gap.

McLennan also enjoys taking advantage of the Red Centre’s incredibly dark skies by stargazing at Earth Sanctuary , where you can enjoy guided tours of the constellations by astronomers, sit down for a gourmet dinner under the stars or even book an overnight stay in a private tent. The dome-shaped tents that dot the red earth make the sanctuary “look like something from Mars,” she says.

And to scratch her adventure itch, McLennan likes to explore the East and West MacDonnell Ranges .