Located in the heart of Australia about 1500 km (900 miles) from the nearest major city, Alice Springs is comprised of cavernous gorges, boundless desert landscapes, remote Aboriginal communities and a charming pioneering history. It embodies the hardy outback of the Red Centre, and is a travel hub for sights and hikes in the region, such as Uluru/Ayers Rock, Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and Kings Canyon. Since the start of the tourist boom in the early eighties, the population has substantially grown to about 28,000.
