For its first 75 years, the Ghan ended in the desert city of Alice Springs.

BBC: Five unforgettable rail journeys

For guaranteed encounters and a wonderful introduction to the arid zone take advantage of the beautifully executed Alice Springs Desert Park.

BBC: Watching Australia's wildlife

The contrast is most vivid in a fringe of 18 settlements around Alice Springs known as the town camps.

ECONOMIST: Australia's aborigines

The headlines in Alice Springs have concerned the allegations of brutality against a 16 month old boy by his mother.

BBC: Volcano ash cloud highlights Australian differences

There are several hotspots of linguistic activity across much of northern Australia and in the central desert region around Alice Springs.

BBC: Lost indigenous language revived in Australia

Robyn Davidson's story of a trip she made on foot with four camels and a dog from Alice Springs 1, 700 miles west to Shark Bay on the coast.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The toll surpasses what was believed by ballooning experts to be the deadliest accident in the sport's 200-year history: In 1989, 13 people were killed when their hot air balloon collided with another over the Australian outback near the town of Alice Springs.

NPR: Fiery Balloon Accident Kills 19 Tourists In Egypt