The Red Heart of Australia is akin to nothing else. There’s the harsh arid climate and the vast distances between places. For hours on the road all you see is red dirt and bushes. It feels like an unforgiving wasteland where the world’s unlucky and unloved go to die.

It’s absolutely beautiful.

Because it’s so remote, it’s entirely unique. The people are friendly yet jarringly frank and to the point. The life is simpler and you still feel that pioneering spirit in the towns and roadhouses. You realize the glory of its natural features, like Uluru, Kata Tjuta and the waterholes, only when you see them up close.

And there’s the Aboriginals, whose situation is at once tragic and inspiring. These are people who have lived a stone-age existence for thousands of years and only two centuries ago stumbled on European settlers.

You’ll see them in towns like Alice Springs, sitting under a eucalyptus shade, waiting for the hot sun to subside, as they have done for millennia. You’ll hear drunken packs of them roving the streets at night and white Australians grumbling about government welfare encouraging them to sit and drink.

They aren’t integrating into Australian society, yet they can’t go back to their old ways. It’s a scenario that sinks the heart of any sensitive visitor.

At the same time, you’ll see their art, music and mythologies proudly promoted at every corner, as through a conspiracy to keep their traditions alive.

The city

The gateway to the central desert is Alice Springs, a town in full growth but lacking enough housing to support all the jobs. Development is expensive and much of the surrounding lands are Aboriginal-owned.

It has one main pedestrian mall on Todd St. where you’ll find the souvenir shops, art galleries and one didgeridoo store, the Starlight Thatre, that doubles as a music venue and offer two free daily didgeridoo workshops.

A pub called Bojangles takes in thirsty travellers and locals and spits them out in a drunken stagger. A nearby steakhouse serves kangaroo, crocodile, emu, and other local game.

This would sum up the city if its fascinating residents didn’t make me want to stay past the two days it takes to see the main attractions. If I had the time, I would have visited the Aboriginal community centre, spent time with artists and learned about their traditions.

As it was, I was their just long enough to do what most do: looked at booking a tours or renting a car, the only two options for getting around.

Getting around

Many sights are on unsealed roads that only four-wheel drive cars can handle, making them the best travelling option. But renting one is insultingly expensive considering how far things are. All rental companies allow 100 kilometres a day and charge 30 cents per extra kilometre. A return trip to Uluru is almost 900 kilometres. Do the math.

The alternative is to share costs with friends. Three or more make it far more economical. The hostels are full of people looking for activity partners, making them ideal scouting grounds.

As for tours, there are many operators offering tours for all tastes and budgets. There are three-day tours for $300 that lure young party tourists and longer, $900 ones that focus on information and culture.

The tourist information centre in Alice Springs is very good at explaining the differences among them.

After the wet season, the Omiston Gorge must be crossed by swimming.

The sights

Most visitors go for three main attractions: Uluru (Ayer’s Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Kings Canyon. They are certainly must-sees, but the few roads in the area pass through fascinating creeks, gorges, and waterholes. One can spend many days visiting the MacDonnell Ranges to the east and west of Alice Springs.

And there’s the famous Larapinta Trail, a seven-day hike for hardcore walkers.

Going west on Namatjira Drive, The Simpson Gap is a huge rock split open by a stagnant water hole where rock wallabies come out by sunset.

Further down the road Ellery Creek Bighole has a refreshing lake and a campsite with gas barbecues. Even further Ormiston Gorge offers an unforgettable four-hour walk with vast desert views from above. If close to the wet season, the gorge will be filled with water, forcing hikers to swim part of its length.

A nearby campsite at Glen Helen Gorge treats guests to live blues and smiling country folks just might invite you to their camp fire.

For some history, Hermansburg, at the end of Larapinta Drive, is an old German mission and home of the most famous Aboriginal painter, Albert Namatjira. The original buildings are roughly preserved with plenty of plaques that detail the dubious treatment the Aboriginals received from missionaries.

If going to Uluru, do stop at Stuarts Well, a roadhouse along Stuart Highway, and ask to see Dinky the Singing Dingo. It’s fantastically kitsch.

If you stop at Curtin Springs for gas, – most people do if only by necessity – be sure to chat up the elderly gentleman who runs the place. He’ll tell you stories that will have your friends back home hanging on your every word.

Kata Tjuta, aka the Olgas.