Alice Springs

History

The Arrernte people are the traditional owners of the Alice Springs area and surrounding MacDonnell Ranges. They have lived in the area for at least 30,000 years. The traditional name for the township area is Mparntwe ("watering place"), referencing Atherreyurre, a waterhole in the Todd River at Old Telegraph Station (known as Alice Springs). Mparntwe refers to the majority of the Alice Springs township, with two additional names: Irlpme covering the south and Antulye the east. Arrernte has been spelt in various forms, including Aranda, Arrarnta, and Arunta. There are five dialects of the Arrernte language: South-eastern, Central, Northern, Eastern and North-eastern. Arrernte country is rich with mountain ranges, waterholes and gorges, which create a variety of natural habitats. According to Arrernte traditional histories, the landscape was shaped by the Yeperenye, Ntyarlke, and Utnerrengatye caterpillars and Akngwelye or wild dogs. Sites of traditional importance include Anthwerrke (Emily Gap), Akeyulerre (Billy Goat Hill), Ntaripe (Heavitree Gap), Atnelkentyarliweke (ANZAC Hill) and Alhekulyele (Mt Gillen). A settlement named after Stuart was necessitated ten years later with the construction of a repeater station on the Australian Overland Telegraph Line (OTL), which linked Adelaide to Darwin and Great Britain. The OTL was completed in 1872. It traced Stuart's route and opened up the interior for permanent settlement. The Alice Springs Telegraph Station was sited near what was thought to be a permanent waterhole in the normally dry Todd River, by W.W. Mills after the wife of the Superintendent of Telegraphs and Postmaster General of South Australia, Sir Charles Todd, who was the driving force for constructing the OTL. The nearby settlement of Stuart was renamed…

Geography

The region around Alice Springs is part of the Central Ranges xeric scrub area of dry scrubby grassland and includes the MacDonnell Ranges, which run east and west of the town and contain a number of hiking trails and swimming holes, such as Ormiston Gorge, Ormiston Gorge Creek, Red Bank Gorge and Glen Helen Gorge. The Larapinta Trail follows the West MacDonnell Ranges and is considered among the world's great walking experiences. The Simpson Desert, southeast of Alice Springs, is one of Australia's great wilderness areas, containing giant, red sand dunes and rock formations, such as Chambers Pillar and Rainbow Valley. Under the Köppen climate classification, Alice Springs has a subtropical hot desert climate (BWh), featuring very hot, fairly dry summers and short, very dry, mild winters. Annual precipitation is erratic. In 2001, fell and in 2002 only fell. The highest daily rainfall is , recorded on 31 March 1988. Temperatures in Alice Springs vary widely, and rainfall can vary quite dramatically from year to year. In summer, the average maximum temperature is in the mid-30s, whereas in winter the average minimum temperature can be , with an average of 12.4 nights below freezing every year, providing frost. The elevation of the town is about , which contributes to the cool nights in winter. The highest temperature on record is , first recorded on 24 December 1891, whilst the record low is , recorded on 17 July 1976. This is also the lowest temperature recorded in the Northern Territory.

Most-observed species

• Australian Ringneck

  Barnardius zonarius (Shaw, 1805) · Aves
  2,948
• White-plumed Honeyeater

  Ptilotula penicillata (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  2,688
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  2,680
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  2,664
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  2,602
• Yellow-throated Miner

  Manorina flavigula (Gould, 1840) · Aves
  2,589
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  2,495
• Zebra Finch

  Taeniopygia guttata (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  2,254