Alice Springs Life and Travel Tips

(Alice Springs, Northern Territory - NT, Australia)

Alice Springs is one of the main towns in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) and Alice Springs is situated at the heart of the Red Centre and MacDonnell Ranges.

With a diverse landscape and a variety of things to do, including nearby Ayers Rock (Uluru Rock), Alice Springs attracts people from all over the world.

Main Post Office

Address: 31-33 Hartley Street, Alice Springs, Northern Territory (NT), Australia
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 08:15 to 17:00

Email and Internet Access

Alice Springs has a number of cafés and outlets where you can access the Internet and send emails. Internet Access in Alice Springs is available in most hotels, in hostels, at the Alice Springs Airport departure lounge and in the Alice Springs Library, on Gregory Terrace.

Tourism and Tourist Information

There is good selection of tourism offices and visitors' centres throughout Alice Springs and the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia, providing a range of Alice Springs tourist information, such as brochures, leaflets, timetables, maps of the Alice Springs area and attraction opening times. The main tourist information office in the Alice Springs area is the Central Australian Tourism Industry Association Office.

Central Australian Tourism Industry Association Office
Address: Gregory Terrace, Alice Springs, Northern Territory (NT), Australia
Tel: +61 (0)8 8952 5800
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 08:30 to 17:30, Saturday and Sunday - 09:00 to 16:00

Language

English is the main language in Alice Springs, the Northern Territory and throughout Australia. Although Australian 'Aussie' accents in Alice Springs can be strong, with local colloquialisms and phrases, Australian accents are usually easy to understand.

Visas

All visitors to Alice Springs, the Northern Territory (NT) and any other region of Australia must have a visa, with the exception of visitors from New Zealand. Application forms for visas can be obtained from either Australian diplomatic missions overseas or travel agents.

Working

There are extremely strict rules allowing overseas visitors to work in Alice Springs and these are issued by Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA). Visitors to Alice Springs and the Northern Territory aged between 18 to 30 from countries abroad, including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, South Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and Malta, may apply for a Working Holiday Visa, which lasts up to 12 months.

Tipping

Most services in Alice Springs do not usually receive tips, except for porters, waiters and taxi drivers in Alice Springs. Also restaurants in the Alice Springs and Northern Territory area expect to be tipped around 10% of the overall charge, to the nearest Australian dollar, unless the service or food was particularly bad.

Smoking

Smoking in Alice Springs is restricted in public buildings, restaurants and also on public transportation in Alice Springs. When in Alice Springs, it is good advice not to smoke unless people nearby are smoking also.