When most people travel to Australia, they go and visit the beautiful beaches, enjoy fabulous food at the numerous world-class restaurants in large metropolitan areas and may take a short trip to the outback. But you never hear about people traveling to Australia to explore it’s rich cultural history and investigate the humble beginnings of this beautiful continent.
A great place to break away from the typical tourist activities and actually learn about the country of Australia is Alice Springs.
Located almost 1000 miles north of Adelaide, Alice Springs is a rarely visited desert town with a very rich cultural history.
Surrounded by numerous gouges, water holes and mountain ranges, Alice Springs and it’s surrounding area has been inhabited by aboriginals for over 50,000 years.
In the early 1860’s, European explorers passed through the area while looking for a location for a repeater station for a telegraph line. Satisfied with it’s location between Darwin and Adelaide, the site was chosen and settlement began to occur. As time went on, Alice Springs became more valuable, due to it’s location at almost the exact center of the continent. The introduction of a rail line between Darwin, Alice Springs and Adelaide further sped up development and economic productivity. Alice Springs has continued to develop into a town of almost 28,000 inhabitants at the present time.
One of the most famous natives of Alice Springs is the world-renowned artist Albert Namtjira. Born in 1902, Albert was
raised as a Christian, but at the age of 16, he returned to the outback and began embracing Arrernte (Australian indigenous culture) tradition. Through his experiences with the beautiful Australian outback, he developed the ability to reproduce the beautiful scenes he has witnessed through painting. He shared his paintings with others who could not witness the beautiful things he saw. After other people saw the incredible detail and unique perspective of his paintings, he began to gain wealth and fame. He continued to paint beautiful scenes and help support his fellow Arrernte until his death in 1959.
Exploring the history of often forgotten areas of Australia and unique people that make these areas special is an experience that should not be ignored. If you travel to Australia, take some time, stray away from the normal tourist attractions and explore the history and important people that helped Australia develop into the beautiful place it is today.