Alice Springs Desert Park

The Desert Park sits below the MacDonnell Ranges outside Alice Springs and takes an unusual approach: rather than a zoo layout, it recreates three habitats, desert rivers, sand country and woodland, with the plants, birds and animals of each, and interpretation drawn from Arrernte knowledge alongside science. The nocturnal house is its strongest element, holding bilbies, mala, quolls, thorny devils, marsupial moles and other species that are functionally impossible to see in the wild, many of them part of breeding programmes. A free-flight bird show demonstrates raptors and desert birds hunting. Aboriginal guides run tours explaining bush foods, tools and land management.

What you actually see

• The nocturnal house - bilbies, quolls and other rarely seen desert mammals.
• The habitat aviaries - birds of the desert rivers, sand and woodland.
• The free-flight bird show - raptors and desert birds demonstrated daily.
• The Aboriginal guided tours - bush foods, tools and land knowledge.

When to go

April to September; summer temperatures pass forty degrees and the outdoor sections are hard going. Mornings are best for animal activity and the bird show. The park opens daily with the nocturnal house on a timed circuit.

Honest expectations

Entry is charged and the park is large, involving considerable walking in the sun between habitats. Many of the star species are nocturnal and seen only in dim red light indoors. Summer heat limits comfortable visiting to the early morning.

Nearby

Alice Springs is ten minutes east; the West MacDonnell Ranges begin just beyond.