No visit to Alice Springs is complete without indulging in a little art, culture, and history. There’s no better place to do this than the Araluen Cultural Precinct. Within the precinct are seven registered Aboriginal sites and trees of significance, as well as galleries, museums, and more. In the heart of the precinct is the Araluen Arts Centre, regarded as Central Australia’s hub of visual arts. The arts centre is home to a theatre, an arthouse cinema, and four galleries, hosting an insightful and entertaining program of films, performance, and exhibitions. One such gallery is the Albert Namatjira Gallery. Named after renowned Aboriginal water colourist Albert Namatjira, the gallery showcases his work alongside artwork from other Central Australian Aboriginal communities.
The Araluen Cultural Precinct also houses the Central Australian Aviation Museum. Visit the museum to see early flying doctor planes alongside other historic aviation and aircraft memorabilia. You will also discover the Yeperenye Sculpture, a collaborative public artwork celebrating the Yeperenye caterpillar, which is of great cultural significance to the Aboriginal communities of Alice Springs. Explore the Museum of Central Australia to learn about the region’s natural and geological history through a fascinating range of exhibitions. Within the museum, you will also find the Strehlow Research Centre, which is home to an important collection of objects and records relating to Indigenous ceremonial life. To immerse yourself in art and crafts, visit Central Craft, which is home to studios, workshops, a gallery, and a retail outlet selling the creative works of members.
