The Red Centre
WILLIS'S WALKABOUTS

The Red Centre

This is the living heart of Australia. Those who pass through in a few days or even a week of rushing about can never fully appreciate what it has to offer.


More than anywhere else we hike, the Centre can vary dramatically from year to year. The Red Centre or Green page on our old website shows you just how different the same trek can be from one year to the next. 
In recent years, more and more people have been discovering the 220 km Larapinta Trail. This is one of Australia's best bushwalking trails. If you are planning to do any part of it, you should look at the NT Parks Larapinta Current Conditions page.

Hiking all or part of the Larapinta Trail is a wonderful experience, but the Centre has far more to offer. All of our Red Centre bushwalking trips take you beyond the trails and allow you to experience this timeless land at the leisurely pace it requires. No other tour operator offers off-trail bushwalks of a week or more exploring this amazing region.

On our treks you experience the geological diversity and wide range of flora that the region has to offer. You explore the gorges and waterholes along the mountain ranges as you hike from one oasis to the next. You climb the peaks and enjoy views where no sign of man can be discerned in the wilderness. You relax beside the pools and watch the birds as they come in to drink.

Our treks give you a choice of season and of areas to explore. In winter, crisp, clear days and cold nights often allow you to climb the highest peaks. The warm to hot days and cool nights of autumn and spring mean you are likely to spend more time hiking through the cool gorges and enjoying the waterholes.

All our Red Centre treks depart from Alice Springs. 
We offer trips to four areas:
  • The West Macdonnells
  • Watarrka National Park
  • Finke Gorge National Park
  • The East Macdonnells
For details of what trips are on offer, see our Red Centre Trip List.

Interested in birds?

See a bird list from one of our Finke - Watarrka trips. The list may be old but we still see most or all of the same species today.
Here is a link to a pamphlet about birdwatching put out by Tourism NT.

If you would like some general information on central Australia, try the sites below.

Finally, there are two local attractions that deserve a special mention.
  • The Olive Pink Botanic Garden is one of the least known attractions in Alice Springs. For someone with an interest in the flora of central Australia, it is one of the best. By doing some or all of the seven short, self-guided hikes in the garden before a trip will enable you to better understand some of what you will see on your bushwalk.
  • The Alice Springs Desert Park displays the plants, animals and landscapes of Australia's deserts and their traditional use by Aboriginal people.
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