Northern Territory » Aileron

AILERON ACTIVITIES AND TRAVEL

Aileron is a welcome rest stop along the Stuart Highway offering meals accommodation and fuel, located close to Ryan Well Historical Reserve. Aileron Hotel and Roadhouse is located 132 kilometres north of Alice Springs and 370 kilometres south of Tennant Creek.

The roadhouse includes a convenience store, counter meals, a free laundry, a playground, tourist information and poker machines. The accommodation includes a caravan and camping area, backpacker dorms and self contained motel rooms.

Temperatures for Aileron
Aileron has hot summer temperatures. The summer high temperature for Aileron is approximately 36 °c. The summer low temperature is approximately 20 °c.
Aileron has warm winter temperatures. The winter high temperature for Aileron is approximately 20 °c. The winter low temperature is approximately 4 °c.

Alice Springs (or the Alice) received its name in 1933, although it developed in 1871 as a telegraph repeater station between Adelaide and Darwin. The town's development was slow, however, and the old road to Adelaide wasn't replaced until 1987. Although the town is fairly modern and a moderate size, it is set amongst the harsh outback, although ideally situated next to some of Australia's great wonders.

From the top of Anzac Hill you can get some great views overlooking Alice Springs and the Eastern MacDonnell Ranges and Western MacDonnell Ranges. By the Aboriginal people the hill is called Untyeyetweleye and is the home to the Corkwood Dreaming Story.

The town covers only about 5 blocks and is situated in-between the Todd River to the east, Anzac Hill to the north, Stuart Highway to the west and Stuart Terrace to the south. The main shops can be found on Todd Street, with a mall situated to the north of Todd Street. Todd Street also hosts numerous old buildings worth taking a look at. You should visit Adelaide House, and the John Flynn (founder of the Flying Doctor Service) Museum and Church. Getting around town is easy by foot, although there is also an Alice Wanderer that stops off at the major attractions around town.

The three main streets which cross Todd Street are Wills Terrace to the north, Parsons Street and Gregory Terrace in the middle and Stott Terrace to the south. Gregory Terrace is where you will find the tourist information. This is also where you can buy various permits if travelling through Aboriginal land. A few doors down from here there is also an Internet café, as well as more Internet access in some of the backpackers.

To find out more about the Arrente Aboriginal people in the area head to the Strehlow Research Centre. A huge vault in the centre contains many artifacts of Aborignal importance, and although these cannot be viewed there are plenty of things to see in the museum. You should also visit the Araluen Arts Centre, where you can see some of the work by Albert Namatjira, as well as Panorama Guth which hosts various Aboriginal artifacts.

Parsons Street is also home to some historic buildings, including the Old Courthouse, the Residence and the Stuart Town Gaol (the town's first official building, construction began in 1907 and officially completed in 1909, the Stuart Town Gaol was in service until 1938).

Also on Parsons Street is the Alice Springs YHA, which even if you are not staying at the YHA it is worth an inspection as it used to be the Pioneer Theatre.

Just south of Stott Terrace is Stuart Terrace, the home of a number of attractions including the Royal Flying Doctors Service which contains an interesting museum, cafe, souvenir shop and offers the opportunity to view the Radio Communication Centre and gain an insight into the history and day to day operations of the service. The RFDS is open everyday (not Sunday am).