Red Center

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The Red Center is the characteristic semi-desert with red sand in the center of the Australian continent in the outback of the Northern Territory . It extends over an area of ​​approximately one million km² roughly along the border lines between the territories of Western Australia , South Australia and Queensland , in the north-east to a height of Tennant Creek and in the north-west to the Tanami Desert.

Plain about 40 km east of Mount Conner

Typical for the sandy deserts of Australia are the mostly overgrown sand dunes, which run parallel over several kilometers at intervals of 30 to 500 m. These are 5 to 15 m high and often more than 10 km long. In between there are also large plains that are sparsely overgrown with prickly head grasses (Triodia).

Geologically, the landscape is over 800 million years old. Sediments from a prehistoric inland lake form the basis of the large monoliths, rock domes and boulders.

The Alice Springs Desert Park provides information about the abundant wildlife in desert wadis and sand dunes . The nocturnal shy animals rarely show themselves to the visitor in the wild.

The Aborigines , to whom large parts of the Red Center were returned by the Australian government in 1985, maintain their traditions on reservations. But many are also active in the tourism industry, work as rangers in the national parks, tour guides for groups and go to the interested public in Aboriginal cultural centers. Her art, known to us as cave painting from prehistoric times , is consciously restored using traditional techniques and is available as paintings and handicrafts in numerous galleries in the tourist centers.

Infrastructure

Flooding on Larapinta Drive

The Stuart Highway now has bridges, e.g. B. on the Finke River , so that it is continuously navigable even during floods. All other roads and paths cross the mostly dry river valleys directly. After rains they can stand meters high under water and become impassable.

Tourist destinations

From Alice Springs are preferred visited:

Travel literature

  • Louise Boston Lang: Australia. Vis à vis . Dorling Kindersley Reise, Ostfildern 2005, ISBN 3-928044-21-4 .
  • Roland Dusik: Australia Outback. DuMont Travel correctly . 2nd Edition. Dumont Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2005, ISBN 3-7701-4898-3 .