With the reopening of the Alice Springs Desert Park today, visitors can now enjoy two new audio tours, which provide a self-guided opportunity to learn more about the Desert Park’s natural and botanic displays.

Whilst the Park was closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19, staff have been working behind the scenes on Park maintenance, as well as innovative visitor engagement developments such as the new audio tours, drawing on the expertise of onsite Park guides and Park botanists.

The general audio tour will speak to visitors about desert habitats, plants, animals, culture and conservation, while the Botanic Garden audio tour shares with listeners the Park’s role as a nationally important Botanic Garden, and talks to the values of key tree specimens exhibited within the Park.

Part of a long-term plan to integrate technology into the Park, the audio tours provide yet another avenue of learning that is the perfect accompaniment to guided presentations and other visitor experiences such as the desert flying bird show and the nocturnal tour.

Importantly, the audio tours are available immediately, while guided tours are not scheduled to resume until a later date.

Visitors to the Park are encouraged to listen to the audio tour while enjoying the central desert environment that seamlessly blends plants, birds, animals and people of the arid regions within a tourism and conservation facility.

Download the audio tours before arriving at the Desert Park or use the Wi-Fi hotspots at selected locations around the Park. The tours will also be shared with tour operators, parks members and on the Park’s social media pages. 

Signposts have been erected at each of the Park’s audio tour location points, allowing visitors to select the audio tour that matches the location.

You can listen to the audio tours at www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au/audio-tours   

Quotes from Kristen Hay, Director, Alice Springs Desert Park

“The audio tours are a dynamic and authentic showcase of the natural, cultural and biological features that make Australia’s deserts so special.

“If the audio tours prove successful the Park will consider moving to a podcast format and expand into other languages as well as developing further audio tours to include the Park’s other key pillars of animals and culture.

“The Alice Springs Desert Park is considered a biopark being that it is both an accredited Botanic Gardens as well as a Wildlife Park where both animals, plants and culture are displayed in their natural habitats. The audio tours provide insights into the plants and animal adaptations and how vibrant and alive the desert is.”

Media Contact: Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture 0476 844 832