Alice Springs embodies the hardy outback of the Northern Territory's Red Centre, and is a travel hub for sights and hikes in the region, such as Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon. Since the start of the tourist boom in the early eighties, the population has substantially grown to about 24,000. Water is a scarce commodity in the region, and so restrictions are common. It is a great town and well worth a visit. http://wikitravel.org/en/Alice_Springs