{"id":40654,"date":"2015-04-21T10:07:37","date_gmt":"2015-04-21T00:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lastminute.co.nz\/blog\/?p=40654"},"modified":"2015-04-21T11:19:09","modified_gmt":"2015-04-21T01:19:09","slug":"6-reasons-to-man-up-and-book-a-trip-to-alice-springs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.co.nz\/vc\/blog\/6-reasons-to-man-up-and-book-a-trip-to-alice-springs\/","title":{"rendered":"6 reasons to man up and book a trip to Alice Springs"},"content":{"rendered":"

A weekend in Vegas is the epitome of a boys weekend away. But unfortunately for us regular Aussies, that\u2019s a little out of reach for a long weekend, unless you\u2019re dying for just one round of blackjack at the Bellagio.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, where does that leave us? Sydney\u2019s<\/a> been done, so has Byron<\/a>; \u00a0Melbourne\u2019s<\/a> another safe choice too. But what about somewhere a little off the radar? Taking the lead from Destination Calibria<\/a> \u00a0(yes that old chestnut – everyone\u2019s favourite blend of electronica and sax); it\u2019s about time we go somewhere a bit more exciting, somewhere unknown.<\/p>\n

Nek minute\u2026 flights are booked for Alice Springs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Leaving<\/a>

Leaving on a jet plane…<\/p><\/div>\n

Yes that\u2019s right, I\u2019m going to help you take those ill-formed, preconceived judgements of the NT and throw them in the trash: cause this kid is ready for a memorable weekend in the dusty Red Centre. Heck, I even purchase a legitimate full brim hat in preparation; my collection of snapbacks aren\u2019t up to scratch for the infamous NT sun!<\/p>\n

NT Trashtalk #1 \u2013 \u201cIt\u2019s too far away, and will take me forever to get there\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wrong. By the time I settle into my seat and select my movie of choice (finally time to catch up on the latest Transformers without the fianc\u00e9), a tasty lunch treat and beverage enters side of stage (seconds anyone?) and that\u2019s it. Next thing I know, I\u2019m gazing out over said Red Centre of Australia, and soon landing in Alice Springs.<\/p>\n

\"Australia's<\/a>

Australia’s Red Epicentre<\/p><\/div>\n

NT Trashtalk #2 \u2013 \u201cIsn\u2019t that place stuck in the ’80s?\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Okay, the first thing you should know is that I was born in ’88, so in no way do I consider myself an authority on ’80s style. And I\u2019m not going to learn anything here because our hotel is very much non-’80s – in fact we are doing it in style with digs at Lasseters Hotel and Casino.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lasseters\"<\/a>

Lasseters<\/p><\/div>\n

Room wise, this is on par with the top hotels in the \u2018big\u2019 cities.<\/p>\n

\"Lasseters<\/a>

Two beds- one for each night.<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019m talking two double beds \u2013 yes you better believe I tried one each night \u2013 rainfall shower head, bathrobes and mammoth plasma tv, custom Aboriginal artworks in each room\u2026 yeah it sure was tough work staying in here \u2013 and there was nothing ’80s about it.<\/p>\n

\"Custom<\/a>

Custom Aboriginal artwork in every room<\/p><\/div>\n

Hungry for more proof? No problem, let\u2019s talk food. At bang on six foot tall, I am by no means a hobbit, but I have inherited the love of breakfast and second breakfast. And the best thing about staying in a classy hotel is\u2013 you guessed it, HUGE plates for first and second breakfast. Lasseters has\u00a0a mean brekkie buffet. It all starts with bacon, eggs, chipolatas (yeah, those fancy small sausages), tomato, beans, toast; and then we move on to pancakes, pastry treats, fruit, and maybe one of those mini muffins? Well it would be rude not too.<\/p>\n

NT Trashtalk #3 \u2013 \u201cIt\u2019s dry and hot\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Alright, so that\u2019s what I thought, and yeah, generally<\/em> it\u2019s pretty darn hot and pretty darn dry. But not this trip- the wettest of weather in over forty years (yes four \u2013 zero) descended on the Alice.<\/p>\n

\"PROOF-<\/a>

PROOF – I wasn’t kidding about the rain…<\/p><\/div>\n

The river is flooded, the grass is green, and there were clouds in the sky with more rain on the way. Sounds terrible? Not if you are one of the many people that live off the land out here \u2013 this is literally heaven on earth for them. Meeting a few of these colourful characters helped me to appreciate and understand just how grateful we should be for this once-in-a-lifetime rain.<\/p>\n

NT Trashtalk #4 \u2013 \u201cThere\u2019s only one thing to do there\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

SURPRISE! Our itinerary had so much packed into it\u2026 the big rock didn\u2019t even get a look in! Being a boy\u2019s weekend, we go quad bike riding<\/a>, camel trekking, swimming in canyons, hot-air ballooning and just generally owning the road. But no Uluru.<\/p>\n

Besides, you always need to leave something for next time!<\/p>\n

NT Trashtalk #5 \u2013 \u201cIsn\u2019t it only about the day – what happens at night?\u201d <\/strong><\/h3>\n

All that adventure sure does works up an appetite, but never fear \u2018cause Lasseters delivers on that front too with their in-house restaurant, Tali.<\/p>\n

\"Tali\"<\/a>

Tali<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s Saturday night fever, and due to its superb reputation this place is packed. We sit down and make sure some ice-cold beers are on their way- let’s get this night started! When you\u2019re in the \u2018outback\u2019 (I can say that with confidence now, because today I officially saw a kangaroo in the wild), there\u2019s a lot of references to Australian animals.<\/p>\n

\"1x<\/a>

1x wild kangaroo – no zoo required<\/p><\/div>\n

And all that talk about Kangaroos, crocodiles and barramundi is making my inner-caveman hungry. \u00a0So thanks to some superior chef-work, I am going to put my tastebuds on the line and walk-the-walk.<\/p>\n

\"FEED<\/a>

FEED ME! NT’s famous wild barramundi<\/p><\/div>\n

I order the delicious Tali Tasting Platter to start and then the Wild Barramundi with potato rosti and chorizo, confit tomatoes and lemon myrtle beurre blanc sauce. \u00a0I’m on my fourth beer when I\u00a0ask my waiter friend if the Barramundi is actually wild. It is! And it is delicious.<\/p>\n

NT Trashtalk #6 \u2018The only souvenirs are tea towels and boomerangs\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Correct and incorrect at the same time. I can testify that I didn\u2019t purchase either of these , but they are readily available should I ever be in the market for kitchen linen or have spare space on my IKEA cube shelf.\u00a0I do, however, leave with one large (and heavy) souvenir, the world\u2019s largest bottle of beer \u2013 all 1000mL of it.<\/p>\n

\"When<\/a>

When in Rome!<\/p><\/div>\n

The only one of its kind, this is specially brewed by NT Draught. Definitely hitching a ride back to Brisbane in my luggage.<\/p>\n

\"It's<\/a>

It’s as big as my head<\/p><\/div>\n

Fun fact<\/strong>: these bad boys are only sold warm and in a nifty takeaway box\u2026 so you can responsibly enjoy back home \ud83d\ude09<\/em><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s how you man-up on a weekend in Australia\u2019s Red Centre and make rubbish of all that trashtalk.<\/p>\n

I guess Ernie Dingo was right all along \u2013 \u00a0you\u2019ll never never know, if you never never go. I wish I listened to him sooner, because the red epicentre of Australia is the red epic centre of Australia. I\u2019ll be back \u2013 but next time, hold the rain.<\/p>\n

Have you been to the Alice? Tell us about it in the comments.<\/strong><\/h2>\n