The Alice (population 20,000) is a pleasant modern town, smack in the middle of Australia, built on the banks of the usually-dry Todd River. At first appearance it’s so civilised that it can be a real disappointment to those expecting saloons on every corner and colourful bush characters, but stick around and explore the area and you’ll begin to appreciate the flavour of this desert community. The town was founded as a staging point for the overland telegraph line in 1870, although its growth has occurred only in the last 30 years. The road south to Adelaide was only fully sealed in 1987.