Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and its immediate surrounds including the MacDonnell Ranges. Commonly, it refers to an area up to from Alice Springs, in every direction. In its broadest use it can include almost any region in inland Australia that has remained relatively undeveloped, and in this sense is synonymous with the term

Outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than Australian bush, the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastli ...

. In a modern, more formal sense it can refer to the administrative region used by the Northern Territory government, as of 2022. Centralia is another term associated with the area, most commonly used by locals.

Administrative region of the NT

Economic region

There are six regions in the Northern Territory for the purposes of economic planning, as defined by the Northern Territory Government: * Central Australia * Darwin, Palmerston and Litchfield * East Arnhem (also a local government area (LGA)) * Barkly Region (also an LGA) * Big Rivers Region * Top End This region has an estimated population of total regional population of 41,000, serviced by Alice Springs (population 28,000). The town also services parts of South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. LGAs make up the region: * Town of Alice Springs (town) * Central Desert Region (region) * MacDonnell Region (region) * Yulara ( unincorporated town)

Colloquial or general use

In more general usage, or when referring to the flora and fauna of Australia, the term "central Australia" may refer to a large area in the interior of the continent, including the Lake Eyre Basin, which stretches across three states and the NT. For many, the term "

outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than Australian bush, the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastli ...

" is almost synonymous with central Australia.

Climate

The region has a

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

environment, meaning it is very dry, receiving on average just of rainfall annually. Most of the annual rainfall falls during extreme rainfall events in the summer months. Moderate dry winters persist between May and October with hot, long summers from November to April.

References

External links