Tourist Attractions
Royal Flying Doctor Service
(08) 8952 1129
8-10 Stuart Tce
Alice Springs, NT, 0872
Royal Flying Doctor Service
The Royal Flying Doctor Service is an Australian icon and a world first. With the help of Alf Traegers pedal radio and advice from one of Australia's most famous pioneer aviators Hudson Fysh, the Reverend John Flynn's Aerial Service took to the sky on 5 May 1928, to help sick and injured outback pioneers. The organisation now services an area of more than 7,150,000 square kilometres providing a Mantle of Safety to an area larger than Western Europe. The service now has 27 bases Australia wide and maintains 51 aircraft.
A visit to the Alice Springs base, originally built in 1939, will give you an insight into a uniquely Australian Service. You will see an audiovisual presentation, followed by a guided tour of the radio communication section. You can browse through the interactive museum at your leisure. Take the opportunity to enjoy flavoursome food and coffee in the award-winning cafe, housed in one of the finest heritage buildings of Alice Springs. You can also shop for souvenirs from their gift shop.
The last tour commences at ...read more
At this property there's a visitor's centre that is absolutely fantastic for people wanting to know about the work of the RFDS. It was upgraded about 2 years ago I think andd now includes a 10 minute interesting video showing their history & work, followed by a walk around an area with interactive displays showing the different tools the RFDS have used over the years etc.
It costs $12 at the moment - but at least profits go somewhere useful, not into a business man's pockets.
One negative is they're short staffed - couldn't even find anyone to buy things from in their gift shop, but better there than to be short staffed in the air I guess...
