Hi All,<BR><BR>I have not posted on this forum for some time but I think it is important to inform people about what to do and what not to do in Alice Springs.<BR><BR>I live in the Alice and I constantly see and hear of tourists placing themselves in harms way. <BR><BR>Alice is a town that has its problems, so please heed this advice:<BR><BR>1. Never, never walk up through Todd Mall after dark even if you are in a group. Unfortunately the mall has become a very unsafe area after dark.<BR><BR>2. If you must withdraw money from an ATM then try and use one at your hotel or draw out money using EFPOS when making a purchase.<BR>Avoid where possible using the ATM machines on the streets.<BR><BR>3. Do travel in groups when on foot in the town area.<BR><BR>4. Do not approach the indigenous people you see in the town and if you happen to witness these people fighting for heavens sake do not try and break it up as you will find yourself being on the receiving end from both parties and their families.<BR><BR>5. If you are driving in the Northern Territory - DO NOT stop to assist anyone that may try to flag you down. Instead take note of who and where they are and notify the next roadhouse of the peoples location and let them make the judgement call.<BR><BR>6. Do not give money to people in the street you are only feeding their alcohol addiction.<BR><BR>I wish I could say with honesty that Alice is a safe place for tourists but this is not the case these days, I am sure that you would be safe in the upmarket hotels (not backpacker establishments) and also when on organised tours with tour guides. <BR><BR>I am not involved with the tourism industry and hence I am not sugar coating this message to serve my own interests I am just telling it like it is.<BR><BR>

Well,Thanks for that!<BR><BR>I expect that's what comes of populating a country with Convicts, Criminals and the like.

Hi Paul,<BR>I am an Aussie who went to Alice Springs 5 years ago.<BR>I thankyou for your post.<BR>It is up to the date & gives a timely warning to fellow travellers.<BR>Thankyou

Just for the record: More convicts were sent to America's state of Virginia alone than were ever sent to Australia. <BR>More convicts of criminal bent i.e. murderers, rapists, thugs etc were sent to Virginia than were sent to Australia because most of the Australian convicts were political convicts i.e. opposed the establishment. <BR>So when Americans talk about out past they have forgotten their own.

Does the Australian government still forcibly abduct or kidnap the aboriginal children and then give their babies to white couples who are infertile? I think it was call the "missing generation" or something like that.<BR><BR>Why don't the white settlers of Australia give the same freedom to the aborigines? The aborigines have been harshly treated by the whites through out the years so the result is a poor living standard with high crime. White people in Australia hardly care about the welfare of the aborigines instead they complain about the crimes or the high alcoholic abuse rate of these poor people. They gave up their land for the whites and now the whites insult them. Any white people who call themselves Australian and complain about Aborigines should be ashamed!

martin I have been across, through, over and around this country and I have yet to see someone with a gun at another person making them drink. Call me blind if you want to but I guess I must be missing something. What I havn't missed though is being around when starving, sick and dirty aboriginal children were taken from the druken parents and saved from a slow death. <BR>You can either believe the propaganda or not OR you can ask people who were around at the time. For people to now rant about the Christian gestures of the past makes me sick.

Christian gesture - what the hell does that mean to some one who is not Christian? Forced occupation of their land or the abduction of their children in the name of Christianity? Where in your bible does it say "thou shall take the aboriginal children and give them to thy kind"? <BR><BR>The reason Aborigines have a high rate of alcoholic abuse is because of a lack of good education and employment. They were deprived of the same standard of living as the white Australian and that is why they are in such a messy situation right now. Native American people were also in this predicament until America faced up to it's racist past and try to undo the harms done to it's native people.

Martin you don't know what you are talking about and its all a lot of hot air.

I would like to say:<BR>"Let's keep this what it was intended to be - A POST"<BR>Thanks Paul for giving everyone some valuable information. And please don't think that all Yanks are like the 2nd, 3rd, ... <BR>

Hello Paul,<BR>As an American coming to visit your wonderful country, I'd like to thank you for the information. Your tips are probably good ones no matter where one lives. As for the rude, insensitive remarks, please don't judge all Yanks that way!

Debbie, we don't judge people by the way a couple of posters write. The original poster in this instance had some words of wisdom and although others have condemned him and other writer for thei remarks his words should be taken as they were given - as something from someone who knows what problem can arise if you don't follow advise. They were not meant to be derogatory in any way to any one he was just telling it "guts and all style"

Hi All,<BR><BR>My original post was not meant in anyway to promote race disharmony as has been interpreted by some readers. I also do not want to and will not enter into a race debate with anyone no matter how many attempts may be made to do so.<BR><BR>My advice is unilateral and hopefully if taken note of will prevent a visitor to Alice Springs coming to harm. I for one like people to enjoy safe and happy holidays.<BR><BR>Cheers