The Red Centre hits the big screen - but here's how to live it for real

The breathtaking landscapes of the Northern Territory will be beamed on big screens as the family movie Kangaroo hits cinemas, with a palpable buzz of excitement felt in Alice Springs (Mparntwe).

I travelled to Alice to attend the red carpet movie screening in the red centre of Australia.

Film crews are flocking to the Northern Territory to create Aussie stories with surreal locations - from the Netflix series Territory to the Stan Original series Thou Shalt Not Steal.

Kangaroo showcases a welcoming community alongside the spectacular outback scenery. The all-star cast includes Deborah Mailman, Ryan Corr, Rachel House, Roy Billing, Ernie Dingo, Trisha Morton-Thomas and Wayne Blair.

Here are the three experiences that made me fall in love with the Red Centre.

There's a reason Standley Chasm (Angkerle Atwatye) is a must-see in the Red Centre. The 80-metre-high gorge will stop you in your tracks. The sacred spot is within the West MacDonnell Ranges, a 40-minute drive west of Alice Springs.

Our guide Arrernte man William Palmer from Tjarnintja Birdwatching and Cultural Tours says that each time he takes groups to the spot, he is taken back to the feeling of awe he experienced when he first set eyes on the "amazing landscape" as a child.

While it is an easy self-guided 15-minute walk each way to the chasm, without William, you would likely miss the many things that make this place special.

You would likely walk straight past the 1000-year-old MacDonnell Ranges cycad plants. In haste, you wouldn't smell the native lemon grass or look up and see the bush coconuts (which don't actually taste like coconuts but have a creamy almond and eucalyptus flavour).

William tells our group that the area is a sacred space, especially for Arrernte women. Men are not permitted to go past the boulder within the chasm.

Standley Chasm remains 100 per cent owned and operated by the local Western Arrernte community.

For a similar experience: Ditch the tourist crowds in the west and experience the East MacDonnell Ranges with Sandrifter Safaris. Listen to the birds and visit the Aboriginal rock paintings at Emily Gap and Jessie Gap.

It takes a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the dark pathway sparsely lit by the red light of my head torch.

Here in the outback of Alice Springs, I'm looking for endangered animals within a predator-proof enclosure. The nocturnal tour is a bit like an adult Where's Wally game.

Staff at the Alice Springs Desert Park have just fed the animals, which makes the task a tad easier as the animals come out for dinner.

There are Malas everywhere, small hare-wallabies with reddish brown fur. The species are extinct in the wild. I pause to watch a mother Mala eat with a baby joey peeking out of her pouch.

Further along the walk, I spot two echidnas pushing each other near a feeder. I walk on before the fight escalates.

The park takes pride in offering an authentic desert experience. As the endangered animals scurry around us unbothered, I look above to see a clear night sky filled with stars.

For a similar experience: Visit the Kangaroo Sanctuary, the inspiration for the movie Kangaroo. The rescue centre cares for injured and orphaned kangaroos before releasing them back to the wild.

It's the first time our group has been entirely silent, with just the sounds of local birds and paint brushes dipping into water. Marie has provided us with a template of symbols that we can incorporate into our own dot painting, such as kangaroo tracks, meeting places and native plants.

The group silently paints until Marie's son Keenan Bird looks up and points with a laugh in his voice, "wallaby". A rock wallaby watches on as we paint.

Keenan picks up his guitar and starts singing Sweet Home Alabama.

After the group critiques their first attempts at dot painting, Marie holds up her art. Within an hour, she's painted a mesmerising artwork of us gathered around her as she digs up honey ants.

For visitors, the workshop is not about perfecting an ancient practice in an hour, but rather about taking a moment to pause, connect and share stories.

For a similar experience: Hop in the back of a troopy and take a tour of the local Aboriginal art centres in Alice Springs with Art Tours of Australia. Most tourists don't realise that these art centres are open to the public.

Kangaroo is in cinemas from September 18, 2025. This journalist was a guest of Tourism Northern Territory.