The world’s largest classroom, covering more than 1.3 million square kilometres (over half-a-million square miles)

Duration

45 - 60 Minutes

About

Welcome to the world’s largest classroom, covering more than 1.3 million square kilometers (over half-a-million square miles). The Alice Springs School of the Air Visitor Centre is one of the most popular, unique, and authentic attractions in Central Australia.

A trip to the Alice Springs School of the Air Visitor Centre will bring to life an integral and unique facet of children’s lives in the Australian Outback. You will hear about their stories of school from afar, life on the land, and share in their dreams, achievements, and journeys.

What you’ll experience: Listen to a presentation from our local guide about the evolution of the School of the Air. Learn how technology have changed the delivery of education in Outback Australia and how our Outback families integrate their children’s educational needs with the challenges of remote living.

Watch a short film which provides a snapshot into the lives of our students and their tutors, as well as seeing what it is like for our teachers to visit our Outback families. Our film can be played with subtitles and our information sheets are available in a multitude of different languages.

Our broadcasting studio presentation is the most popular experience in our Visitor Centre! You may have the opportunity to observe a teacher conducting a live* lesson in one of our five broadcasting studios, right in front of you! Watch our teachers interact via video conferencing with our students who are scattered across the outback regions of the Northern Territory, country Australia and abroad. *At times our teachers and our students take well deserved breaks! During these times live lessons will be replaced with pre-recorded lessons.

Learn about our children's history, dreams, and aspirations by browsing through samples of the children’s work in their many varied forms on display

You will be provided the opportunity to purchase unique and authentic souvenirs in our retail store. All proceeds assist our Outback student enrichment programs and contributes towards the purchase of expensive equipment which is used to educate our Outback children in their remote locations.

Opening Hours

Mondays - Fridays: 9am - 3pm Saturdays: Closed Sundays: 12pm - 4.30pm Public Holidays: 1.30pm - 4.30pm

Closed: *Good Friday 18 April 2025 *24 December 2025 - 4 January 2026 (inclusive)

*Please check our website and social media pages for opening hour updates.

We recommend you allow a minimum of 45 minutes to experience the Visitor Centre. This is enough time to observe a live or pre-recorded lesson, listen to our guide’s presentation, watch the film, browse our displays and visit our retail store.