A British tourist has described Alice Springs as the 'strangest town in Australia' after being astonished by the number of residents wearing ankle monitors. Simon Wilson, who was travelling on The Ghan, said he had been warned against visiting the Northern Territory alone.
Warnings from Fellow Travellers
'A lot of the people on the train did say they don't recommend going into Alice Springs alone because there have been some problems in the past,' Mr Wilson explained. 'I don't quite know what that means, but we're going to find out. It can't be that bad, surely.'
Mr Wilson admitted he had anticipated dangerous wildlife such as crocodiles and snakes, and remained vigilant while exploring the town. He was approached by a New Zealander named Corey, who recognised him from social media and requested a photo.
Mr Wilson gained fame after sneaking into the Emmys in 2017 by pretending to be a photographer and now documents his travels on TikTok for his 1.3 million followers.
An Unexpected Encounter
Corey invited Mr Wilson to his workplace, Uncle's Tavern, for drinks later that day. Upon arrival, the British tourist was stunned by what he saw. The pub was enclosed by an industrial fence topped with spear pickets. Security informed him that Corey was not working that day, so Mr Wilson began a conversation with a one-armed man playing pool.
The man wore a beanie and a chain, but it was the electronic tag on his ankle that caught Mr Wilson's attention. 'This place is absolutely mental,' Mr Wilson said as he walked back outside. 'That guy had a tag on his ankle. Honestly, I must've seen 30 people with tags on their ankle since I've been here. I tell you what, coming to this town has been an experience.'
Eerily Quiet Streets
Mr Wilson was also struck by the unusual quietness of the streets. 'There's a lot of buildings and a lot of cars, but no people,' he observed. 'This is supposed to be the centre of Alice Springs and I can't see one person. Apart from the guy on his phone over there, there's absolutely nobody here.'
He was perplexed to find the Alice Mall Shopping Centre nearly deserted, calling it 'mental'. 'It's Monday afternoon, start of the week, and everything's closed,' he said. 'Everything seems to be closed apart from this beauty shop, pharmacy here and a dress shop there. The well-being centre's closed, the barber shop's closed and they've even blocked off the entrance. I thought it'd be a little busier in here.'
Reactions from Australians
Many Australians commented on the video, agreeing that Mr Wilson should have heeded the warnings. 'As someone who has lived there, mother and siblings currently live there, not really a place I would recommend going to,' one said. 'It's fine during the day, please don't go out alone at night,' a second advised. 'Crocs are the least of your worries in Alice bro,' a third remarked.
