I have not been to Alice Springs,but have been up the east coast and in the south of Australia. We absolutely loved it there. We were there in April and the weather was nice. It is strange getting use to the seasons being opposite ours. The people were friendly and helpful. I think you will enjoy living there. You could check out
Travel Guides, Hotel Reviews, Photos, Forums, Deals - VirtualTourist.com You will find some local people there or at least some people that have actually been there.