What's your take on bowling as a sport? Meh? Monotonous? Mundane?
How about cosmic bowling?
Have I got your attention now?
The Dustbowl is a cool, little bowling alley that is situated just out of the town of Alice Springs. It has also incorporated some retro arcade games, a pool table and a food joint that can cater to you while you play your favourite game(s).
10-Pin Bowling at the Dustbowl (Courtesy: Official site)
Boasting of just over ten spacious lanes, the Dustbowl offers its customers with an equally intimate and enjoyable experience of bowling. Customers are provided with bowling shoes, after which they are welcome to choose their bowling balls of choice from the rack preceding the alley.
The bowling alley lanes
My friends and I have mainly been to the Dustbowl on their Cosmic Bowling nights - a fantastic way to spend the night bowling in a club-like atmosphere. There is music from the '80s and '90s that are played at a louder volume, along with disco lights emanating through all corners of the alley. In addition to this, your clothes and shoes (with a tinge of white) will glow under these lights, making this night a lot cooler and fun-filled.
Operating from 7pm-late on Fridays and Saturdays, 1pm-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and all public holidays, this is a form of bowling you
need to try when you visit the Dustbowl.
Cosmic bowling night
In addition to their amazing and affordable pricing scheme, the Dustbowl also provides its patrons with brilliant
specials - my favourite one of which is the unlimited cosmic bowling karaoke combination that is offered for just $15. This special (along with the others outlined and updated on their website on a regular basis) is best enjoyed with a fairly big group of people - so round up your team mates and carpool your way to the Dustbowl for a fantastic night of games, food and drinks.
Bowling balls of varying weights
The team at the Dustbowl who serve you are very friendly and can provide you with the best deal as suited to your financial needs. In addition to purchasing your game package of choice, you are also able to buy alcoholic / non-alcoholic beverages from them directly, or you can head over to their sister food joint (the
Red Tomato Restaurant) where you can order generous-sized portions of food (pizza, wedges, curry) at low prices.
The arcade area is pretty small, but provides with a good range of games to play, especially if bowling is not your forte. For a very low price of $2-$3, you can enjoy a lovely, relaxed game of pool. Else, you can play some first-shooter games as well. There's something for everyone in this succinct complex.
Pool table and arcade area
Now here's something that I found particularly interesting - and people don't often think of heading over to the website when reading about a place - but I was extremely surprised (and glad!) to see that the website for the Dustbowl provides you with a 'crash course' (per se) on some basic tricks to learn bowling. For all the novice bowlers out there, or those who need to polish their bowling skills, head over
here to see a first-hand version on how to get good at bowling.
For those who are pretty good at bowling and want to get even better, head
here to see how to achieve those tricky shots at bowling, such as the 8-split or the dreaded 7-split, using the nifty tricks provided on the Dustbowl's website.
Bowling shoes that glow in the dark!
So, there you have it - a fantastic spot to escape Alice Springs (even if it's just for a while), have a couple of drinks and nibbles with friends and enjoy the brilliant and satisfying sport of bowling! I would recommend driving there with a decent group of people and preparing yourself for a great night out without breaking the bank!
Our bowling alley of goodness
