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Published: June 29th 2023
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The vast distances in the outback again came into play with our four hour drive to Kings Canyon, where we booked into the Discovery Park Caravan Park. The creek was named by the explorer Ernest Giles in 1872. He wrote in his book
Geographic Travels in Central Australia from 1872 to 1874: "I called King's Creek after Mr. Fielder King... an old and kind friend of mine".
After setting up our caravan, we drove to Kings Canyon, also known as Watarrka, and completed the 3 km Kings Creek walk, which follows the creek along the canyon floor. At the end of the walk is a platform, with views of the canyon walls above. On the way back to our vehicle, we passed the steep ascent of the Kings Canyon Rim walk, which we were proposing to walk the next day. The ascent is termed Heartbreak or Heart Attack Hill, for its steep climb from the canyon floor.
We rose early to commence our Canyon Rim walk, which totalled 7.6 kms. It was definitely one of the best nature walks we have completed, and really opened up our eyes to the beauty of this arid landscape. There were many tourists
doing the Canyon Rim walk, which is testament to its well deserved reputation. About half way during the walk, we took a detour, descending into the Garden of Eden, a permanent waterhole surrounded by palms and rainforest type flora. The last half of the walk passes through a maze of weathered sandstone domes, which resemble images I have seen of the Bungle Bungles. The walk is not for the faint hearted, with a good deal of rock scrambling, steep stairways traversing cliff faces, bridges across ravines and precarious cliff edges to negotiate.
Having completed an amazing walk, it time to get ready for another incredible adventure, a Helicopter Ride over Kings Canyon. Kim’s former long term kind boss and friend, Sonia, as one of Kim’s retirement gifts, had given her a voucher for a Kings Canyon Helicopter Experience. We were a bit nervous, as neither of us had been in a helicopter before. When we arrived, we were informed that due to the weather, there was a slight delay and could we take a later flight, as they might need to refuel. I assured the Helicopter Service that they can take as long as they required to refuel the
helicopter prior to our flight. Once again, an unreal experience that we will always treasure. A completely different aspect of Kings Canyon from what we experienced on the walk that morning. To celebrate a great day, we enjoyed dining out at Kings Canyon Bar and Grill.
The final walk in the area is at Kathleen Springs, a drive of around 23 kms from our caravan park, which we did the following morning. This gorge is a natural corral, and was formerly used to herd cattle into, with the high canyon walls forming a natural fence. At the end of the canyon walk (3 kms), is a natural spring, which provides valuable water for native birds and animals in this dry, arid landscape. The spring is a sacred place for the local aboriginals. Along the walk there were an abundance of wildflowers, as a result of the recent rains in the area.
Steady rain overnight and throughout the day caused road closures in the area, and we spent a quiet day, Kim reading and myself catching up on my blog posts, which I have been unable to do recently, due to either being off grid or having poor Telstra
service. Later in the day Kim witnessed two dingoes strolling through the caravan park (a couple of the nights we had heard dingoes howling in the night, with one actually picking up one of my thongs and dropping it some metres away). Park management sent through a message late afternoon that the sealed road was now open, so long as caution is taken. We drove down to Kings Canyon, crossing two swollen causeways in the process, to see a flooded path where we had walked two days earlier.
Each night at the Sunset Bar, a talented muso played songs on his guitar from the 70's and 80's, which provided a good venue to meet fellow travellers. Kings Canyon is definitely a box that needs to be ticked when visiting Central Australia.
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