Kings Canyon

We left the Ayers Rock Resort the following morning retracing our steps eastwards on the Lasseter Highway before turning north onto Luritja Road approx 50km east of the Curtin Springs roadhouse – our destination being Kings Canyon. The fully sealed road into Kings Canyon was in better condition than we expected and we arrived at the Kings Canyon Resort campground around lunchtime. The campground has good views towards the George Gill Range where Kings Canyon is located and we enjoyed a lovely view of the mountains reflecting the colours of the sunset in the early evening. We also had our first sighting of dingoes this evening roaming the campground looking for food – something we hadn’t experienced at Uluru despite the warning signs displayed there.





On Thursday 22 July we started our exploration of Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park at 8.45am by climbing a steep upwards path (15 min climb) for the 6km loop walk around the Canyon rim. This 3.5hr walk had a little bit of everything – spectacular views from the top of, as well as across to, 270m high sandstone Canyon walls, walking through a maze of weathered domes (the Lost City) and a sunken valley with permanent waterholes and lush vegetation including ancient cycads (the Garden of Eden), wooden bridges and staircases, wildflowers and stunted trees growing in small cracks in the rock. The photos again tell the story more accurately.

We finished off our stay at Kings Canyon Resort with another two short walks. The first walk led us to the spring-fed waterhole known as Kathleen Springs at the head of Kathleen Gorge, approx 30km from Kings Canyon. It was a very easy walk along a sealed track and the waterhole was a very peaceful spot to enjoy the natural surrounds. The second walk followed the route of Kings Creek at the base of Kings Canyon which gave views upwards of the Canyon walls this time. However we were glad we’d done the more comprehensive Canyon Rim walk the previous day and discovered the in-depth secrets of this beautiful spot.