Day 14

Thursday, 27th September
Yulara - Kings Canyon

Yulara
Curtin Springs
Wallara
Kings Canyon

Distance Traveled

Today - 300 km

Total - 4899 km

Blog

Off to Kings Canyon.

On the way I did a cache that took me into an area that had the old dirt track. Pretty rough. There was a lot of pooh around all the trees. Most likely cattle.

It was quite eerie all alone out in the scrubby bush. There would only be a few dozen people within a hundred square kilometres. It was totally quiet. I did the cache and then I could hear a wind coming from far away. It remained completely still where I was, but I could hear it getting louder and closer. It took a couple of minutes to get to me.  I then saw it over the trees. It was a whirl wind and it hit right on top of me. Instead of moving on it just dissappeared and all was quiet again.

Weird, out of such a huge expanse of nothing that it hit directly on me. It had my mind racing on all sorts of strange things like spirits, aliens, black holes or time portals of 50 missing years. I starting walking back and was glad when I heard a car on the highway.

We got to Kings Canyon we set up camp at the resort. This resort was very lush compared to Uluru. Heaps of toilets, showers and amenities. Everything was very expensive though.

There were lots of helicopter flights going all the time which broke the tranquility.

We then went to the Canyon. I did the full walk while everyone else just walked the canyon.

My walk was fantastic. There were lots of areas that looked straight over the edges into the canyon. There were a group of young Americans that were getting photos out on dangerous platforms.

Another wonderful area was the Garden of Eden. This is a tropical paridise deep down in the canyon where the only accessible approach is by a staircase in and out. Before that, any animal or person getting in wouldn't have had much chance of getting out.

There were lots of brilliant land and rockscapes.

That afternoon the kids played in the camp playground and ran into their friend from a couple of years ago. Small world.

I took the kids to the sunset viewing platform.

The road to Kings Canyon... well, the old one. The one I was on was bitumen.

Rock Formations on the way to Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon the walk down the gorge

Kings Canyon

Off we go

Rock formations at Kings Canyon

The creek bed down the Kings Canyon gorge

Kings Canyon creek bed

Looking up at the gorge sides

Kings Canyon creek bed

Kings Canyon Spider

I took the upper road. It goes straight up this hill.

The steps are very short and plentiful

Looking from the top back at the carpark

Kings Canyon path around the top. Don't get too close to the edge

My walk will take me all the way around the top and then back over the right hand side and then finally down.

Lots of great and strange rock formations

A crack going down forever. I couldn't hold my camera tight enough.

A couple of Americans posing over the cliff edge. See the people in the background over the other side of the gorge

The people over the other side of the gorge

The rock and the drop that the Americans were playing around. I asked them why they didn't do the Toyota jump.

A nearby sign

The other side of the gorge. A few kms to walk before I get there.

The top of the canyon's strange and excellent rock formations

The walkway down to the Garden of Eden

The Garden of Eden is totally surrounded by the canyon walls.

See the stairs on the other side. These stairs here and those there are the only ways in and out.

Info on the Garden of Eden

Permanent water in the Garden of Eden.

The Garden of Eden waterhole. Swimming is permitted.

And now to come out the other side.

Looking across at the other walkway on the other side where I came in.

More great rock formations

Looking over the edge into the canyon

Getting gamer and closer. Clutching the camera very tight.

Looking back at the end of the gorge. You can just see some trees poking up from the Garden of Eden.

Sign about prehistoric plants

Prehistoric Plants that have been trapped in the Canyon since the dinosaurs

Another hike we should try some time (but I don't think we have enough time right now).

Faces in the rocks

Finally the carpark is visible. Less than a km to go.

I arrive back from the top trek

Camp at Kings Canyon Resort

Grandma with a drink... that is actually a shandy in that bottle. We do have some class.

Kings Canyon Sunset

Kings Canyon Sunset Kids

The Kings Canyon Sunset Lookout