The Kings Canyon Tour is a very long day so we were up before dawn to get ready for the bus
Sky is lighting up as we set off from Uluru
Our breakfast stop - Kings Canyon Wildeness Lodge - our first sign of civilisation
Sensible succulent gardens for the harsh weather survival
Our breakfast stop ( included in the tour)
At the Kings Canyon Wilderness Lodge
Birds in the water well in the garden at the Kings Canyon Wilderness Lodge
On our way to Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon looming
The two choices of walks at Kings Canyon. Climbing up and walking the rim of the canyon is one choice ( 3 1/2 hours) or the Creek Bed Walk which takes about an hour.
One of the warning signs on the walks due to the excessive heat at some times of the year
A map of the walks
On our way towards the Creek Bed Walk
Walking towards the start of the rim walk
A memorial to one of the early pioneers of Kings Canyon that made the Tourist Trail possible
The creek bed is full of large rocks and stones exposed when the creek floods
The beginning of the rim walk which is a vertical walk straight up to the top. I understand that this is the hardest part of the walk as it levels out at the top of the rim and the trail is virtually level on the walk around the rim.
This is where the two walks split. We chose to go on the Creek walk. It was a cold windy day so we needed all our jackets on.
Rest stops along the way
Looking up to the rim
Our guide from APT Kings was on hand to explain all the local fauna
Part of the walk
The creek bed in its natural state
Our guide telling us about the local gum trees
This scenery reminded me a lot of Albert Namatjira's paintings
Some of the white gums have been vandalised and are currently being repaired
Damaged gums bandaged to protect them from infection
Our APT Kings guide
I love this photo - I might make a jigsaw puzzle out of this one!
Beautiful colour and natural formations in the rock - similar to Ayers Rock on a smaller scale
Looking up at the rim from the creek bed
Termites nest
Walking towards the lookout
The rim from the lookout
Looking at the top of the rim you can see walkers crossing the bridge as they walk around the rim
Little birds seeking a drink of water from the rap
The end of our tour of Kings Canyon.
It was a huge day but well worthwhile. If you are a lover of nature there is a lot to look at - although nothing in the way of animals when we were there. The river gums were impressive as was the magnitude of the canyon.
We chose to do the creek bed walk as opposed to the rim walk which would have taken much longer.
I would have liked to do the rim walk, the hardest part being the initial walk up to the top. After that it levels out to an easy walk. The walk up was steep and looked a bit dangerous. A degree of fitness would be necessary to enjoy this walk.
The creek bed walk was much easier and we walked it slowly stopping at points of interest. It was a cold day so heat was not an issue for us.
The bus we travelled in was comfortable and we had breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea stops.
It was a good introduction to the red centre for us and we could appreciate the remoteness of the place from the distance we had to travel on the round trip.
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