Trip 9: NORTHERN TERRITORY TRIP in June 2006 …. In Central Australia: KINGS CANYON …. Post 9

IMG_0203 IMG_0204___________________________________________________________________________

Note: I would like  to share with  you  through  these few words, photographs and hyperlinked websites, a 3 Dimensional  experience as though you were  actually there with  us. Click on any photograph and it should enlarge to a different size ….. at least half screen or size full screen. It will be clearer in detail than the photo on the post. It will be as if you were  really there looking at the actual  scene. You are an arm chair traveller with us.

If you would also like  to see the post in a larger or smaller size, I suggest you follow this procedure: If you right-handed, with your left hand, press  down continuously  on the Control Function Key  with your left hand and with your right hand, move  the   little  cursor wheel either forwards or backwards to make the text in the post larger or smaller.

____________________________________________________________________________

From this  website: Watarrka National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory covers 71,000 hectares and is home to Kings Canyon. Located approximately 306km from Uluru, Kings Canyon is a approximately 3 ½  hours away from either Ayers Rock Resort and Alice Springs.

Kings Canyon is a fantastic example of Australia’s rugged outback landscape. The Canyon is an extraordinary chasm with sandstone walls plunging 270 metres down to a tropical oasis at the base and an eco-system that has all but vanished in other parts of the country.

Kings Canyon’s soaring red sandstone walls can be explored from the air or by foot, with walking tracks for both adventurous hikers and leisure walkers. Trace the scenic rim of this ancient canyon on your own, or join a guided tour to learn about the evolution of this remarkable place. Kings Canyon offers a grand experience which cannot be replicated anywhere else.

_________________________________________________________________________

Kings Canyon Resort: Australian Outback Tours & Adventures

Follow the call of the untamed Never Never to a place you’ll never, ever forget. Between the ancient beauty of Alice Springs and iconic Uluru (Ayers Rock), discover the spellbinding scenery and jaw-dropping experience of the Australian outback at Kings Canyon.

We are now offering return transfers from Uluru to Kings Canyon for the Ultimate Red Centre experience. We will pick you up from Uluru, take you by coach to experience the culture of the Karkke indigenous community, have lunch, then go on a guided Kings Canyon Rim Walk. Stay the night at Kings Canyon Resort and travel back to Uluru the following morning in time for any connecting flights.

Holiday in the heart of Watarrka National Park, where the unspoiled bush and red rock canyons of The Red Centre create an unforgettable outback adventure. Bring your sense of wonder, your family or friends, and discover a private audience with an ancient land, all on your own terms. Whether it’s a dawn rim hike in the quiet before sunrise, or an exhilarating helicopter tour of the Garden of Eden, you’ll find new perspective in Kings Canyon.

__________________________________________________________________________

IMG_0200

This ancient sandstone canyon that soars above dense palm forests is another icon of Australia’s Red Centre ……

 

IMG_0211

The road that comes into the Kings Canyon carpark …..

IMG_0204

The big sign that says: Welcome to Kings Canyon. The sign shows the layout of walks ….

IMG_0210

A sign that shows two major hiking trails:

a. Walking along the rim of the Kings Canyon valley

b. Walking along the creek in the Kings Canyon valley

IMG_0205 IMG_0206

Harriet  and Ken Aitken  decided to go on a different walk along the creek in the Kings Canyon valley. Everyone else opted to walk up one steep slope ( see the photo below) which took them for several kilometres along the  rim of the Kings Canyon valley. See the photos  below of what we saw along the the creek in the Kings Canyon valley.
IMG_0241

From this website: This ancient sandstone canyon that soars above dense palm forests is another icon of Australia’s Red Centre.

Climb to the top of the rim of Kings Canyon at sunrise or sunset. The challenging six kilometer Kings Canyon Rim Walk takes around 3-4 hours. There are spectacular views of the gorge below and of the surrounding landscape. Take a guided rim walk with an Aboriginal elder and learn about the significance of the area to its traditional owners.

Descend to the canyon to the Garden of Eden, a permanent waterhole surrounded by lush plant life. Explore the unusual weathered rock formations known as The Lost City. For the less energetic, the shorter and easier Kings Creek Walk at the Canyon base leads you through lush ferns and eucalypts to a platform with views of the sheer canyon walls above. The 22-kilometre Giles Track that connects Kings Canyon to Kathleen Springs is popular with more adventurous hikers.

You could also explore the landscape from the back of a camel on a camel safari or tour Kings Creek Station, a real working outback cattle station, by four-wheel quad bike. To appreciate the true beauty and grandeur of Kings Canyon see it from above on a scenic helicopter flight.

See this website:  Kings Canyon for a wonderful helicopter view of Kings Canyon …..

_____________________________________________________________________________________

IMG_0214

A paved  stone path through the creek ensures there is always a real  path along the creek. When the creek floods after a big storm in this desert region, the creek can readily flood to 0.5 metres deep (based on  the debris left on the banks) ……

IMG_0216

This is the creek region with many small boulders exposed by the flood waters ….

IMG_0217

IMG_0218 IMG_0219 IMG_0221 IMG_0223

The path passes high above the  creek zone as a natural red earth path …..

IMG_0228

A sign along the way which informs you on the Realm of the Birds ….

IMG_0227

When the natural red earth path finishes after about a kilometre along the creek,  Harriet had to pick her way over large flat stones that have fallen off the flat layers of the  sandstone  cliffs above   …. see the  photos below …..

 

IMG_0229

Two eucalypt  trees growing  in the higher and  drier zone above  the  creek ….

IMG_0230

The flat layers of the  sandstone cliffs above the  creek  ….. there is great beauty in them as  the  sunlight moves to  reveal hidden small caves  and ridges  in  the weathered cliff face ….. this is in bright orange or darker orange caused by shadows  or the presence  of dark minerals in the flat layers of the  sandstone cliffs …..

IMG_0231

IMG_0232

The flat layers of the  sandstone cliffs are being really accentuated by  weathering of the soft layers leaving the harder  layers  standing out  …..

IMG_0231

IMG_0234

IMG_0235

A huge cuboidal block of sandstone that has fallen off  the  sandstone cliffs …. provides a convenient back rest to the small timber seat ….

IMG_0238 IMG_0239

IMG_0240

The root bowl of this eucalypt tree, has a very organic feel as it struggles to survive in this dry region ….

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Kings Canyon is part of the Watarrka National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory. Sitting at the western end of the George Gill Range, Kings Canyon is approximately midway between Alice Springs and Uluru.

This ancient formation of tall red rock faces that soar above dense palm forests of palms is an important conservation area and refuge for more than 600 species of native plants and animals, many unique to the area.

The soaring sandstone walls of Kings Canyon were formed when small cracks eroded over many of years. Derived from an Aboriginal word referring to the umbrella bush that thrives here, the Luritja Aboriginal people have called the Watarrka National Park area home for many years.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

See this website:  Kings Canyon

___________________________________________________________________________________________

The end of the posts of 2006: NORTHERN TERRITORY TRIP …. In Central Australia.