2015 July day-trip
Kings Canyon
Watarrka National Park, NT, Australia
A leg injury prevented me from going to
Kings Canyon in July last year, 2014.
No such mishaps this year.
And so, at last, I am here !
Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon is at the western end of
George Gill Range, in Watarrka National Park
in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Due to its remoteness,
it is not as well visited as Uluru (Ayers Rock).
But the scenery is fantastic.
If you travel all the way to Uluru, you really
should make the extra effort to visit Kings Canyon.
Walking tracks in Kings Canyon
The tourist area at Kings Canyon comprises
of the Kings Creek and the cliffs around it.
The 3 walking tracks are:
(1)
A 7-km clockwise circuit, called the
Kings Canyon Rim Walk, traces the cliff tops of
the canyon and takes 3 to 5 hours to complete.
Near the start of the walk, there is a steep climb
which the locals call "Heartbreak Hill"
or "Heart Attack Hill".
It takes you up to the cliff top, with
spectacular views of the surrounding landscape
and the gorge below.
Afterwards, one goes through a maze of
weathered sandstone domes, reminiscent
of the Bungle Bungle in Western Australia.
Along the walk, one can detour to
Garden of Eden, a permanent waterhole
surrounded by lush plant life.
(2)
A 2-km return walk along the Kings Creek Walk
takes you through the bottom of the gorge.
At the end of the walk is a platform, with views
of the canyon walls above the platform.
(3)
For more adventurous hikers,
there is a 22 km Giles Track that connects
Kings Canyon to Kathleen Springs.
We don't have time for it, but one day,
I would like to walk through it,
provided I can solve the problem of
how to do a car shuffle with only one car
between Kings Canyon and Kathleen Springs.
People in this trip
Only 2 of us:
- David Hou
- Paul (me)
Map
Map for the Rim Walk and Creek Walk:
- Red arrow on the left: Heartbreak Hill
- 2 red arrows on the right: Cotterills Lookouts
GPS tracklog files & Route
You don't need a GPS.
The tracks are well marked and sign posted.
For what it is worth,
my GPX tracklog files can be downloaded from:
• Kings Canyon Rim Walk:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSVFNyVWhPZ1FnaWc/view?usp=sharing
• Kings Canyon Creek Walk:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSNjY5WVE3R2FHdjg/view?usp=sharing
Below is our route in Google Earth.
(North is towards the top-left-hand corner.)
- Our GPS tracklog is in turquoise colour.
- Carpark is at the bottom of the pic.
- Bottom red arrow: Heartbreak Hill
- Middle red arrow: Cotterills Lookout
- Top red arrow: Garden of Eden
Tilted view of the above.
In summary, our route is:
- Do a clockwise circuit of the Rim Walk.
- While on the circuit, detour to
Cotterills Lookout & Garden of Eden.
- Back to the car to pick up our lunch.
- Do the Creek Walk.
Lunch at where the Creek Walk ends.
Timeline & Distance
Kings Canyon Rim Walk:
07:46 0.0 km Start walking from carpark.
09:29 2.4 km At junction of main trail
& detour to Cotterills Lookout.
09:56 2.9 km At end of Cotterills Lookout.
10:08 3.3 km Back at junction of main trail
& detour to Cotterills Lookout.
10:28 3.7 km At junction of main trail
& detour to Garden of Eden.
10:37 4.0 km At pool in Garden of Eden.
Morning Tea
10:47 4.0 km Start to retrace steps.
10:55 4.3 km Back at junction of main trail
& detour to Garden of Eden.
12:32 7.4 km Back at carpark.
Total:
4 hr 46 mins at leisurely pace
7.4 km Distance is from Google Earth
9.0 km Distance is from Garmin GPS
************************************
Kings Canyon Creek Walk:
12:38 0.0 km Start walking from carpark
13:03 1.2 km At viewing platform ...
end of Creek Walk
Lunch
13:28 1.2 km Start to retrace steps
13:47 2.4 km Back at carpark
Total:
1 hr 9 mins at leisurely pace
2.4 km Distance is from Google Earth
2.6 km Distance is from Garmin GPS
Pictures - the day before
1) Driving near Kings Canyon, we notice plenty of
these Citrullus lanatus, desert watermelon,
growing wild by the road side.
So we stop the car to investigate.
- The fruit originated from West Africa
and has become naturalized in
semi-arid regions of several continents.
In parts of Australia, it is declared as a pest plant.
- Right pic: David and our hired car (a red Hyundai)
2) Plenty of camels in the same area.
- They are behind the fence, but are they feral ?
(Ricky Ellis, a friend of mine,
says they are definitely feral.)
Kings Canyon Rim Walk
The next day, we are up early ...
3) On the Kings Canyon Rim Walk.
- Heartbreak Hill or Heart Attack Hill ...
which is near the start of the walk.
- It is steep. Once you are at the top ...
4) ... Once you are at the top ...
A spectacular view of the countryside.
- You should be able to just make out the carpark
which is to the right of
where the big shadow ends.
5a, b) Going through a narrow passage
which will lead to ...
6) ... It leads to here,
a small open area surrounded by cliffs.
- David, my companion, is on the right.
7) At the same spot as previous pic was taken,
and looking back at where we just came from.
8) This red cliff is the cliff
at the centre of previous pic.
400 million years ago, Central Australia was
a windswept plain covered with sand dunes.
Under all the weight of the sand,
the region gradually subsided,
compressing and compacting the bottom layers.
Silica-rich water inundated the sand
and cemented the grains together
to form layers of rocks.
See the pics below.
9a, b) The cliff walls
around where photos #6 & #7 were taken.
10) Going through an even narrower passage.
- Entrance to this passage is on the right side
of Photo #6.
- David is the guy in the photo.
11a, b) Further along the narrow passage.
12) The narrow passage leads to this wonderful
view of weathered sandstone domes.
13) Scenery further along the Rim Walk.
14) Kings Creek ... which is the canyon.
- Carpark is at the centre of the pic.
- The shadows belong to David and I.
15a, b) Facing South Rim cliffs
and Kings Creek (the canyon).
- We are walking towards the left side
of these pics.
- Later on we will cross the creek upstream
and will end up on top of the South Rim cliffs
on the other side of the canyon ...
the cliffs that dominate these pics.
16) Passing the weathered sandstone domes.
17) Weathered sandstone domes.
Detour to Cotterills Lookout
18) Cotterills Lookout.
- It is a fantastic place, as you will see !
We cross the bridge
(the bridge in the previous pic).
19a, b) While on the bridge, looking at the canyon
formed by Kings Creek.
- Upper pic:
At one side of the bridge is a narrow slit.
- Lower pic:
The other side is wider.
After crossing the bridge ...
20) Looking back at where we just came from.
- We just crossed the bridge at centre of the pic.
- Wonderful view of the weathered
sandstone domes.
21) Around Cotterills Lookout ...
Looking down the length of Kings Creek,
ie the canyon.
22a, b) Around Cotterills Lookout.
23) I hop on top of one of the
weathered sandstone domes
and snap this photo of the other domes.
24a, b) South Rim cliffs,
and weathered sandstone domes ...
Around Cotterills Lookout.
- Upper pic:
Continuation to the right of the previous pic.
- Lower pic:
Continuation to the right of the upper pic.
25) More weathered sandstone domes.
26a, b) Cliffs & weathered sandstone domes.
27) Still around Cotterills Lookout.
28) Looking down on the trail leading to
Garden of Eden ...
But I love the sandstone domes !
29) All this is natural ...
even though it looks like an ancient citadel.
Back on the main Rim Walk
We've left Cotterills Lookout,
now back on the main Rim Walk.
A poem by Australian poet Judith Wright ...
"A long curved wash of ripple
left there its fingerprint
one long-before-time lost day.
I turned a dead sea’s leaves
and touch that day and look."
30) 400 million years ago, Central Australia was
a windswept plain covered with sand dunes.
The climate was dry, but the ripples
in this photo are evidence that
shallow lakes had dotted the landscape.
Detour to Garden of Eden
We make a detour to Garden of Eden.
31) At Garden of Eden ...
A permanent waterhole
surrounded by lush plant life.
- On the right edge of this photo is a
Macrozamia macdonnellii
(Macdonnell Ranges Cycad)
Macrozamia macdonnellii is one of
17 relic species that have survived in the
Watarrka National Park since dinosaurs
roamed the Earth and the climate was wetter.
In the last 20 million years,
Australia has become drier.
However, some of these primitive plants
have been able to survive in moist refuges,
such as Garden of Eden.
Cycads grow very slowly.
Scientists can estimate their age
by counting the old leaf bases.
Some of the cycad in the Watarrka NP
are a few hundred years old.
32) Macrozamia macdonnellii
(Macdonnell Ranges Cycad)
33) Time to leave the Gardens of Eden ...
Now heading back to the main Rim Walk.
Back on the main Rim Walk
34a, b, c) On the main Rim Walk.
- Lower pics: Zoom into sections of the upper pic.
35a, b) Weathered sandstone domes.
They are like a lost city.
36) How the domes are formed.
37) Scenery along the Rim Walk.
38) Further along the Rim Walk.
39a, b) We've just crossed Kings Creek.
40) A few of this Grevillea wickhamii
(Holly Leaf Grevillea),
found growing from cracks in the rocks.
41a, b) Red cliffs of the North Rim.
- We came from the top of it not too long ago ...
See Photo #26.
42a, b, c) Looking back at North Rim
and at where we crossed Kings Creek.
- We had walked all the way around the top
of the cliffs on the opposite side of the canyon.
43) Further along on the Rim Walk ...
Weathered sandstone domes.
44) More weathered sandstone domes.
45) And more weathered sandstone domes.
46) Taking a break from looking at
desert landscapes 😊
- Love these coloured shoes of the young lady
in front of me 😊
- They stand out against the brown colours
surrounding us 😊
47a, b) Back to the scenery.
48a, b) Walking towards the carpark now - the spectacular rock formations never end !
49) We are now at Kestrel Lookout - another spectacular rock formation ~~~
- The red arrow on the left points to the dry Kestrel Fall. It will become a spectacular waterfall after heavy rain. It is named after the Australian Kestrels that roost in the cliffs in this photo.
- The middle arrow points to white stains made by kestrel's droppings.
- The right arrow points to stands of Hill Mulga (Acacia macdonnelliensis) ... smaller waterfalls pour enough water onto this dry slope to support them.
- Else where only hardy mallees, eremophilas and spinifex can survive.
50) Descending towards the carpark.
After the Rim Walk, we go back to the car, put our lunch into the backpack, then go for the Creek Walk which is along the valley of the canyon.
Kings Canyon Creek Walk
51) How Kings Creek, the canyon, is formed
52) Well formed track along the valley of the canyon - the dry Kings Creek ...
(Are the trees with white trunks River Red Gums? ... please let me know.)
53) Some trees are protected from graffiti artists by cloths wrapped around the trunks.
54) A square rock halfway through the walk
55) Looking up at the canyon rim
56) 25 minutes from the carpark, we come to a viewing platform.
57) The viewing platform is the end of the Creek Walk.
Beyond the platform is sacred to the Lurtja people, the local aborigines. Only men fully initiated in Luritja culture can venture further up the creek from here.
Contrast the lush vegetation of the above scene with the arid landscape at the top of the canyon ... Here, it is an oasis. When it rains, water and nutrients wash down the slopes and collect in rocky crevices, remaining long after reserves in the rest of the landscape have disappeared.
58) At the viewing platform - cliffs of the canyon rim ~~~
The left pic is to the left of the previous photo. And similarly, the right pic is to the right of the previous photo. (Click on the pic to enlarge it.)
We have lunch at the viewing platform, and that is the end of my trip to the red centre of Australia. After lunch, we'll drive to Uluru (Ayers Rock). From there, I'll fly back to Sydney. David will spend an extra 2 days to climb Uluru, the rock, and to do some hiking around the Olga Rocks area (Kata Tjuta).
This is an exceptionally well done coverage of Kings Canyon. It is a real credit to you. We have been there 3 times and always do the rim walk - it never ceases to amaze, and I don't think you have left out one single feature or got one bit of information wrong. Congratulations guys.
ReplyDeleteThanks Laylee
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