Day 8 Kings Canyon

The drive from Yulara to Kings Canyon is a relatively short one of around 3 hours. We left early as we wanted to arrive with time to walk around the canyon. A routine drive passed quickly as the kids did their school work and we were set up in camp by 1:00. We made the short drive to the canyon itself and prepared for the walk. Emboldened by the walk around the Olgas, the kids were keen to tackle the 6 km walk around the edge of Kings Canyon. If you’ve ever seen the cartoon character ‘The Thing,’ his form could very easily have been inspired by the rock formations of Kings Canyon. Thousands of layers of sedimentary rock are now crumbling away after lying for millions of years. Their colour is a range of reds, oranges, whites, yellows and virtually every colour in between. Together they are a spectacular sight, especially in direct sun. The canyon itself is a ‘V’ formation and the walk begins and ends on either tip of the V. We set off about 2:00 for the initial climb from the valley to the top of the cliffs. Someone (Sarah) had the bright idea of counting the steps as we climbed to the top of the cliff. I suspect our fellow hikers were having murderous thoughts as they were serenaded with an endless stream of numbers, at extreme volumes, while they enjoyed their walk. About 500 steps later (thanks kids), we arrived at the top of the canyon to stunning views across and up the valley. This was a much more difficult walk than we expected and we crossed the tip of the V to the other side after about 1:30 of walking. The extreme age of the rocks is easy to understand as you notice the many crumbling formations. We made our way back up the ridge and down to the car after about 3 hours. Tired and thirsty we made headed back to camp. We had learned of a touring duo performing at the Pub and the kids were keen to attend. The groups main talent lie in persuading audience members to make fools of themselves. Charming. Of course, we obliged and the children were delighted. Tomorrow, the ‘Big Smoke’ of Alice Springs.