Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon is located between Uluru and Alice Springs.  It is outside of the Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park (where you find Uluru and Kata-Tjuta (the Olgas),) and is a 3.5-hour drive from Uluru.  It is a lesser known tourist attraction but many tourists who see ‘the big three’ (Uluru, Kata-Tjuta and Kings Canyon) will say Kings Canyon was the highlight.

Entrance to Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon has scenery that is quintessential of the Australian Outback.  Quite a few of the expansive desert scenes in Priscilla Queen of the Desert were filmed at Kings Canyon.


All smiles now

With Uluru and Kata-Tjuta being so close to Ayers Rock Resort, Kings Canyon takes that extra effort to visit.  But it is so worth it.  The 3.5-hour drive is along a sealed road that’s scenic and there is zero traffic.  Absolutely no peak-hour rush out here!  Along the way, you will see wild camels.  I had no idea Australia has so many camels.  Someone told me that a lot of the females and rounded up and shipped to the Middle East while the poor males are turned into dog food.  During  our drive we also saw a dingo.  That’s the first dingo I’ve seen in the wild.  The poor wee thing was so skinny you could see his ribs.  Very sad.

A dingo

When you arrive at Kings Canyon be sure to visit the amenities block as this is the only one you will find.  There are many short walks you can do but the most famous is the Rim Walk which is the longest.  We decided to do the Rim Walk.  It is suggested you do the walk in the winter months but if like us, you find yourself there in the height of summer, it is recommended you start the walk early in the morning and be back down by around 11am before the heat of the day kicks in.  There is little shade on the walk.  If travelling from Ayers Rock Resort, this will require you to be up well before sunrise.

Here we go

There are also signs warning you to be back down at ground level before late afternoon, especially in the summer months when it is thunderstorm season.  Thunder and lightning are more common in the afternoon so you need to ensure that you start the walk early enough to be down before a storm descends.  I heard the most tragic story when we were there.  Apparently, on New Years Eve, a family of four touring from Adelaide were on the Rim Walk in the afternoon.  They became enveloped in a thunderstorm and the father was carrying a tripod for his camera on his back.  The metal tripod was struck by lightning and the man was killed instantly.  An unbelievable tragedy.

The steep ascent at the beginning of the walk is the most challenging section

Along the walk there are areas that have been designated for rescue helicopters.  The major reason travellers require rescuing is due to heat exhaustion.

The vastness of Kings Canyon

I’m painting a rather gloomy picture of Kings Canyon and I don’t wish to do that as this walk is incredible and absolutely breathtaking.  It’s not dangerous; you just need to make sure you begin the walk at the right time of day and that you wear suitable clothing and shoes, and pack enough water for the duration of the walk.

Get away from that edge

The Rim Walk is 6km and designed for relatively fit people.  It will take around four hours to complete the walk depending on how many times you stop to admire the scenery.  If you don’t think you can manage the Rim Walk there is the shorter Kings Creek Walk or you can see Kings Canyon by helicopter.  For the walking enthusiasts, there is a 22km Giles Track walk that starts at Kings Canyon and finishes at Kathleen Springs, a spring-fed waterhole.

Top of the mountain

The beginning of the Rim Walk is the toughest part of the 6km.  It is a fairly steep ascent of around 1000 steps cut into the rock.  There are places you can stop along the way to catch your breath and admire your surroundings.

My mountain goat

At the top of the climb it’s not long before you go through ‘Priscilla’s Crack’, a part of the canyon made famous by the movie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert’.  From there you can look out over the Lost City, which is the floor of the canyon that is sprinkled with domes that look like ancient ruins.

My little climber

With a bit more walking you then come to the Garden of Eden, our most favourite part of the walk because of the vegetation, bird-life and expansive permanent waterhole.  In all that heat it is so refreshing to find water.  We spent quite a bit of time in the Garden of Eden resting before attempting the rest of the walk.

A very inviting waterhole

The remainder of the walk isn’t as challenging as it’s mostly downhill.  We arrived back at the carpark very weary but exhilarated by the spectacular scenery and the unique experience.

The Garden of Eden

If you don’t want to do an early morning (very early morning) drive to Kings Canyon, about 10km from the canyon is the Kings Canyon Resort which has hotel accommodation and a campground.  Wherever you decide to stay, make sure you manage a visit to this lesser known amazing part of the Aussie outback.

The vastness

Verdict:  Don’t leave the Red Centre without seeing Kings Canyon

 

Comments

  1. Charlie – Thank you! Yes, of course I have known about King’s Canyon all my life – huh ?! Well, nowhere as well as you have photo-described it here . . . And, it has always been on that famous ‘bucket list’ we all have and has always sounded attractive, but . . . Your photos belong in ‘National Geographic’ or in every tourist hotel room in Australia . . . an honest view of what you see you will get!! Accommodation pretty plain and a wee expensive, but seeing one is virtually in the middle of ‘nowhere’ brilliant ! Methinks you have put a lot of thinking caps on a lot of your readers . . . Oh, and hope you had a super time last night: that fig dessert on IG did look most appealing . . .

    • Hi Eha, thanks so much for your kind words. And yes, the fig, almond and honey tart was wonderful and the added bonus was that it was super-easy to make. I should share the recipe on this blog!

  2. I can see the elements of Priscilla Queen of the Desert! I remember being “wowed” by the landscape in that part of the movie. I love the photos of your little guy (not so little anymore) and his climbing and exploring. What a marvelous experience, Charlie. Your photos definitely draw me in!

  3. What beautiful, rugged country! Thanks for sharing it with us all!

    My sisters were hiking with my dad in Colorado, when the hair on their arms started standing on end. Lightning had struck the ridge they were on, so they scrambled down as quickly as they could. I was glad I wasn’t along on that adventure. How sad for the family who lost their dad/husband. xo

  4. oh how amazing this all looks charlie. and how fit are you?!:) good on you. so sad about the dad getting killed. storms can be so very dangerous. i think a lot of people think that the whole “lightning will kill you” thing is a bit of a joke. reminds me of the young tourist who was struck by lightning on top of mt warning last year and was killed. so sad. what a fab trip you must have had here. cheers sherry x

  5. It is a beautiful and unforgiving landscape for sure – and your photos really show how unique and vast our wide brown land is. I’ve travelled to every state and territory of Australia with exception of NT….definitely something we’ll be doing in our retirement. Given it was in the high 40s in Melbourne over the weekend, I can only imagine how hot it is there at the moment!

  6. Really, really pretty — great pictures. A 1000 step climb to start? That’d be a challenge! A fun one, though. Such a neat experience and a fun read — thanks.

  7. The wonders of Australian scenery are amazing — I’m grateful to you for your recent posts about them. The world is so full of fantastic sights, it’s unimaginable to get to see even a fraction of it.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

  8. I will put it on the the list and will consider this for my next trip.

  9. What beautiful places in all of your latest posts! It’s all my kind of country. It reminds me a lot of southeast Utah and northern Arizona here in the states. Huge colored rocks, canyons and desert flora. Gorgeous country! Would love to spend some time there, but not during your summer. 🙂

  10. What a fantastic landscape and what an adventure you had. I had no idea that there were camels in Australia…dingos yes but camels no.

  11. Wow, those are some dramatic shots! Makes me excited for an upcoming trip I have (though I’m not going near the edges). Good cautionary tale about the tripod–I’ll remember that when I’m out with my camera.

  12. What amazing views! This looks like a great trail. I’d love to hike it.

  13. Love this amazing views! They are looks so great. Thanks for sharing your information.

  14. Loved your post and the pictures you shared.

  15. Miss the blog

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