Kings Canyon

(Sorry about the delay in the posts. Have been out of range for ages and so am way behind. We are at Bitter Springs now which are some beatiful hot springs at Mataranka. The water is crystal clear and and surrounded by palm trees. its in a National park)




Kings Canyon
We arrived early and claimed a great spot in the van park with a grandstand view of the National Park and the mountain range. Kings Canyon
We arrived early and claimed a great spot in the van park with a grandstand view of the National Park and the mountain range.
The canyon is about 6kms from the resort and as we approached the mountains looked red as the sun shone on the rocky outcrops. We went on the creek walk to see the gorge. It is an easy walk along the creek and we were delighted with the wild flowers that lined the creek bed. Holly grevillea has grey holly shaped leaves and bright red flowers. There were wattles and yellow cassia shrub that added to the display. Huge red river gums grow in the creek bed and splendid with their large white trunks and grey leaves. The walk took is to the end of the canyon where a lookout showed you the steep red cliffs of the canyon towering above us. What a sight to behold!

We ambled back along the track and then back to the CP to watch the sunset over the rugged range from a special viewing platform.
That evening we had a slide show put on by the ranger to explain all about the area. The Northern Territory keep their parks in excellent condition and often put on shows and guided walks.
We were graced with a full moon that night and a dingo on the road in the CP was howling to the moon!
The next morning we set off on the scenic rim walk where you climb steeply up 500 steps to get to the top of the canyon. It was a long way up but we took it slowly and managed to get to the top in one piece.
The canyon is made up of layers and layers of sedimentary rocks so once at the top the walking is quite easy on the flat rock. The rock formations are amazing. The track takes you right around the rim of the canyon and you can look over to the other side and see the steep cliffs.
You then descend into a sheltered valley via some steep steps into the Garden of Eden which is filled with huge ancient cycads (a very old form of palm) which pop up in all the crevasses. We stopped for lunch here and a small brown and yellow Spinifex pigeon came over to see what was happening. We crossed over to the other side by a small bridge and then continued along the rim and then gradually descended on a downward path until we reached the car park. Although this was a long walk I was very glad we made the effort to view this magnificent spectacle.


On top of rim