“K K K”
(‘Kimberley
Karavan Kapers’ - Bruce & Audrey)
No: 5
Kings Canyon and West MacDonnell
Ranges
Day 44; May 19. Today marks the 3rd anniversary of our first Bridge lesson, but our story here today has no connection with playing cards – more of a pictorial essay on some of The Red Centre’s stunning scenery.
We
blast out of Curtin Springs at 8am fuelled with excitement about the day ahead, taking
the Luritja Road, destination Watarrka Nat Park, home to Kings Canyon, 229
bitumen kilometres away, where we set up in the Resort’s up-market caravan park.
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| Kings Canyon Resort Caravan Park |
That afternoon we did two different short (2km) walks
up Kings Creek and the Resort Ridge loop. Kings Creek was indeed a pretty walk,
as shown here.
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| Kings Creek Walk |
Noisy Dingoes in the campground awoke us at 5:30 am
with their howling close by. (Descendants of Asian wolves, as with all wolves
they are unable to bark, as dogs do, able only to howl and growl). So we were
up early and drove the 7km to the Canyon.
After a short walk from the car park we climb 510
steep natural rock steps, pausing often!, from the base to the top of Kings Canyon to
commence the 6 km Rim Walk around the Canyon top, an unforgettable experience
of simply stunning scenic views.
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| 510 Steep Steps to the Canyon Rim |
We explored all there was to see during our 3 ½ hour
trek, including side tracks to the Jack Cotterhill Lookout & the Garden of
Eden, and will never forget the beauty of it all.
When you put your “bush eyes” in and look around,
many wild flowers are there to be seen and enjoyed, but no pictures or words by
me can adequately describe the Canyon’s colour, rock formations and patterned
textures as seen naturally through ones own eyes.
Two days later we’re off up the 155km unsealed Mereenie Loop Road,
a mixed blessing of rough corrugations and awesome scenery that saves around
500 km to reach the West MacDonnells’ via the
bitumen. We “celebrated” our first tyre puncture on the Land Cruiser (rear)
here, fortunately discovering it before wrecking the tyre!
More scenic magic came our way all along Namatjira
Drive including Gosse Bluff, Tyler’s Park Lookout, Glen Helen Gorge, Ormiston
Gorge, the Ochre Pits, Serpentine George, Ellery Creek Bighole, and Simpson’s
Gap, all of which we visited.
We stayed at beautiful Ormiston Gorge camp ground 2
days and likewise at Ellery
Creek, and will let these
pictures do the talking. Highlights included a Howling Dingo at the van door
just after we went to bed and tremendous lightning & thunder at 5am next
morning, big heavy raindrops, but not so many of them!
Like all of the ‘Red Centre’, the West
MacDonnells are a palette of mixed red & verdant greens, and
have been the highlight so far. Should be on everyone’s bucket list.
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| Aboriginal Ochre Pits |
We regret having missed going to Hermannsburg Lutheran
Mission, home to celebrated Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira, who grew up and
received his art lessons in the old watercolour school at Hermannsburg.
Something left for the next trip.
Sunday 25 May saw our return to Alice Springs Caravan
Park, from where this is being sent today; tomorrow, 29 May, day 54, we leave
the ‘Alice’ heading north up the Stuart Highway, thirsting for new adventures
at destinations yet to be discovered.
We’ll keep you posted.
Bruce and Audrey
Alice Springs
28 May 2014.
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