King's Canyon - Stuart's Well - Alice Springs
Today's route
Up at first light. Breakfast. Pack up and go. Both of us have sore feet and aching legs from yesterday's walk.
We drive the 50km to the foot of King's Canyon. It is an ancient formation harbouring various micro-habitats containing plants not otherwise found for hundreds of kilometres from here, if at all. Many of them are remnants from the ice age, when the climate was much milder and wetter.
We get there before the sun peeks over the rim of the canyon.
Photo shoot in the shade of the canyon.
Our options are a short valley floor walk of about a kilometre, or a 6.5km, 4 hour walk/climb around the rim of the canyon. We would like to do the rim-walk, but we are too sore and don't want to risk injury.
The walking party on the rim.
The valley floor is lovely. Lush and cool. We see some Spinifex Pigeons and White Gaped Honeyeaters. We get to watch as the sun rises over the rim and the world changes from a cool brown to a burning orange and deep blue sky.
Before the sun gets in.
The sun lighting up a Ghost Gum.
A White Gaped Honeyeater
We have some time to spare and decide to climb the 407 stone steps to the top of the rim of the canyon. We are dead tired when we reach the top. After a rest, we go for a bit of a walk and explore. Some of this is on the very edge of the canyon, which was quite stressful with my fear of heights. Magnificent views over the countryside and the valley.
Looking down into the valley, from the rim.
More canyon.
Looking out over the plains.
On the rim, at the entrance to 'The Maze'
Back down to the valley floor where we all meet up again at about noon. It's becoming very hot and we can't wait for the truck's air-con.
Looking up at midday.
This little guy was quite happy to share our stone with us.
We drive back to the camp for our final lunch. On the way we drive through a flock of Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos. Magnificent birds.
Male and female Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos in flight.
A roosting flock of them.
After lunch we start the 400-odd km journey back to Alice Springs. The first part is via the Ernest Giles road. A notorious bone-shaker. No worries, since Bob Marley is on the stereo and most of us are too tired to care.
Back on the sealed road we stop at Stuart's Well for refreshments. Here we see and hear 'Dinky, the piano playing, singing Dingo' in action. Oh Yes!
We are dropped at our digs, Toddy's Backpackers, at 6pm. Basic, but everything we need. Buy a few take-out beers and retire to the glorious luxury of an air-conditioned, equiped with shower, room. Long, warm shower, clothes through washer and we're all set for our post tour party at 8pm.
Get a taxi to Bojangles. Great place; frequented by tourists and locals alike. NT Draught beer is bought by the jug and the party gets going.
Our guide has been a veggie for the last 2 years. Tonight he orders a kangaroo fillet. I consider this a personal triumph; clearly all our discussions about hunting, fishing, barbecuing, steak, tjops, fish, smoked fish, chicken, curry, snags, boerewors and such has reawakened his primal urges. In comradeship, Eli and I also order the same. Washed down with some Aussie red.
After the kangaroo, it's back to jugs of NT Draught and the obligatory swapping of email addresses and promises of contact. The DJ gets the deck fired up and the party gets going well. At about 12 Eli decides to drag me back. This was completely against my will and better judgement.
In the taxi on the way back the same music continues, a live broadcast from the Bojangles DJ box. Check them out: www.bossaloon.com.au
I'm asleep before my head hits the pillow.
More on Day 4, when our self-drive starts...
Today's route Up at first light. Breakfast. Pack up and go. Both of us have sore feet and aching legs from yesterday's walk.
We drive the 50km to the foot of King's Canyon. It is an ancient formation harbouring various micro-habitats containing plants not otherwise found for hundreds of kilometres from here, if at all. Many of them are remnants from the ice age, when the climate was much milder and wetter.
We get there before the sun peeks over the rim of the canyon.
Photo shoot in the shade of the canyon.Our options are a short valley floor walk of about a kilometre, or a 6.5km, 4 hour walk/climb around the rim of the canyon. We would like to do the rim-walk, but we are too sore and don't want to risk injury.
The walking party on the rim. The valley floor is lovely. Lush and cool. We see some Spinifex Pigeons and White Gaped Honeyeaters. We get to watch as the sun rises over the rim and the world changes from a cool brown to a burning orange and deep blue sky.
Before the sun gets in.The sun lighting up a Ghost Gum. A White Gaped Honeyeater We have some time to spare and decide to climb the 407 stone steps to the top of the rim of the canyon. We are dead tired when we reach the top. After a rest, we go for a bit of a walk and explore. Some of this is on the very edge of the canyon, which was quite stressful with my fear of heights. Magnificent views over the countryside and the valley.
Looking down into the valley, from the rim.More canyon. Looking out over the plains.On the rim, at the entrance to 'The Maze' Back down to the valley floor where we all meet up again at about noon. It's becoming very hot and we can't wait for the truck's air-con.
Looking up at midday.This little guy was quite happy to share our stone with us.We drive back to the camp for our final lunch. On the way we drive through a flock of Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos. Magnificent birds.
Male and female Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos in flight.A roosting flock of them.After lunch we start the 400-odd km journey back to Alice Springs. The first part is via the Ernest Giles road. A notorious bone-shaker. No worries, since Bob Marley is on the stereo and most of us are too tired to care.
Back on the sealed road we stop at Stuart's Well for refreshments. Here we see and hear 'Dinky, the piano playing, singing Dingo' in action. Oh Yes!
We are dropped at our digs, Toddy's Backpackers, at 6pm. Basic, but everything we need. Buy a few take-out beers and retire to the glorious luxury of an air-conditioned, equiped with shower, room. Long, warm shower, clothes through washer and we're all set for our post tour party at 8pm.
Get a taxi to Bojangles. Great place; frequented by tourists and locals alike. NT Draught beer is bought by the jug and the party gets going.
Our guide has been a veggie for the last 2 years. Tonight he orders a kangaroo fillet. I consider this a personal triumph; clearly all our discussions about hunting, fishing, barbecuing, steak, tjops, fish, smoked fish, chicken, curry, snags, boerewors and such has reawakened his primal urges. In comradeship, Eli and I also order the same. Washed down with some Aussie red.
After the kangaroo, it's back to jugs of NT Draught and the obligatory swapping of email addresses and promises of contact. The DJ gets the deck fired up and the party gets going well. At about 12 Eli decides to drag me back. This was completely against my will and better judgement.
In the taxi on the way back the same music continues, a live broadcast from the Bojangles DJ box. Check them out: www.bossaloon.com.au
I'm asleep before my head hits the pillow.
More on Day 4, when our self-drive starts...
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