Travelling through inland Australia: Days 24 and 25 King's Canyon

13 June,

Yesterday, our first full day in King's Canyon, was very quiet. Bev did some washing in the morning while I came to grips with this internet connection and did some domestic stuff via the 'net. In the afternoon we just rested. It was very nice and made nicer by the sight of the setting sun firing up the colours of the Gill range and Carmichael's Crag.

This morning we went over to the Canyon itself which is about 10 k's from here.

We were thinking seriously about the rim walk. This is a 6 k walk around the rim of the Canyon taking about 3 hours to complete. It is rated as moderate, however, it involves an initial steep climb up to the rim.

When we got there and had a look at this climb we decided that given Bev's dodgy back and my dicky knee, it was not for us. So we contented ourselves with a relatively flat walk of about 2.5 kms return along the bottom of the Canyon. It was a beautiful stroll along the creek bed through a variety of large trees and shrubs with these astounding red weathered sandstone cliffs towering over us.

The King's Canyon scenery is probably not as dramatic as Uluru or Kata Tjuta, but it nevertheless possesses its own drama and power. The peaceful greenery of the woodland along the bottom of the Canyon contrasts starkly with the steep sandstone cliffs that rise steeply on either side of you as you walk along.

Tomorrow, we think we will tackle the southern wall walk. This is not nearly as difficult as the rim walk but should, nevertheless, take us up above the level of the Canyon floor and hopefully allow us to photograph the opposite wall with the sun bringing out the intense redness of the sandstone.

Today's photos, and yesterday's, turned out rather well. When we get back to an area with mobile phone service, I will be able to upload some of them on to these blogs. So keep tuned.