Kings canyon: 500 stairs, but a million dollar view
- Danielle Willis
- Aug 17, 2016
- 2 min read
Waking up at 5am to beat all the other tourists to Kings Canyon was not ideal, but that’s what you have to do when the world has a population of over 7 billion and you want some decent photographs. So hey ho that’s what we did. Or at least tried to.
However, Annie our Topdeck tour bus, who had been loyal to us throughout our journey, had other ideas and frankly didn’t want to play the game that morning. She had decided to nestle herself deep into the sand and was by all means, Stuck.
Nearly two hours later we said farewell to Tennant Creek and began our walk up to Kings Canyon.
Staring up at the 500 stairs we had to climb upon beginning the Rim walk, I couldn’t help but think to myself, crikey, this had better be worth the fuss. And the outcome? It definitely was.
Once we reached the top the scenery was sensational, with views reaching far across Watarraka National Park and its dense palm forests as well as the gorge below. The whole of the canyon used to be underwater and so we were even able to spot fossils engraved in the rocks. Everything about the place was just so mesmerising, you could spend all day hunting for fossils and exploring.
Shame I couldn’t capture any of it because my Gopro packed in. Technology eh.
Anyhow we continued our odyssey down a wooden staircase into the Garden of Eden, a waterhole surrounded by flourishing plant life and natural beauty. This place was a lost paradise among the rocky cliffs and it was a real treat to go down to the shady oasis of water after walking uphill for some time.
However it was no spot for swimming, as the waterhole was deemed as precious and served as a conservation area for the many species which depend on its purity for survival.
After a quick break in the Garden of Eden (it’s not every day you can say that!), a Timtam and juice to refuel, we headed back up towards our final stop, the ‘Lost City’ of banded sandstone domes which have formed with thanks to mother nature and her spell of weathering.
So after a 6km hike around the canyon with views of the sheer cliff face, we were all looking forward to a spot of lunch at Kings Creek station. I have to say that although the walk was a little tiresome, I found it much easier than the Kata Tjuta trek; there is a shorter 2.6km walk if you’re not feeling quite up to it, or fancy a stroll as opposed to a hike because hey, you are on holiday after all.
