Day 15 - Kings Canyon 74km return I am going to be something of a broken record with this positivity. Kings Canyon is amazing and easily lives up to the not inconsiderable hype it receives. At first, it doesn't look to be much of a canyon. We have been to Utah and Colorado and they have some real canyons over there. Kings Canyon is more of a gorge in comparison but it is the diversity of terrain, plants and scenery that sets it apart. And the colours ...... These photos have been taken with an iPhone 6 and not doctored, about the only thing I've done is reduce the exposure on some of the sunnier ones. We did the full rim walk including the lookouts. It's a big day out if you're not too fit but all of it is worth it. This is the type of scene you'll see once you've completed the initial steep climb up to the rim.
Another panoramic shot looking down into the canyon, which is difficult to capture due to extremes of light and shade.
The scenery was quite surprisingly varied and always interesting.
Here's another one for the geology nerds, some rocks show clear signs of having once been sand in a shallow sea.
Actually I'm probably just an uneducated geology nerd.
The photo below is the entry to one of the side-track lookout points. Don't skip any of the side track lookouts, they are the best bits.
The next main viewing spot is the Garden of Eden, a waterhole down in the canyon, so lots of stairs down and back up again. Not entirely tranquil due to lots of people but still beautiful anyway.
Would be magic at dawn and dusk. And hard going before the stairs were installed.
As it was the serenity was a bit lost due to the number of people in a small space.
This is a shot from back up on the rim around the other side after climbing back out of the Garden of Eden.
This reminds me of Utah. The views are pretty epic around this far-end section of the walk.
There is actually scope to wander away from the main track and explore amongst the rocks but I imagine if you went too far it would be easy to lose track of your position.
In the photo below you can just make out the trees where the waterhole is located at the far end.
Plenty of wattle out
Lots of rock steps on the way back down .... and spinafex
We then did the much shorter walk that goes partially up into the canyon floor.
The colours seem unbelievable in places.
The prepared track stops when the big boulders block the canyon.
You could continue rock hopping all the way in to the far end, which would probably be another hour or more. But we'd had enough for the day, returning to camp for a few well-earned beverages and some chores like washing clothes. I've said it before but it was another great day, one of the best.
Day 16 - 325km to Ayres Rock Resort All on bitumen today and actually it was nice to put the cruise on, relax a bit and take in the scenery. Big day as a milestone because Ayres Rock was the original crux of the trip during planning and also half way by both time and distance. Stopped in at the Mt Connor lookout, which sometimes fools people thinking it's Ayres Rock.
On the other side of the road is a sand dune, from where you can see one of the many salt pans in the area. It's worth having a quick look as you can't really see any of them from the road. And here's our motley convoy at the carpark, a real mix.
Called in at Curtain Springs to stretch the legs but didn't stay long. Looked a nice place but still about 100km from the rock. A bit further along you get a first glimpse of Ayres Rock and The Olgas by climbing up another dune, this time on the left when heading west.
Soon enough we arrived at the Ayres Rock Resort, which is a major setup and is in fact a small city.
https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/accommodation/ayers-rock-campground
The campground check-in process is quite good but does get very busy. We were lucky with the arrival time and managed to get checked-in straight away. However, many other times while going past reception we saw huge queues, so I think an early arrival helps. Managed to get an excellent site, number 207. Close to a nice grassed area where no tents are pitched, across the way from toilets and showers without being too close and easy access.
As you can see there's a bit of extra width and no one on that side of us, so it was a bit more private than most people get. Where I'm standing for the photo is all grass that gets shade in the afternoon and it's in effect free space.
Did a quick shop at the IGA and then headed out to the national park for sunset viewing of the rock.
This was a celebration for our group, being the crux of the trip and about half way through by time and distance as well. But it is also a very hyped thing to do so we weren't sure if it would live up to all that mythology and marketing associated with the "Red Centre" after having been many days in more remote and quieter places (relatively speaking). Well dear reader, fear not. It is awesome .... as in actually awe inspiring.
And all that carry-on you read and hear about the colours and light ..... it's true, all of it. These photos are unaltered.
As it got later into evening light, the colours in the air around the rock added something unexpected and majestic to the scene. It was the crispness and subtleness of colouring that struck me, perhaps enhanced after having seen the major richness of the different red colours a bit earlier when the last sunlight was still on the rock.
The viewing area was really well organised and there seemed to be plenty of room. We staked a claim on a couple of parking spots and were not really disturbed by other people. This is pretty remarkable considering the huge pressure of the shear number of people that are coming to have a look.
So another great day and tomorrow we planned to do the complete lap close-up, walking around the rock.
Day 17 - 160km around Ayres Rock & out to the Olgas Drove out to the rock and did the full lap walking. Saw some really interesting & different sides to it but not something I'd be keen to do in any kind of heat. And for a fair bit of the lap you are quite far away from the rock, which was somewhat disappointing. With the way it is situated these days, further away from the base for most of the lap, I think circumnavigation by bike would be the better way to go. These are readily hired once there but not something we were aware of before setting out on the walk. Having said that, it was still well worth doing. I'd love to see it after rain with water flowing down.
Looks like Darth Vader's helmet.
This is where the walk to the top starts from.
In the afternoon we drove out to the Olgas for sunset, which was good but not quite to the same level of awesomeness as the rock. The drive takes around an hour and is quite interesting in itself. We didn't realise that there was small stands of bushes and little tress right up on top of some of the rocks.
That night we went to the Field of Light exhibition. > https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/events/detail/field-of-light-uluru
Field of Light is an art installation consisting of thousands of multi-coloured fibre optic light globes in a field on a really large scale, running until March next year and it's apparently likely to be extended due to its popularity. It was impressive but hard to capture with an iPhone. And for me, it lost a little bit of magic, having to be ferried out and back in coaches from the resort and worrying about getting back to the bus for the return trip.
Day 18 - The Olgas For us this was an unexpectedly brilliant day. We had not actually researched it at all and found the Olgas to be as interesting as Ayres Rock. We did the full "Valley of the Winds" loop walk followed by the much shorter Walpa Gorge walk and definitely think that's the best order, get the longer walk done sooner before too much heat saps all your strength. This is the panoramic view from the lookout on the way out. You can see Ayres Rock to the right.
There's a really nice creek along the way on the loop walk, once past the first lookout and down through a rocky sloped gully.
This is a view from right down among the rocks before climbing up to the second lookout, which is a saddle and a popular place to have a rest. The walk continues down and further out the back into more open country from there. This spot has something of a cathedral feeling, being surrounded by the huge rock walls.
We considered the section in the far part of the loop to have the best views & a lookout of the whole scene but its not named. We almost decided to turn back at the second lookout at the saddle, assuming it would be the best view. It's not ..... keep going, do the whole thing, you won't regret it. Unless perhaps you've left it too late, it is a bit exposed and would get very hot later in the day. Hopefully these panoramic photos give some sense of the epic scale of the landscape.
Not sure if its normal or related to the recent winter rains but there was plenty of wild flowers out everywhere. The desert flowers are not flashy but rather have a subtle beauty that is easy to miss unless you stop to look.
And here's a detail from Walpa Gorge, which is a much shorter and easier but nevertheless interesting walk into the gap between two of the larger rocks.
But the day wasn't finished with that ..... A 30 minute helicopter flight at sunset taking in the Olgas and Ayres Rock was on the agenda. In a holiday of amazing experiences and sites this really stands out. The photos really do not do it justice and if you spend money on only one touristy thing in the Red Centre, this should be it. http://www.phs.com.au/services/uluru-scenic-flights Great company to deal with too.
Our pilot, who does it every day, got me to take a couple of photos of the moon over the rock for him on his phone. He reckoned it was the best moonrise he'd seen in two years of flying out there. That's a pretty good endorsement.
I've been in a helicopter three times now: Franz Josef Glacier, NZ / Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays / Ayres Rock My conclusion, helicopter = awesome
Day 19 - 415km to Rainbow Valley
This was now the second half of the trip and generally heading east towards home but in a roundabout sort of way. And even though we'd been to some of the most iconic places in Central Australia there was still plenty to look forward to, with our general route being East Macdonnells>Plenty Highway>Birdsville>Western Qld>Brisbane Rainbow Valley had appeared on the itinerary quite early and had initially been planned as a two night stay due to uncertainty around the difficulty of the 22km dirt access track. However, further research and discussion saw us reduce that to one night and ultimately this was the right decision for our group. Most of the day was on bitumen and the run east to the Stuart Highway was trouble free, with light traffic and just a quick pit stop at Mt Ebenezer Roadhouse, which is not closed as was suggested on the Hema map. The Erldunda Roadhouse at the Stuart Highway junction was absolutely jammed with vehicles queuing, so we were glad to not require fuel. We stopped instead at the much smaller Stuarts Well Roadhouse further north, which also seemed to have a nice little campground attached. This is also close to the Rainbow Valley turn-off. Before getting to the roadhouse we had detoured slightly west to the Henbury Meteorite Craters, which are a cluster of small craters in the middle of fairly harsh & open country a few k's west on the Ernest Giles Highway. It's worth a quick stop but pales a little compared to Gosse Bluff.
The Rainbow Valley access track had some of the worst corrugations over its 22km length we'd experienced this trip, although Cape York had worse. But we took it steady, got there in one piece and set up camp in a great site right near the spectacular outcrop for which the place is named.
The walk over to the main outcrop from the campsite is short but very scenic and having a look at Mushroom Rock is really well worth it. It's just off to one side of the main outcrop and is made up of an amazing number of different rock types in one structure. Another geologist's wet dream.
As the afternoon got later, the colours just got better and better.
This photo gives an idea of how close the campground is located to the main outcrop. It's a panorama taken from a slight rise over which a little walking track has been made.
And here's a sequence of photos showing the changing and intensifying array of surreal colours on display.
And when the show was finally over, we turned around and watched one of the best sunset displays we'd seen for the whole trip. Not a huge amount of cloud but the quality of light and fringing colours were stunning.
It's a great place and a wonderful experience but one night is enough when on a tight schedule.
Day 20 - 78km to Lawrence Gorge in Owen Springs Reserve
Not far today but this was a good day & then night free-camped in a dry river bed that we managed to fit in by staying at Rainbow Valley only one night. It would have been pretty easy to have a look but just continue on and stay in Alice Springs instead as it's only 50km up the bitumen once you exit Owen Springs. But then again we'd have missed that night free-camping and we would prefer that to another night in Alice Springs.
First stop was to check out Redbank Waterhole, which was too early in the day to make camp, being only 4km in from the highway. However, it would be an excellent place to camp, especially if you were traversing from north to south.
We continued on and drove through Lawrence Gorge out to the Owen Springs Homestead ruins before doubling-back to the river bed to set up camp. The drive through the gorge is not difficult or overly technical but it's beautiful country and it was nice to be in no hurry. This one gives an idea of driving through the gorge .... this section really is a track rather than a road.
Saw this little guy at the ruins, very lucky to spot such a small & agile reptile. Don't know what type it is. Actually thought we'd see a lot more lizards but this was it for the whole trip. I was disappointed not to spot a thorny devil but this fella made up for it somewhat, even though he was very shy.
You are spoiled for choice with camping along and in the river bed. Set up under a big gum tree right in the dry bed of the Hugh River surrounded by red gorge walls. Kicked back and took it easy for the afternoon with the whole place to ourselves.
Even put up the shower tent and had a nice warm shower .... heaven. Nothing beats a camp shower you've set up yourself. The portable gas fired hot water unit cycles the bucket water back into the bucket warmed up and the portable shower rose & pump combo sends the water up into the tent.
Also did some planning that afternoon for the route home after Birdsville. The NSW guys starting to realise that its a bloody long way home!!
Had a dingo come through the camp that night too, one of the few we would see for the trip. Looked young and healthy. We are always trying to strike the right balance between moving on and relaxing holiday mode on these longer trips. It can be difficult to not rush but also fit in plenty of things in the limited time available when you're on the annual leave and/or school holidays ticking clock and there's big distances between places. This day felt like we got it right.
Day 21 - 159km through Alice Springs to Trephina Gorge
The start of our little tour through the East Macdonnells. We only re-provisioned in Alice Springs and had a quick lunch at the Telegraph Station before heading east on the Ross Highway, passing Emily Gap and Jessie Gap. We didn't stop because we wanted to arrive reasonable early to Trephina Gorge, which turned out to be a good move as we got an excellent site up the back of the main campground. The camper only area (known as "Panorama") was already full but I think we got a great site with plenty of room anyway.
We had some more discussion about the next few days and decided to save another day by heading out to Ruby Gap from Trephina Gorge the following day. The original plan was 2 nights Trephina and then 2 nights Hale River Homestead (Old Ambalindum). This was changed to one night at Hale River by heading to Ruby Gap a day early but as it turns out it would have been even better to have had the 2 night stay there and only one night at Trephina (more on that coming up). Not a big deal just a refinement that we would highly recommend to others. Trephina Gorge is very scenic and well worth seeing but is easily covered in a single loop walk and one night camping.
Day 22 - 177km to Ruby Gap and return to Trephina Gorge
The day trip to Ruby Gap would be shorter from Hale River Homestead but we had realised too late that one night at Trephina would be sufficient.
Anyway, no harm done, it was a great trip and would have been nice to camp out there if more time was available. It's quite remote and unspoiled. It's nice when the scenery opens up before you, with the track disappearing off into the folds of the land.
The access track gets progressively rockier and slower before eventually requiring low range and high clearance. We had lunch at the end and then did the short walk into the gap/gorge itself. Found a huge amount of tiny ruby-coloured garnets in the sandy creek bed. The stuff that must have fooled the original prospectors. And still some water around.
Could have easily driven in further and done some rock hopping but didn't really have the time for that.
Amazing colours.
Sandy river crossing
This is the huge ghost gum back at the Trephina Gorge entry track. Estimated to be 300 years old.
We walked the Trephina Gorge circuit that afternoon in the beautiful late light. Only takes about an hour and I think really must be the best time to do it.
That's a good place to mark the end of the third week. Go to Week 4 for continuation of this trip report.
