Watarrka National Park - Kings Canyon

 1 – 4 May 2022

Rain drizzled down throughout our final night at Yulara – not heavy, but for long enough to wet the canvas. It was still raining when we started packing up but had stopped by the time we finished. We set off back the way we had come, along the Lasseter Highway and stopped at the dune view rest area to make a cup of coffee. We also stopped briefly at the Mount Conner view rest area before turning north onto Luritja Road which would take us all the way to Watarrka National Park and Kings Canyon.

We found another nice rest area – but again without toilets – to have lunch. Like many of the others we had stopped at, camping is permitted for 24 hours only. There were picnic tables and rubbish bins and lots of space for campers to spread out. If we were self-contained we would definitely take advantage and stay at some of these spots.

There is no camping in Watarrka National Park, so we stayed at the nearby caravan park. Our site had a lovely view of the ranges. Visitors are warned about the resident dingoes so we were careful not to leave food, scraps or shoes outside when we weren’t there. They don’t seem aggressive, but would certainly be opportunistic feeders.

We wanted to do the Rim Walk, so set the alarm to be able to make an early start. When we woke up and checked the weather forecast we saw that there was a chance it would be windy, but not so much the next day so we made a quick decision to put it off for one day, and went back to sleep.

Over breakfast we decided to drive down to the national park and walk the Kings Creek track. This is a very pleasant and easy short walk. The bonus was that there were heaps of birds about. Walking past the start of the Rim Walk, I realised that no matter how much I wanted to go on that walk, I was never going to be able to – I had a mild panic attack just thinking about it. The start is such a steep climb, with nothing to hang on to and a very long way up (and down). Because it is a loop trail, you can’t even turn back. I’m confident I could handle it physically but there was no way I was going to attempt it.

Late in the afternoon we drove down to Kathleen Gorge and completed the relatively short walk to the waterhole. The flies were dreadful but the walk was lovely – expecially as everything was so green. From there we went back to Kings Canyon to look for some birds again and finished the excursion with drinks at the sunset viewing picnic area. The sunset wasn’t great but being on our own in such as place definitely was.

We contemplated what to do about walking in the morning and decided that instead of the Rim Walk, we would go on the South Wall walk. This one is only 4.8km and rated 3, but the description indicates it is a strenuous climb. There had been some light rain overnight and it was still sprinkling when we climbed out of bed, so we took our time to see what the day would be like. Once we were ready and the rain had settled to a very light spit we set off for Kings Canyon.

Once we had all our gear – camera, water, snacks and hiking poles, we set off for the climb up to the south wall. This walk is actually the last section of the Rim Walk, and is an out and back walk. The start certainly was a strenuous climb but we both managed it relatively easily – with lots of stops to have a drink of water or take some photos. The views are stunning but the path is very uneven and rocky in most parts, with lots of steep stairs close to the edge so I found it necessary to watch where I was walking most of the time, and only really enjoyed the view when I was stationary, which was quite often. 

Late in the afternoon we walked up to the dune sunset viewing area – along with way too many other people. This is on the edge of the caravan park, and boasts a bar, but you can also BYO, which we did. The sunset wasn’t great but it was still a nice way to end the day.

In the morning we packed up and returned to reception to purchase our permit to drive back towards Alice Springs along the Mereenie Loop. Central Land Council permission is required to drive through Aboriginal Lands. The permit costs $6.50 and includes a small guide booklet and map. The road is recommended for high clearance 4WD vehicles only. The first 15 km from the resort and caravan park is bitumen, then the next 150 or kilometres is gravel road. There is one authorised rest area and camping along the Mereenie Loop is not permitted. We headed off around 10:30, bound for Tjoritja National Park. The road was in much poorer condition than last time we had driven it, possibly due to recent flooding rains which caused some wash-outs and deep ruts where vehicles had been driven on the wet road. We took it easy and reached the bitumen without incident.