Kings Canyon

For my birthday this year, we took a couple of days off of work, and we went down to Kings Canyon. Many people had told us that this was a must-see place, located deep in the Outback. It's about 500 km southwest of Alice Springs, and takes about six and a half hours to get there. We grabbed the tent, the sleeping bags and plenty of water for our journey.

Our first stop was the Erldunda Roadhouse. Roadhouses are a sort of one stop shop along the highway, offering fuel, food and basic accommodation or camping. This roadhouse, in addition to the amenities, also has emus.

From Erldunda, it's about three hours to Kings Creek, the campground we selected for our first night stay. There are only two campsites in the area, and since we were there for three nights, we decided to try them both.

The camping spots weren't bad. Although this was a busy time of year, we lucked out and didn't have anyone next to us. Unpowered camp sites are $22.00 a person. You get access to the gas grills and the outdoor pool. Their site is here. There are also fancier accommodations available, if camping isn't your thing.

Kings Creek has an interesting history. It was first established in 1982 as a cattle/camel farm by Ian and Lyn Conway. Both of Ian's parents were half Aboriginal, and when Ian's mother passed way, the State thought that he would receive better care in an orphanage than with his Aboriginal family. His father, who was a drover and would be gone for long periods of time, eventually returned to the area and reclaimed his son. Ian went on to do well in school and then made his career running a cattle station. In June 2009, Ian and his wife launched Conway Kids, a foundation created to educate Aboriginal kids living in remote areas. To read more about Ian, check out this story here. To read about the foundation, go here http://www.conwayskids.org.au.

We were happy with our choice, and we settled in. After putting up the tent, we watched the sunset over the George Gill Range. The cafe closed at 7, so we rushed back to grab some dinner. They have a grill and do basic cooking.  We had egg and cheese sandwiches.

The next morning we awoke when the sun did. We packed up our sleeping bags and tent, and then headed to Kings Canyon in the Watarrka National Park.

It's stunning. It's hard to convey how vast and beautiful the landscape is, but that didn't stop me from trying! I was basically taking pictures from the time we woke up, until we went to sleep. The hike starts off with a pretty steep climb up to the top of the canyon, at least 10 minutes of steep steps.  But after that, it's pretty flat. The biggest thing you'll have to contend with is the sun - there is not much shade up there, so for the remaining 3-4 hours that you're up there, you need to make sure you have water and a hat!

For more photos, check out my google album: https://goo.gl/photos/3se6sRzP558yv4qf6

Hiking Mount Gillen

One Sunday afternoon back in early August, we decided, perhaps somewhat foolishly, to climb Mount Gillen.  We had heard it was a good trek, and given how close it was to our house, we thought it would be the perfect afternoon activity.

We decided to bike out there.  It was an easy 6km bike ride out there, most of it along a bike path that follows Larapinta Dr.

The trail is unmarked, but we'd been told to head to John Flynn's Grave, and that the path was just west of there.  It was easy enough to find.  There's an unmarked gate you walk through, and then you start to slowly ascend, up, and up, and up.

It took us a good hour to climb to the top, but it felt like it took far longer than that.  It was hot, there was no shade, and it was steep.  At one point it felt like we were never going to make it, and we seriously considered turning back because we thought the sun might set before we made it back down!

But once we made it to top, it was completely worth it.  The views at the top were unbelievable!

And the next time we go, we'll start early in the morning and wear hats!

Here is the full album of photos: https://goo.gl/photos/vVugdhcZQkSf8age6

First Camping Trip

There are endless camping and hiking possibilities here. I absolutely love it. At the end of July, we decided to get into the car and head east, along Ross Highway, and into the East Macs (East MacDonnell Range). We packed our tent and sleeping bags and headed out.

From a prior drive out this way, we knew there was a nice little spot for lunch at the Ross River Resort. It's located at the end of the Ross Highway, about 83 km from home. 

After lunch, we backtracked just a little to get on the Arltunga Road. We drove for about 2 hours along a dirt road, stopping a little before 3pm. We wanted to make sure we had enough time to explore the area and set up the tent before it got dark.

As you can see, we're sort of in the middle of nowhere. 

And it was great. After we set up the tent (in the clearing below), I wanted to do a little climbing. So we climbed the hill (pictured) opposite the hill where we pitched the tent.  

We climbed for about an hour. The views at the top were stunning! 

That night we saw the Milky Way! 

The next morning we packed up the little tent, and headed out to Arltunga. 

Arltunga was officially founded in 1887 after gold was discovered in the area, and it was Central Australia's first town. Miners came from all over to mine for gold, but the harsh landscape would prove to be too difficult to manage. The lack of water was the biggest hardship, making even basic survival a challenge. This ghost town once supported 300 people and there was a community that was established, equipped with their own police station (below). 

It was a great weekend! For the full album of pictures, check them out here: https://goo.gl/photos/8FSoeP3sWRtv7DM6A