Kings Canyon
It took about 2.5 hours to get out to Kings Canyon from our overnight camp spot and Callen slept nearly all the way, which was good because he had woken up early with a stuffed up nose. We had a picnic lunch at the beginning of the canyon walk before starting out and decided to just do the shorter Kings Creek walk. The canyon rim walk would have been spectacular but it would have been very hard with Callen! The walk along the creek bed was easy and had some nice shady spots which we enjoyed, with lots of different trees and plants to look at along the way eventhough the creek bed was dry. From the viewing platform at the end, the canyon walls were like an amphitheater rising from both sides. We then went onto the Kathleen Springs walk which was paved all the way so we were able to take Callen in the pram (and gave our backs a rest!). This walk passed by some aboriginal grinding rocks, an old stock yard used by the early settlers and meandered alongside the dry creek bed. But towards the end there was water in the spring and up close to the rock face was cool in the shade. It was a beautiful spot and the water pool was so still it reflected the plants and rock walls.
We had to call into the Kings Canyon resort and get fuel to make sure we would make it back to the highway, and were shocked at the price...$2.33 a litre of diesel! And as if that wasn't enough, we got two ice creams that came to $11.40!!! Agghh!