Thank you all for you kind comments on the last blog, much appreciated! Sorry for the short interval between blogs but we have to do them when we can get internet and, being back in Alice Springs, we have just that! However, to ring the changes Bob has written this blog on our trip to Kings Canyon - a very honest account so enjoy!

Bob's blog

Ok, so I had a wobble, in fact a big fat wobble. I am not known for my wobbles apart from the (historical) odd instance or two when I may have had a couple of drinks more than I should have done! However, we were driving towards Kings Canyon, which is pretty much as central as you can get in the centre of Australia. It is a very, very long way from anywhere. If you look at a map of Australia and look for Alice Springs it is 'apparently' not far from there but we spent one night camping on the way to Kings Canyon as it was too far for us to drive in one go. So, there we were driving along and I began to think (you have a lot of time to think on these roads) that we are a very long way from anywhere. Roads are long and straight, you don't pass any buildings for hundreds of kilometres, you have to plan your journeys around fuel stops as they are few and far between and naturally expensive. There is no radio service, there is no tv reception, no internet and little or no phone signal. Also, the further you drive into the Outback the fewer official rest stops (ie laybys) there are. So, it just got to me, the whole enormity of where we were and what we were doing. I confess, normally I like to think I can cope in these moments but, for whatever reason, we just seemed to be a long way from anywhere in a very big country. To add to this, whilst driving, Sally thought we had another flat tyre, which simply brought that 'Bob's worried face' on, for far too long. However, after checking at a very expensive 'servo', the tyre was not flat, and we were just on pretty bumpy roads for most of our journey. Added to this I was concerned that we were driving all this way to go for a walk. Who drives for two days just to go for a walk somewhere, and then drives back for two days?! However, that evening, a 'sobering' beer was had once we had arrived at our campsite in Kings Canyon and normality was returned to my mindset and a feeling of anticipation for the following day's walk took over.

The Kings Canyon Rim Walk is described as a 6km walk - grade 4, for the walkers amongst you (which means some tricky bits in there!). If you come to Kings Canyon that's what you are going to do - walk! The scenic landscape of Kings Canyon is the inverse to Uluru, with huge canyons, 270m high cliffs dropping down to ancient palm lined valley floors. The Watarrka Park, which includes Kings Canyon, is home to many ancient species of plant life and an abundance of wildlife on the valley floor, most unique to this area. There are several walks here for all ages and abilities to complete. One is actually a two day walk, somewhat too far for us! The walks themselves are pretty well marked given that someone, at some stage, has had to bang marker posts into million year old rocks. There are no yellow warning markers near any ledges, just the occasional signage advising you not to fall off the edge and informing those bothering to read the warning signs that cliff faces are dangerous!!!

So, with spirits up, we had a relatively early start for the walk the following day and away we went with copious amounts of sunscreen, fly spray, water, snacks and anticipation. Up we went, the first part of the walk is described as 'steep' and the only 'difficult' bit. The trail up was pretty busy but it just went up and up and I was very conscious that my dear wife is not too keen on heights and narrow paths. No time for an actual wobble here, because if she had then she would have been off over the edge as the 'path' (I think that's what it was supposed to be called) was very narrow but simply a natural path with bits of rock jutting out everywhere. Up and up we went and I knew that this was not going to be easy for Sally. But what a trooper, her initial fears overcome and a huge breath taken at the top, photos taken, breath regained, we moved on. A rim walk suggests you walk around a flat rim of the canyon. Maybe so, but not this walk! It is one of the most spectacular pieces of scenery we have ever seen, due to unique formations, over millions of years, of coloured sandstone cliffs and sandstone domes - it was absolutely stunning! However, you had to watch where you were walking as it wasn't a flat path but a trail across some unique rock formations. So eyes looking up, around and down at your feet, it was pretty tricky! "Lets go to the first lookout point" I said, second wobble for Mrs G…….we walked across a small bridge which crossed a chasm, onto a lookout of sandstone domes, pretty special in itself but it was high and you had to clamber onto the rock to get to the lookout. That said, the scenery was awesome. But we had to get back over the bridge…….!

Onward, back on terra firma, and continual gasps of delight at the changing colours and spectacle of this 'other world' that we were in, led us to about the midway point where you went between a 'v' in the rocks to approach a wooden boardwalk overlooking a steep drop into a lush pocket of ferns and prehistoric cycads. I could hear Sally wince as we clambered through the gap in the rocks as the short boardwalk led us down very, very steep steps to get us across the valley floor and over to the area described as the 'Garden of Eden'. We stopped, with a few others, after another bridge was crossed and took some more water onboard and then decided to walk to the quiet waterhole of the Garden of Eden. This was a return walk along more steep rocks and more stair/ladders, and another short bridge. It was stunning and well worth the effort and it was one of those special secluded places, a bit like a library that you felt you had to whisper once you were there. Beautiful.

Back up some more very steep steps and we realised we were just past half way around and had already been going for a good 2 hours with loads of stops for photos! Once you are up there, you can't simply turn round and say I have had enough of this chum! We carried on along crater rim edges, sticky out bits of rock and an uneven path but it was absolutely stunning. Despite the Sunday morning crowds there was always an opportunity to feel alone on top of the world when looking across at this unique landscape. The descent down took in some wonderful views and yet you still had to watch your step particularly as the trail was not always obvious and you were constantly trying to take in the best views, plus we were both tiring by this time.

We arrived back at the car park some 3.5 hrs later, somewhat knackered as we realised that no step that we had taken was straight forward - you were constantly correcting or readjusting strides greater than you would normally. Fears of narrow paths, cliff edges, high bridges, steep ladders, had all been overcome, and we were chuffed to bits to have experienced a most beautiful part of Australia. To finish on the Rag n' Bone Man theme "Maybe I'm foolish maybe I'm blind" but we both returned the next day to do another walk, albeit a shorter one along the creek in the bottom of the Canyon!

Was it worth the four day drive to go for a walk - too right it was!!!!!