| Kings Canyon to Ormiston Gorge | ||
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Ayers Rock and the Olgas Ayers Rock to Kings Creek Station Kings Canyon to Ormiston Gorge |
 Sunrise at Kings Canyon September 30 4:30AM AGAIN !! - this time we had to pack, clean the site, load the trailer and eat breakfast in the dark. Saw a Hopping Mouse in the kitchen area though—cool. Kings Canyon was just 30 odd kilometers down the road and it was beautiful. Amazing erosion and laying of the rock. Cycads (like palm trees) from millions of years ago. Sunrise was great with everyone in the picture. Peter and Julia established themselves as the photography crew this morning. “Sir David Attenborough” and “Jane Goodall” as they became know. Camera always ready and always looking for the elusive shot. Becky twisted her ankle in the walk so Petr from Czech Republic jumped in to help. The “Doc” and “Unkie Pete” from then on. The walk was about 7.5k with a very, very refreshing swim in a waterhole half way in. Also some amazing sheer drops and views. And Rob showed us some of the food that aborigines ate—he was from then known as “The Bush Tucker Man”.
On the way back to the bus a snake was spotted in a tree. “The Bush Tucker Man” couldn’t resist investigating and apparently climbed the tree to get a closer look. Sandwiches for lunch and back in the truck for the drive to Gosse Bluff (130 million year old crater), Glen Helen (for a beer and relax) and then to Ormiston Gorge for some real camping. On the drive we spotted several fires. Rob stopped the make sure no animals were in danger. Sadly the view of the crater was poor due to all the smoke. The road from Kings Canyon to Glen Helen was dirt and bumpy—real bumpy. Those seats in the back became launch pads on some of the floodway dips. Kim nearly visited the seat in front of her head first on one dip. Ormiston Gorge was the most basic of camping but real fun sleeping in a swag. Because we could get up late the next day—6.00AM—the guys helped make the Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner and we sat around the camp fire talking and drinking some of those beers we bought a couple of days back. Funny night. Eva, also from Czech Republic, told a “traditional” Czech story of two children, Johnny and Mary. It didn’t take long for all of us to realize it was actually the story of “Hansel and Gretel” but none of us, not one, let on. She did a wonderful job telling the story only getting stuck on the translation of “Gingerbread” house. At the end we all laughed and had to let her know we all knew the story. She was known as “Gretel” from then on.
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