Spectacular Kings Canyon....and another emergency exit!

We were so impressed by Kings Canyon in the Watarrka National Park. After an easy 3hr sealed drive from Uluru, we did the 1km Kings Creek walk. Looking up at the 270m sheer walls towering above us, the excitement was building about doing the canyon rim walk the next day.

Pre-warned about the dingo's that frequent the campground and their shoe fetish, we packed those away and kept an eye out. Gladly the only evidence of their existence was the eerie howling echoing through the valley at dawn.
The rim walk is advertised as a 6.5km walk, but according to Scott's GPS watch, taking in the optional side walks, its actually 8.7kms. For us it was a leisurely 4 hour walk.  The first part, climbing up to the rim is very steep and there are some steeper steps getting down to the 'garden of Eden' section. Mostly its fairly easy and one of the most spectacular walks we've ever done! (well so far). The scenery and vegetation changes constantly. Hannah pointed out evidence of an inland sea with the rippling water patterns in the rock, and we had fun watching speedy striped tailed dragons taking off on approach.

Dinner at the hotel included an entree of smoked kangaroo, camel meat balls and a yummy emu pate'. Main meal crocodile fettuccine!  The 'Roadies' were entertaining and fun, and audience participation a big part of the show. Hannah and Ben and a few other kids were given some odd instruments and became part of the act. Ben ended up doing a solo stage act, playing the harmonica into the microphone and was a real hit! Hannah was great at the Macarena, Line dancing and the twist!
Unfortunately somehow Ben managed to crack a molar in half on the lolly pop he won as a prize. So after a visit to the town nurse in the morning who recommended he needed it seen to immediately, we had the quickest pack up yet,  and drove 4hrs back to Alice for his Dentist appointment we took the Mereenie loop which had good and bad conditions, had a quick toilet stop in Hermannsburg and made it just in time.  Lucky we were due to leave Kings Canyon that day anyway, although we hadn't planned another trip back to Alice! The tooth was too badly damaged to pull out completely so the dentist did the best he could and sent us on our way!  Hopefully Ben's incidents don't come in three! 

Instead of staying out in the MacDonnell ranges we are going to bunker down here (in Alice) again for two nights and do day trips to Palm Valley and the Gorges, before taking off on the Tanami track bound for WA.