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One of the most spectacular canyons in
Central Australia. Kings Canyon contains some 60 rare or relict plant species and a total of 572 different plant species and 80 species of birds. It is a 'living plant museum' and is notable for its stands of cycads & permanent rock pools. There are some
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According to geologists, the valley was formed more than 400 million years ago. It cuts through a layer of
Mereenie Sandstone, which was deposited here 400 million years ago. The sandstone can be viewed in the form of 30-m high cliffs, and as you go deeper, you can witness the softer Carmichael
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The 4.8-kilometre (3.0 mi) South Wall return takes around two hours to complete. A steep climb at the beginning of the walk takes visitors up to the top, with views of the gorge below. It ends at a one-way gate. Grade 3 -
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property, and still runs these animals, but tourism is now its main business. The property covers 2,200 km (850 sq mi), of which 100 km (39 sq mi) is freehold, with the remainder being a
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Kings Creek
Station was established by Ian and Lyn Conway in 1981. It lies 36 km (22 mi) from Kings Canyon, and offers accommodation and tourist experiences. It was originally run as a
232:. The Garden of Eden is a permanent waterhole surrounded by plant life, and while visitors are permitted on the walking track, the waterhole is an important men's sacred place for the
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The 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) (loop) Kings Canyon Rim Walk traces the top of the canyon and takes three to four hours to complete. It is graded "Grade 4 - moderate to difficult".
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of electricity per annum. It was the largest single installation of its kind in
Australia when it began operation in December 2003. Kings Canyon Power Station, part of the
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Kathleen
Springs is an easy walk on a sealed track and suitable for wheelchairs. At around 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi), allow around 1.5 hours for the return trip.
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606:"Watarrka (Kings Canyon) National Park, Ernest Giles Rd, Yulara (sic), NT, Australia - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 190)"
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network, is the only commercial source of electricity in the Kings Canyon area. It provides up to 1.1MW from a combination of solar and diesel generation.
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stories associated with it, so visitors are not allowed to swim in it. There are some distinctive rock formations known as the "Lost City".
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The 2.6-kilometre (1.6 mi) (return) and approximately one-hour Kings Creek Walk traces the bottom of the gorge. (Grade 2 - easy)
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More than 750 plant species have been recorded in the area, with at least 60 of them unique to the region. They include rare
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runs along the bottom of the canyon, and gives it its name. The creek was named by Giles in 1872. He wrote in his book
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The walls of Kings Canyon are over 100 m (330 ft) high, with Kings Creek at the bottom, with several
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792:"Watarrka National Park--Kings Canyon rim walk, MacDonnell, Northern Territory, Australia"
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172:) that grows in the vicinity. The national park thus gets its name from this landform.
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160:) name for the creek and canyon is "Watarrka" (pronounced what-ARR-kah), which is the
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Kings Canyon is located 321 kilometres (199 mi) southwest of Alice
Springs via
145:: "I called King's Creek after Mr. Fielder King... an old and kind friend of mine".
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Sandstone, which has been present here for 440 million years. These two layers of
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965:"The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Queens of King's Canyon"
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which depicts the environmental changes between the two formations.
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The 22-kilometre (14 mi) Giles Track connects Kings Canyon to
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well-preserved
Aboriginal paintings and engravings in the area...
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and co-owner some time after the
Conways retired in April 2019.
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was an early
European explorer, who reached the canyon in 1872.
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people have inhabited the area for at least 20,000 years.
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Geographic
Travels in Central Australia from 1872 to 1874
638:"Sacred Aboriginal Sites Around Australia: Kings Canyon"
736:"Watarrka National Park: The geology of Kings Canyon"
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105:and about 1,316 kilometres (818 mi) south of
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422:power station. With a generating capacity of 225
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101:about 321 kilometres (199 mi) southwest of
97:of Australia located at the western end of the
470:"Exploring the Garden of Eden in Kings Canyon"
188:), or 474 kilometres (295 mi) along the
1006:Canyons and gorges in the Northern Territory
973:National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
554:"Kings Canyon Watarrka - Better than Uluru?"
207:View over the canyon from the top of the rim
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78:View of the sandstone domes at Kings Canyon
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62:Overview of Kings Canyon from the Rim Walk
248:There are four short walks for visitors:
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442:King's Canyon featured in the 1994 film
211:In 1986, Kings Canyon was listed on the
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16:Canyon in Northern Territory, Australia
766:"Watarrka National Park bird checklist"
710:"Giles Track in Watarrka National Park"
683:Louise Southerden (14 September 2009).
658:"Short walks in Watarrka National Park"
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426:and electricity production of 372,000
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283:are divided by a thin layer of purple
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299:Birds in the canyon area include the
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818:"Fauna of Watarrka National Park"
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378:, ferns, eucalyptus, acacia, and
176:Location, access, and description
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468:Ward, Cameron (29 April 2020).
213:Register of the National Estate
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445:Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
403:. Tony McFadzean took over as
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744:Northern Territory Government
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70:View from the gorge at sunset
685:"King's Canyon Rim Walk, NT"
611:Australian Heritage Database
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848:Australian Adventure Travel
228:. Part of the gorge is an
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533:Discover Central Australia
416:Kings Canyon Power Station
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925:November 4, 2006, at the
844:"Watarrka National Park"
558:Travel Outback Australia
243:
200:, which are all sealed.
44:24.257995°S 131.562557°E
330:Other animals include:
313:purple-backed fairywren
226:Aboriginal sacred sites
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529:"Kings Canyon Tourism"
230:Aboriginal sacred site
222:
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111:Watarrka National Park
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49:-24.257995; 131.562557
689:Australian Geographic
616:Australian Government
339:Centralian Green Frog
307:, several species of
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943:Territory Generation
939:"Our power stations"
432:Territory Generation
335:Blistered pyrgomorph
184:(only accessible by
19:For other uses, see
899:Kings Creek Station
874:Kings Creek Station
754:on 23 October 2021.
386:Kings Creek Station
164:word for the local
40: /
664:. 15 February 2022
500:"Kings Canyon, NT"
438:In popular culture
361:Ring-tailed dragon
236:, with particular
234:traditional owners
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95:Northern Territory
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901:. 11 October 2020
560:. 27 January 2022
506:. 17 January 2016
352:Long-nosed dragon
327:, and many more.
99:George Gill Range
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343:Desert tree frog
321:rufous grasswren
268:Kathleen Springs
194:Lasseter Highway
85:, also known as
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850:. 12 March 2022
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618:. 25 March 1986
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325:nankeen kestrel
301:spinifex pigeon
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295:Flora and fauna
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182:Larapinta Drive
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170:Acacia ligulata
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963:Byrnes, Paul.
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824:. 22 June 2024
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977:. Retrieved
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749:the original
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536:. Retrieved
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508:. Retrieved
504:Aussie Towns
503:
477:. Retrieved
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420:photovoltaic
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369:Rock wallaby
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128:Ernest Giles
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83:Kings Canyon
82:
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25:
21:Kings Canyon
474:Uluru Tours
380:desert oaks
305:zebra finch
139:Kings Creek
47: /
35:131°33′45″E
895:"About Us"
580:"Watarrka"
452:References
317:budgerigar
309:honeyeater
196:, and the
150:Aboriginal
32:24°15′29″S
714:NT.GOV.AU
662:NT.GOV.AU
281:sandstone
259:moderate.
1000:Category
923:Archived
905:10 April
879:10 April
822:Ausemade
694:3 August
590:10 April
564:10 April
538:10 April
510:10 April
365:Termites
356:Perentie
289:mudstone
238:Dreaming
158:Arrernte
87:Watarrka
948:23 June
854:23 June
828:23 June
802:23 June
776:23 June
770:Avibase
720:23 June
668:23 June
622:19 June
479:23 June
274:Geology
162:Luritja
154:Luritja
122:Luritja
117:History
93:in the
89:, is a
979:27 May
870:"Home"
376:cycads
107:Darwin
91:canyon
752:(PDF)
739:(PDF)
641:(PDF)
418:is a
396:camel
348:Dingo
285:shale
244:Walks
981:2024
950:2024
907:2023
881:2023
856:2024
830:2024
804:2024
778:2024
722:2024
696:2014
670:2024
624:2019
592:2023
566:2023
540:2023
512:2023
481:2024
394:and
156:and
148:The
134:Name
428:kWh
424:kWp
405:CEO
287:or
186:4WD
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
