Kalimera from Kings Canyon,

I was underway from “the Alice” ’round 7:20, after provisioning at Brumbys, then refuelling. It was a cool 8 degrees, the sky was cloudless, and whilst the town was still in shadow, the low sun was illuminating the MacDonnell Ranges, next to which it nestles.

I headed west along the Larapinta way, visiting Simpson’s Gap (where I had breakfast),

then Standley Chasm (which wasn’t as big as I had expected, and is privately owned, not part of a National Park).

Past Standley Chasm, I followed Namatjira Drive, visiting the Ellery Creek Big Hole (where I had Morning Coffee),

Serpentine Gorge,

and Ormiston Gorge.

After overgorging, a few kilometres beyond Ormiston Gorge, at the Glen Helen Resort, I obtained a Central Lands Council permit, which allowed me to take the Mereenie Loop Road through Aboriginal land to King’s Canyon. I had lunch at Tyler’s Pass Lookout sometime after 1, and was in my room at the King’s Canyon Resort ’round 3.30. The highest the temperature I observed during the day was 22 degrees.

130km of the route between Glen Helen and King’s Canyon was a bone-jarring, tooth-rattling, corrugated gravel road (although, on occasions, when the depth and spacing of the undulations, and the speed of the car, was just right, they provided a soothing massage to my bum, through the seat of the car).

This is by far the best day of my trip so far; even without visiting any of the tourist sites, I would have been unceasingly satisfied by the ever changing vistas of the West MacDonnell Ranges though the windscreen of my car, for the entire 415 km of this leg of my trip! Here’s the route in Google Maps:

Cheers,
Julian