Destinations / Uluru Kata Tjuta / Watarrka National Park

Watarrka National Park is best known as the home of Kings Canyon, a mighty chasm cleaving the earth to a depth of 270 metres.

It is situated on the western edge of the George Gill Ranges, 300 kilometres to the north east of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and 310 kilometres west of Alice Springs. Drivers can reach Kings Canyon from Uluru in around four hours by taking the Lasseter Highway and Luritja Road. Those with a four-wheel-drive and at least a day’s travelling time can then take the unsealed Mereenie Loop on to Alice Springs.

Watarrka National Park is an important conservation area with rock holes and gorges providing refuge for over 600 species of plants and many native animals. The sheer red rock face of Kings Canyon soars over 100 metres above dense forests of palms, ferns and cycads; sheltering them from the surrounding desert conditions.

A moderately challenging six-kilometre walk takes in magnificent views of the Canyon rim, the weathered, buttressed domes of ‘The Lost City’ and the ‘Garden of Eden’ - a sheltered valley with permanent waterholes and lush vegetation. The walk is suitable for fit, relatively experienced walkers and can be completed in about three to four hours. For the less energetic, the shorter and easier Kings Creek Walk leads into the centre of the Canyon.

Derived from an Aboriginal word referring to the umbrella bush that thrives here, Watarrka National Park has been home to the Luritja people for more than 20,000 years. The area was little known to Europeans until recently; Ernest Giles being the first white man to explore the area in 1872.

Accommodation (ranging from motel-style to campsites) is available at the Kings Canyon Resort, seven kilometres from the Park, where there is also a service station and a shop. Kings Creek Station, 35 kilometres from the Park also has campsites and budget style accommodation.