Kings Creek was named by the first European to explore the area, Ernest Giles, after his friend Fielder King. The 100m high sheer cliffs of Kings Canyon shelter a very special microclimate which, with 600 plant species, has the highest biodiversity of arid Australia. The narrow creek bed is home to a quiet forest. The plateau around the canyon rims is populated by a colony of strange-looking sandstone domes: a real maze on an otherwise very flat surface. In another nearby gorge, quiet pools of spring water maintain a surprisingly opulent vegetation.
This area is home to the Luritja Aboriginal people.
For us, the first impression of the Kings Canyon area was that of a brutal return to civilization: expensive campsite full of tourist buses, loud music till late at night, lots of people walking on the trail around the Canyon. After 2 nights completely alone in the wilderness, it was a bit of a disappointment. Fortunately, the site is so spectacular that we quickly forgot about the crowd!