After our longest stint in the same place (four nights, with one internal move) it was time to make tracks for our next destination, Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park, 256km northeast of Uluṟu. Watarrka is the Luritja word for a local acacia bush.
So another annoying little rock having (potentially) big consequences, with our front windscreen copping a small crack. It hasn’t shattered or anything and we’ve put gaffer tape on it for now.
We are staying at Kings Creek Station, a working cattle station with a variety of accommodation options. After some confusion and bad juju with our assigned campsite being nicked by another caravan, we eventually set up on the other side of the property near a friendly group of campers from Perth, all perhaps retired and using their time to explore.
We were overdue to catch up on some laundry, so we spent hours wrangling with the ancient and temperamental washing machine, and pegging up clothes in the dark with the help of a head torch and Lux distributing the pegs.
Woops accidentally chewy shot. Camel burger. Catching up on journaling under a she-oak.First dingo sighting!Toasty Lux + mum tootsies.Many singalongs by the fire.
The main attraction of the park is Kings Canyon Rim Walk, a 3-4 hour, 6km loop that a national parks lady at Uluṟu described as the best in Australia. The kids were pleased that this proposition was marginally shorter than the Kata Tjuṯa walk they survived recently.
Special shout out to Oli, who always subtly but consistently works hard at motivating Lux using games and distraction techniques. She also occasionally even carries her sister! Deserves a medal!🏅Ancient fossilised sea!A completely different kind of rock to Kata Tjuṯa, this is two types of sandstone, built up over 400 million years. Turns out I am a rock nerd. The rock formations looked like an array of ant hills. But there were so many lush pockets of green, with water holes, eucalyptus trees, acacia, and giant cycads endemic only to this region (and dating back to the time of the dinosaurs).There was a poor lady ahead of us who was afraid of heights and found this part of the walk, with a high wooden bridge and steps built into the cliff-face rather challenging! Break time.Spectacular. Yes, I mean Mitch.
The girls rated this walk more highly than both Kata Tjuṯa and Uluṟu!
In the afternoon we went along to the nearby Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Tour, which on this day was led by brother and sister duo Peter and Natasha Abbott. Karrke works to preserve and share Luritja and Pertame culture and supports the small Wanmarra Aboriginal Community (population 10!)
First we learnt about the use of ground acacia seeds in baking. Then, men’s weapons. This is a non-returning boomerang. We were allowed to touch them as they hadn’t been used in any initiation ceremonies. The meaning and significance of dot painting. Based on earlier and ongoing forms of symbolic language, drawn in sand and then rubbed out once communicated.This particular painting was about the witchetty grub, the trees it could be found in, and the country around it. Oli really wanted a nibble of this one!Ochre and oxides. Next Natasha shared her art-making using dried seeds and repurposed fencing wire as etching tool. And then bush tucker! These are honey ants. They were so dopey, I was expecting them to be combative and cranky for some reason.Bush bananas.
Finally, bush medicine, and how ceremonies are concluded: smoke.Hard to see, but the slimmest of crescent moons rising on the horizon.
And we should finish up with “PALYA”: a Central Australian desert word meaning welcome, good, great, hello, goodbye.
A lovely set of photos. What a super way to learn about bush things. All in their place. I am really enjoying the nightly catch up on the activities of each day
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