6 Months in The Outback
14 April 20218 — 18 October 2018
When Outback Australia comes to mind most people think of a baron desert filled with snakes slithering and kangaroos hopping. This is a somewhat accurate description.
I worked at Kings Canyon Resort from April, 2018 to October 2018 during the Australian winter months. This was an experience I will not soon forget.
Kings Canyon is located in Watarrka National Park in the Red Centre of Australia. It is a 288km (179mile) drive from Ayers Rock (Uluru ). The nearest “big” town is Alice Springs which is a 443Km (276mi) drive. The resort is very remote with virtually no WIFI or cell reception. With such long drives a car is almost a necessity. And when you do make it in to town you must stock up on things you may need for the next few months.
the empty desert I explored with Carmichaels Crag in the background.
Wildlife
On my days off I did a lot of hiking through the bush. I searched for wildlife with not much success. In the winter it barely rains. With this lack of rain there is virtually no water to be found. The animals will travel large distances to find water, and Watarrka National Parks was all dried up in the winter. In my 6 months there and my extensive hours hiking I only saw 4 red kangaroos and when I saw them they were hundreds of yards away and fleeing from me. Kangaroos are mostly nocturnal and come out at night to escape the heat of the day.
I did not see a single snake. On the contrary to popular beliefs, snakes don’t actually hibernate. They remain dormant underground during the cold but on a warm day they may venture above ground to soak up some sunlight. You are more likely to encounter a snake in a developed area rather than in the bush. This is because in the bush they can sense you coming and can easily escape. Snakes are not aggressive as most people think but rather defensive. Mostly all snakebites occur when people try to handle a snake or don’t give it space to retreat.
While I was there another employee did get bitten by a baby King Brown snake. The snake was on some wood he was moving and it fell on his foot and bit him out of defense. He was flown to Alice Springs, given anti-venom and was back at work within a week.
The most wildlife I encountered was birds. Crested pigeons, Ravens, and black tailed cockatoos were most commonly seen.. I also saw a lot of dingoes around the resort. The dingoes were very cheeky. They would walk into the restaurant and raid our trash cans. A few times a night I would have to chase a lone dingo away.
The flies were in the trillions in the red centre. they were uncountable. every day from sunrise to sunset they would swarm you. they would try to go in your mouth, nose, and ears. i would spend all day swatting flies. never have i seen so many flies. it was as if i was carrying a carcass on my back everywhere i went. i never got used to them and they never stopped to annoy me.
Crested pigeon at sunset
Dingo posing for me in the bush
Landscape
the landscape was baron, dry, and virtually empty. but it was also very beautiful, peaceful and untouched. i would frequently go out for hours and explore the bush. i would pack the necessary supplies and my compass and go exploring through the vast landscape. i never found anything of interest but i enjoyed hiking through the trackless wild of the bush.
through the winter months it barely rain. cloud cover is very scarce. the lack of clouds makes it very difficult for landscape photography as it leaves a lot if interest free space in the image. so whenever clouds were present i would always try to go out to take a picture.
Carmichaels Crag shot at 400mm
The most popular hike (and the main reason to visit Kings Canyon) is the rim walk. It is a 6km hike that takes you up 200 steps to the rim of the canyon. It is a very good walk that treats you with views of the vast desert below and the spectacular steep canyon walls. I have done the rim walk several times and even explored some of the smaller canyons off track.
if you ever find yourself in the red centre of Australia i recommend a few day visit to kings canyon in Watarrka National Park.