Kings Canyon, Natural canyon in Watarrka National Park, Northern Territory, Australia.
Sandstone walls rise 300 meters (984 feet) high, creating deep gorges with permanent waterholes along Kings Creek at the canyon floor, while red rock faces display erosion patterns.
Ernest Giles reached this area in 1872 during his central Australian explorations, naming Kings Creek after his friend Fielder King, with the region later designated as national park in 1989.
The Luritja and Arrente peoples maintain spiritual connections to this land spanning over 20000 years, using its waterholes and resources for traditional practices and ceremonies.
The Kings Canyon Rim Walk extends 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) around upper edges, offering views across desert landscape and access to the Garden of Eden, a fern-covered amphitheater with natural pool.
The area supports 572 plant species, including 60 rare varieties, and provides habitat for 80 bird species that nest in rock crevices and feed near waterholes.
Location: Northern Territory
Elevation above the sea: 619 m
GPS coordinates: -24.25800,131.56300
Latest update: November 28, 2025 08:26
The Australian outback encompasses a vast territory featuring distinctive geological characteristics, including ancient sandstone formations, deep canyons, and expansive salt lakes. This region contains some of Earth's oldest landscapes, from the red monoliths of the Northern Territory to the layered rock formations of Western Australia. Visitors can explore underground settlements created as shelter from extreme temperatures, as well as impact craters dating back millions of years. The collection includes sites such as Uluru and Kata Tjuta in the Northern Territory, which represent massive red sandstone formations. Kings Canyon offers tall sandstone cliffs and gorges, while Purnululu National Park in Western Australia is known for its orange and black striped sandstone domes. Other notable locations include the Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu), rounded granite boulders in the Northern Territory, and Wolfe Creek Crater, one of the world's largest meteorite craters. Karijini National Park displays deep gorges with layered rock, while Ningaloo Reef on the western coast hosts a coral reef system. The region also contains rainforest areas such as the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland and wilderness areas in Tasmania.
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