After visiting the West McDonnell Ranges (see previous post), we headed for Kings Canyon, which I had not visited before. Kings Canyon is located about halfway between Alice Springs and Uluru, by road its about 470 km from Alice. The canyon has been cut 100 m deep into the layered sandstone and shale over a period of 400 million years, creating one the most spectacular landscapes in central Australia.

We had booked a tent for two nights at Kings Creek Station, about 36 km before Kings Canyon. When we got there, we discovered that they had a small helicopter, and arranged to take a flight over Kings Canyon. This was Felix’s first time in a helicopter, and it was the smallest I had ever been in. The pilot took the doors off it so we could have unobstructed views.

Below is a short video and a few photos from the air. The views were spectacular. It was extremely windy in the open helicopter as we were flying at 180 km/hr and there were strong cross-winds. It was quite exhilarating to be flying with the wind buffeting us and essentially just a framework of metal around us open to the sky around us and the ground below.