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The walls of the canyon rise vertically for up to 100 meters (300 feet), and the 6 kilometer clockwise circular walk from the car park (the loops at the end of the road) follows the rim of the canyon for much of the way. The walk starts with a steep haul up 'Heart Attack Hill' - undoubtedly a good way of discouraging those who aren't fit enough from attempting the whole walk:
In places, the path takes you to the edge of the canyon with spectacular views ...
... but also wends through some facinating and fantastic (in the literal sense) landscape on the plateau, where the hard sandstone cap is weathered into 'beehive' shape domes:
A closer look reveals the origins of the rocks: the 'cross-bedding' of the sandstone shows that they formed from wind-blown sand dunes ...
... interspersed with shallow lakes whose ripple-marked sand subsequently fossilised:
Like everywhere else in the 'Green Centre' there are plenty of wild flowers. I'm beginning to recognise certain types of flowers, but for the majority have no idea what plant groups they actually belong to ...
... although I'm fairly sure these last two are hibiscuses:
At the eastern (upper) end, the canyon narrows to a gorge, with staircases taking you down one side (and up the other):
The valley bottom is sheltered and has a permanent water hole, so is a perfect spot for plants including the MacDonnell Ranges Cycad:
The walk back along the southern rim of the canyon gives a wonderful view of the beehives on the northern side:
... and of the steep northern wall of the canyon:
Thanks Kate..... I now feel sick, those heights are just a wee bit too much for me! And; there's NO way you'd get me anywhere near that staircase. Not sure I'd even make it up "Heart Attack Hill" now I think about it. :0(
ReplyDeleteOther than that the flowers are just out of this world. The 4th one down, the white fluffy one is lovely as is the last one. It's amazing that they can grow in rocks like that.
I've been missing the blog and was delighted to see you'd done an update. :O)
chp.
I'm not particularly fond of heights either - I stayed well away from the edges of the canyon, and there was one cul-de-sac that went across the tops of some beehives to the canyon edge that I chickened out of :-) The staircases and Heart Attack Hill weren't too bad.
ReplyDeleteI loved the fact that the flowers were so 'different'. My favourite one is still to come, but I like the first in this series, and the second one is a form of which there were several species (I think I've already included a white one in the blog).
"across the tops of some beehives to the canyon edge that I chickened out of :-)" Double snork, knowing my screen name!
ReplyDeleteThe flowers are superb, especially as all I've seen recently has been berries and the occasional flower beds the Mairie have planted. Ones I don't recognize and pansies at the moment, which I always associate as Spring.
chp.
I thought of that when I wrote it, but left it in for you :-)
ReplyDelete:O)
ReplyDelete