"Fool-uru"
- mcnovies
- Jun 4
- 3 min read
From our overnight stay at Agnes Creek Rest Area just north of Marla, we left the Stuart Highway and headed West along Mulga Park Station Road which largely follows the NT/SA border. It is an unsealed road, not unlike the Great Central Road that we travelled through from Yulata to Laverton (1125 kms) in WA last trip.
Fringed by mulga, it is a beautiful orange coloured road that is sandy, at times single lane and at other times wide enough to be 2 lanes in each direction. Strangely, every crest was slightly boggy and sandy and somewhat rutted with the odd bit of bulldust. Having said that, it is a somewhat leisurely drive with some interesting mountains along the way with mulga scrub dominating.
The occasional side road dips south across the border into South Australia but access is restricted due to being Aboriginal Land and requiring permits for access. The road eventually travels south of Mt Connor.
If you never been to Uluru, the first time you drive toward it (from the East) you will think that you have caught your first glimpse of Uluru … not so … often called “Fool-uru” ... it is Mt Connor… everybody does it!
We eventually linked up with the Lasseter Highway and did an overnight free camp at Curtin Springs East.
The following morning was a short drive to our next road side stop at Salt Creek Rest Area. This was a great find, a lovely spot tucked in behind the sand dunes with plenty of shade and no other vehicles in sight. Went for a walk and found s set of 3 camel tracks nearby.
After a leisurely packup we continued up Luritja Rd for a couple of nights at Kings Creek Station. The station is about 36kms from Kings Canyon where we did the famous Rim walk (about 6km: Grade 4 – took us about 3 hours). The first section is pretty tough and will certainly get the heart rate up.
First up … 500 steps! Almost straight up. At the top, and onward is stunning scenery, gorges, rock formations with sheer walls and the odd billabong nestled in the valley below. After you take in the views and get your breath back, from the top of the stairs, you continue through Priscilla’s Crack which was made famous by Priscilla Queen of the Desert and then you get to the first lookout across the canyon.
A Grade 4 walk can be pretty challenging (Grade 5 is the hardest) – it never ceases to amaze me when you see people doing these walks with no water or just an empty bottle that they have consumed in the car park before setting off … in thongs or no shirt …
Kings Creek Station is a working cattle station that has a range of accommodation options from luxury glamping to unpowered camping sites. They say, that the drive from the front fence to the back fence takes about 3 hours!
The weather has been kind with clear blue skies and 24 degrees and clear starlit nights of a cool 5 degrees overnight. Flies abound until sunset!
Wow King Canyon is spectacular ❤️