Watarrka National Park


Watarrka National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia located about 1,316 kilometres south of the territory capital of Darwin and 323 kilometres southwest of Alice Springs.
It contains the much visited Kings Canyon at the western end of the George Gill Range and Kathleen Springs—22 kilometres to the southeast of Kings Canyon.
Watarrka National Park was established in 1989 and gets its name from the Aboriginal name of the land.
In 1986, the national park was described as follows:
One of the most spectacular canyons in Central Australia. Kings Canyon contains some 60 rare or relict plant species and a total of 572 different plant species and 80 species of birds. It is a 'living plant museum' and is notable for its stands of cycads & permanent rock pools. There are some well-preserved Aboriginal paintings and engravings in the area...

The national park is categorised as an IUCN Category II protected area. On 25 March 1986, it was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate.