The incredible rock formations of the Purnululu National Park, including the Bungle Bungles, are simply awesome. They literally take your breath away. The variety was also so unexpected – from the well known beehives and the amazing Cathedral Gorge in the south; to the majestic and imposting sandstone monoliths of the north and their intricate gorges like the Mini Palms and the incredible Echidna Chasm. This NP is all about the sun and the sandstone.The sun leisurely makes its way across the landscape, touching the sandstone as it goes and igniting it into the most glorious and richest of reds. This contrasts amazingly with the shadowed rocks and the more delicate greens, silvers and whites of the spinifex and the trees. Ever hour the landscape is very different, and is best appreciated when you have the time to stop and watch. Just incredible. Unfortunately, we could not see more than the basics as we had to curtail our visit. But isn’t it good to leave something very special to come back to?
04/05 July 2018
Kerry’s snippets in fuchsia
Getting there
Kununurra > Turnoff at highway (252km) > Dirt road in to Visitors Centre (53km) > Walardi Camp (~10km) ~ Total of 315kms
Purnululu NP
The Bungle Bungle Range, in World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park, is one of the most striking geological landmarks in Western Australia. It’s been around for 350 million years and revered by its Aboriginal custodians for at least 40,000 years, but the striking Bungle Bungle Range (‘the Bungle Bungles’) was a secret from the outside world until 1983.
Today this maze of orange and black striped karst sandstone domes, often likened to giant beehives, is one of the most popular attractions in the Kimberley region. It’s a spectacular landscape of sculptured rocks rising up to 300 metres above the surrounding semi-arid savanna grasslands, and the most outstanding example of cone karst in sandstone anywhere in the world.
From the air, the Purnululu National Park is an awesome site. The orange and black stripes of these massive sandstone structures are breathtaking and best seen from above in a scenic flight.
Day 0 – Drive to Walardi Camp
We had spent most of a day in Kununurra preparing for what is to be our first camping trip. We got 2 bad stone chips in the windscreen fixed (2x$80) – the repair man said the windscreen was peppered with small chips. We blame the ignorant drivers who ignore the common curtesy of slowing down when they meet a car on a dirt road. Urban cowboys with a big 4WD that has to be driven fast!
We also swapped a host of things between The Cruiser and Mobi and filled the fridge up with food and drinks. The roof rack bag was quite full, (but would still have weighed only about 75kg). Mobi would stay at the van park in Kununurra while we went to Purnululu NP and then drove back around the Duncan Rd back east. At least that was the plan.
Our friends had been to the Bungle Bungles a week or so ago and the told us we had to book a site. So Kerry had arranged that. Finding how to book the site was the hardest part. I ended up phoning the tourist information office who told me I had to book on line. Then figuring out how to sort it when we had already paid the vehicle entrance to all WA parks was the next hurdle. Ended up paying $7 anyway just to get through the screen.
We got away at 7.15. The drive down was quite simple – take the Victoria Hwy until we turned left at the Great Northern Road towards Halls Creek. It was a lovely drive on a good road with mountains and sandstone outcrops all the way.
At Arthur’s Ck, the road is only a 1 lane bridge, which surprised us but it was actually turned out to be quite common. At around the Bow River there is another very long single lane bridge over the river. Fortunately there is a massive project underway to build a high level wider bridge. North of Doon Doon we went through a lovely range, nice drive.
From the turnoff to the Argyle mine, the road narrows significantly and is not nearly as good. We stopped at a rest area – no table or toilets, just a big open space – with a large sign pleading for people to keep the area tidy. But there was rubbish everywhere, what a mess. Perhaps if they provided a couple of rubbish bins, it may help with the litter everywhere.
We were very surprised how many houses there are at Warmun so looked it up. It was once known as Turkey Creek, and is an Aboriginal settlement now run by the local Warmun community. They have constructed a roadhouse, accommodation facilities and an impressive art gallery. The community promote the town as the principal access point to Purnululu National Park and the famous Bungle Bungles.
At the turn off the Purnululu NP, we turned onto the dirt road and stopped to let our tyres down. There is a massive van park about 1km off the Hwy, and there were many, many vans. This van park is part of Mabel Downs Station – as is the access road into the National Park.
The condition of the road in was terrible – made the track to El Questro look good. The corrugations were awful and many parts of the road were poorly formed. The first 20km were the worst for corrugations – not at all implying that the rest is corrugation free. Going over the ranges, and there are many, the track narrows, twists, goes up hills and down into valleys. This all makes for a very uncomfortable 53km drive. Some of this is captured on our video – click here.
This is also shown in out video – click here
At the Visitors Centre as Kerry was checking in a couple of the staff took me through all the things we had to do. I had not realised the scale of the park and the it was neatly divided into the northern and southern walks, with amazing rock formations in between. Walardi Camp is close to the southern walks, and is about a 10km drive from the Centre. The walks are about 18km from there. The northern walks start not far from the centre and the most northern, Echidna, is about 20km away. They gave us a really good pamphlet that sets it all out so well.
At Walardi, we picked our site – most are just dirt. We put a tarp down and unloaded everything off the roof rack onto that. Putting the tent up was not too bad at all, and we were soon setting up the beds and unpacking the car. We made our kitchen and got the LED lights ready. We also hooked up the solar blanked to The Cruiser.
The camp is pretty basic with 3 or 4 toilets scattered around and a couple of taps. No showers, and no fires allowed. No drones either. Our plan is to laze about for the afternoon, then go to the southern Piccaninny walks the next day and then the northern walks the next day. In the afternoon it started to get quite cold – much more so than in Kununurra. We had hamburgers for dinner – keeping it simple. It was a cool night and our sleeping bags coped ok. After my previous experience at camping when I used a sleeping bag liner and ended up like a crysallis, I brought 2 single bed flat sheets and opened out the sleeping bag so it was a duvet… worked an absolute treat.
But of course, as inexperienced campers, we put the cooking stuff too close to a guy rope so were in constant danger of tripping over. Hopefully we will learn. [k] We must also learn to bring the correct BBQ plate so we can actually do a BBQ instead of cooking hamburgers and everything else in a wok. The biggest thing we noticed with camping is how early every goest to bed – most lights were out by 8.00pm.
In the early evening we could hear the banter from the super expensive ritzy resort just a few km away. In their luxury, their chatter and laughter wafted across the silent airwaves as they dined and drank exquisite wines. While us folk in the 3rd class carriages, could only grit our teeth with envy. Hope one of them swallowed an olive pip
I was a bit later than Des going to bed, and the stars at around 9.30pm were just unbelievable – everywhere. I’ve never seen anything like them. It was obviously a brilliant time to cast your eyes upwards as the whole milky way seemed to be right over my head. In the early morning, (4.30am), it wasn’t nearly so grand, but still beautiful, just not so many stars and the milky way had left my view.
Day 1 – the Piccaninny section & Mini Palms
It’s a short drive to the Piccaninny car park and on the way we saw more and more amazing rock structures. This is where the icon of the Purnululu National Park, the beehive shaped Bungle Bungle rocks formations, awaited us. As we drove around
We took the 700m loop walk through “The Domes” and could not stop taking photos. Just an incredible place.
We took a side path to an amazing gorge – it looked like a reflection pool at the very end of this gorge, but in fact was just a tiny bit of water way below what we could have seen from so far back. A mirage obviously, but for me a very spiritual place. On the rock face behind the pool is an intricate lace-like feature in the rocks – very pretty.
Back on the main trail there is much more to see, including a board explaining how the domes were formed.
From there we went to the Cathedral Gorge. This started as an extension of the Domes walk,,, past the dry creek with some amazing eroded holes in the bed.
Then we entered the gorge and soon saw this spectacular phenomenon. It’s an amazing overhanging cavern with a small pool of water near the centre. Wouldn’t it be incredible to have an opera or a choral concert in here? Magic place, but impossible to photograph.
We next went out to the Piccaninny Creek Lookout. On the way we walked along the creek bed on these waves of rock parallel to the creek and all pointing to the rock escarpment in the distance.
The lookout provided a great view across the plains.
But it was hot and Kerry was not feeling so good. This had been creeping upon her. We took a breather in the shade before returning to camp. We realised that we needed a change of plans as Kerry needed to get to see a doctor or chemist. On our original plans we would have got back to Kununurra on a Sunday and then departed west on the Monday morning. So we had to cut our Purnululu NP time short. We decided that I would go out that afternoon to see the Mini Palm Gorge and then the next day we would go and see the Echidna then head back to Kununurra, We would get there late afternoon.
It was about 30km to the Bloodwoods, the starting point for the Mini Palms walk. The drive is awesome, with a marked change as I drive north. From the layered structures of the south to these incredible sandstone monsters of the north. Wonderful landscapes.
At the Bloodwoods I realised that there were few cars at the carpark and it was about 3.00pm. I would most likely be alone on this trek. The first part of the walk is on a level track, and I keep stopping to take photos. I look up to amazing sandstone rock faces, a brilliant and rich red, standing majestically against a rich blue sky. Like a range of sentinels protecting what lies beyond.
Then I turned up the dry creek bed towards the Gorge, walking over rounded rocks. This led to an amazing narrow valley in which massive conglomerate rocks made trekking difficult. Twice I had to go through a very narrow gap between 2 rocks, taking off my backpack and shuffling through sideways. The shadows were increasing and I seemed to have been walking for ages – it is surprising how the mind plays trick and I began to think I may not get back to the car before dark. How silly.
Some of this part of the walk can be seen on the video – click here
Then I was into the gorge proper, climbing higher until I came to 2 sets of steps and platforms. The first platform provided great views back into the gorge, including to a “V” in the mountains allowing views to the escarpments beyond. But the upper platform overlooks a huge and narrow gorge – I could only stop and absorb it all. Magnificent.
Fortunately, there were a couple there also enjoying the view and I relaxed. I was not alone. The return walk was fine, despite a small trip and loss of a bit more knee and elbow skin. Nothing serious.
On the drive back, the sun was setting on my right hand side, nicely illuminating the rock faces into a brilliant red. We had a simple meal to set off a complicated but extraordinary day. Chicken burgers, cooked in the wok. Des’s leg and arm were covered in blood, but most of it washed off and thankfully didn’t look too bad.
Our camping experience was not too bad overall. I am sure we can refine things a little better for our trip up the Gibb River Road – like not unpacking all the food out of the car as it just takes so long to pack it up again.
Day 2 – Echidna Chasm
We spent the early morning getting ready to leave a day early – we would go to Echidna then get back to Kununurra so that Kerry could get medical attention on that Friday or the Saturday. Our plans to take the Duncan Road will have to await another day. I had also read that the Duncan Road should be re-labelled the Duncan Goat Track – down to 2 ruts with cane grass growing in the middle…..
It took us about 1.5 hours to pack everything. With a view to our Gibbs River Rd camping, we think our problems are that we unloaded too many things and they were too scattered. We will need to be more focussed.
Our timing for the day is all governed by us being in the main open area of the Echidna Gorge at the time that the sun strikingly illuminates a thin section of the gorge. We have seen photos and it looks incredible.
On the way we stopped at Stonehenge – there are no stand-in stones there, so why the name? But there is a nice loop walk with lots of boards telling us about how Aboriginal communities used different plants. Really interesting.
We proceeded to walk up to the gorge, on another rocky river bed, and it is really beautiful. The colours: the richest of reds, the blue of the sky and the silver and green of the spinifex. All are incredible to absorb.
Then we entered the chasm. We were unsure where the sunlight phenomenon might take place and on the way in we saw some slivers of bright red in the shadows to the gorge. It is truly an amazing place. We went into the main gorge area and it is both very narrow and very high. When you look straight up you get giddy, or at least some of the older folk do. Quite a few photos were taken here.
We found our way to the slightly more open gorge area, then walked through that into a continually narrowing space, without losing any height. It finally ends at a rock face and we return to the open area to wait. We had heard that the time of the phenomenon was 11.30am and we had an hour to wait. Although it was fascinating watch the light change dramatically as, outside, the sun wandered lazily across the sky. Quite a few people were also waiting patiently.
We began to see the start of the phenomenon as a wonderful light orange colour began to invade the open area. The sun peeked through a gap and we could trace that as it moved across the open area. The it began to concentrate and we could see what would eventuate.
But we had to go. It was then around midday and the real experience was still some time away. Sadly, this was it. In the meantime, I had been back to the other side of the “crack” and took plenty of photos… it looked like liquid fire. amazing.
A quick walk to The Cruiser, then a helter skelter drive back towards the Hwy. At the Visitors Centre we saw a roadside sign: “Grader Ahead”. We had fleeting thoughts of an improved road. But it was not to be and after another teeth rattling ride we approached the Hwy. And suddenly there is evidence of a grader and we have about a km or two of newly graded road. We could speed up with confidence – but then right in front of us is a grader crawling at snails pace with no opportunity of passing. Finally, we could get out from behind the grader, park and pump up the tyres.
Then back to Kununurra. We got there around 4.20, so time to get to the chemist and do some other shopping. Cheers.
Photos from this post can be seen at: click here
A video for this post can be seen at: click here