Bungle Bungles 1/2 August 09

Situated some 180 Km North East of Halls Creek on the great northern highway is the turnoff to Purnululu N.P. and the Bungle Bungle Range. It is a fairly rough and corrugated drive of around 53 Km from the highway to the national park. This road is restricted to high clearance 4WD vehicles only, because of the rough terrain and several rocky creek crossings and caravans of any type are strictly not permitted to use it. Off road camper trailers are permitted and we saw quite a number of them in both of the campgrounds in the park. A lot of people just do a day trip into the park and then return to their van at the Spring Creek roadside rest area. This rest area is quite large and the lower section near the creek is really quite pleasant, and very popular so there is no shortage of other travellers to do the campers watch and look after the vans left there. We chose to leave our van overnight and camp out in the N.P. with our tent and camping gear.

Most Australians would have heard of the Bungle Bungles, and maybe have seen photos or TV shows about them, but believe me; nothing can prepare you for the awesome experience of actually being there. After paying your entry fee at the visitor centre it is then approximately 20 Km to either the northern or southern sections of the park. We did the southern walks first and then set up camp in the northern campground to relax for the afternoon, ready to do the northern walks the next morning. To us the southern walks are probably the most spectacular and we combined the three-day time walks into one big loop. The first section is the Domes Walk and then onto Cathedral Gorge and then Piccaninny Creek and lookout. The highlight would have to be Cathedral Gorge; there are just not enough adjectives or superlatives to describe this wonderful place. We were both overcome with a sort of spiritual and humbling feeling and a sense of awe at the power and majesty of Mother Nature. It would be hard to imagine how anyone would not moved after visiting this natural wonder. We had an added bonus during our visit when a young lady began to play the flute. With the fantastic natural acoustics the soft pleasant sounds filled the enormous cavern.

After setting up camp in the northern campground it was time to relax with a couple of drinks before dinner. We had dinner just on sunset and we, like most of the other nearby campers, turned in fairly early after what had been a tiring, yet very rewarding day. Next morning after breakfast and packing up the tent and gear we were off to do the northern walks. We started with the longest daytime walk in the park, Mini Palms gorge. We found this walk the most difficult, not because of the distance, but because you walk most of the way following the creek bed. The dry creek is a deep bed of gravel and waterworn stones of varying sizes and the loose and uneven nature makes walking strenuous. After this we walked the spectacular Echidna Chasm and then to the nearby lookout. The two sections of the park are quite different from each other. The southern section is comprised mainly of the well-known black and orange beehive domes, which are simply sedimentary sandstone laid down in distinct layers. The northern section is made up of jagged outcrops and eroded cliffs that are comprised of conglomerate rock.

We would definitely recommend to all Australians that a visit to this spectacular place should be a must

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