Purnululu National Park

Deep in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Purnululu National Park is a World Heritage-listed wonderland of striped beehive domes, ancient gorges, and dramatic desert landscapes. The park is most famous for the Bungle Bungle Range, a surreal expanse of orange and black banded sandstone formations that rise abruptly from the surrounding spinifex plains. This is raw, remote Australia at its most spectacular, offering incredible hiking, scenic flights, and a profound sense of being in a land shaped by deep time.

Highlights & What to See

• Bungle Bungle Range: The park's iconic beehive domes are best viewed from the air or on foot. A scenic flight over the range reveals the full scale and intricate pattern of the striped formations.
• Cathedral Gorge: A stunning natural amphitheatre with towering red walls, accessible via a moderate 3km return walk from the Piccaninny Creek car park. The acoustics are incredible.
• Echidna Chasm: A narrow, 2km-long chasm with 200-metre-high walls. The walk is a scramble over boulders, culminating in a viewpoint where beams of light illuminate the gorge.
• Mini Palms Gorge: A shorter but rewarding walk through a palm-filled gorge, ending at a grove of Livistona palms that feel like a lost world.
• Piccaninny Creek: A dry creek bed that winds through the domes; walking along it gives you a sense of the scale and geology of the range.
• Scenic Flights: Departing from Kununurra or Halls Creek, flights offer the only way to truly grasp the immensity and beauty of the Bungle Bungle Range.

Suggested Time to Spend

To experience the park's highlights, allocate at least two full days. This allows time for a scenic flight (half-day), plus walks to Cathedral Gorge and Echidna Chasm on separate days. If you're camping or staying at the Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge, three days gives you a relaxed pace to explore the less-visited southern gorges like Whip Snake Gorge and the Domes Walk. Keep in mind that the park is only accessible by 4WD and is closed during the wet season (typically November to March) due to flooding.

Nearby Areas Worth Combining

• Kununurra: The main gateway to the Kimberley, offering the Ord River, Lake Argyle, and the stunning Mirima National Park (mini Bungle Bungles).
• Lake Argyle: Australia's largest artificial lake, with boat cruises, abundant birdlife, and the famous sunset over the water.
• El Questro Wilderness Park: A vast cattle station turned tourist destination, with hot springs, gorges, and 4WD tracks.
• Halls Creek: A small town with the China Wall, a natural quartzite formation, and the Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater nearby.
• Wolfe Creek Crater National Park: One of the world's largest meteorite impact craters, accessible via 4WD from Halls Creek.

Please check official sources for current details.