Day 69 31/5/2011 Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungle Range)

Day 69 31/5/2011 Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungle Range)

It was with great excitement and high expectations that we unhitched the caravan and headed into Purnululu NP for the day, Purnululu NP encompasses the Bungle Bungle Range.  We had been warned at Kununurra Information Centre that the road in was 4WD only and the 56kms to the Purnululu Information Centre would take us approximately 2hours and included river crossings, blind corners and a very skinny corrugated road.  Well I can attest that they were not lying but we made it with everyone and the car intact!!.



Cathedral Gorge - it was huge and amazing!



On arrival the visitors centre staff suggested that we head straight to the Piccaninny Carpark where we could complete the Cathedral Gorge walk and the Domes walk and explore up the Piccaninny Creek.  We were also told that Echidna Chasm had opened today so if we had time we could go there also for the 1 hour walk through the chasm.

The Domes walk took us around the amazing and very majestic sandstone domes that rise up from the spinifex covered plains.  The walk was short but gave us the opportunity to get up close and personal with the domes and to have a great look at the colours in the rocks.

Next we went on the Cathedral Gorge walk, this walk was primarily along the creek bed so the boys were excited to be back rock hopping!!  We got to see striped sandstone beehives, potholes made by rocks in the creek bed some deep enough to lose a small child in (unfortunately ours were to smart to stay in the potholes) looming cliffs, honeycomb weathering and evidence of where waterfalls cascade down the cliff face during the wet season.  At the end of the waterfall was a huge amphitheatre, it was an amazing sight.



Piccaninny Creek! Yep solid sanstone!!



On our trek up Piccaninny Creek we had a great time jumping across the solid sandstone bottom, it is hard to imagine the creek in full flood but when it flows it must be amazing.

After lunch we decided that we had time to drive to the other side of the park and complete the Echidna Chasm walk, the opportunity to walk in a chasm with 200m walls just could not be missed. We all agreed the walk and chasm was amazing.  The walk took us straight up the creek that must flow with fury during the wet season from the chasm.  Because we were at the chasm after lunch it was very dark and cool.  It was amazing to look up and only be able to see a glimpse of the sky.  The chasm is made up primarily of conglomerate rock with some layers of sand stone.  Thankfully there was lots of information around that explained how conglomerate rock was formed and we could use this to answer all the kids’ questions!!



Entrance to Echidna Gorge.



It is hard to explain the scenery and rock formations that we saw today, they were unbelievably beautiful and we were a little awestruck!! What made it even more amazing was that the rock formations only existed in such a small area of the park.

We left the park at about 3pm with it only dawning on us that we would be driving into the setting sun most of the way back to the caravan, it was a funny trip because at times the sun was so bright that neither Pete nor I could actually see the road!!  We did make it back safely but I do think tomorrow we are all looking forward to driving on bitumen.

My camera (well now I'm using one of the kids camera's)
does not do the beauty of this range any justice.  It was worth
the 12,000km drive just to see the Bungle Bungle Range.