THE BUNGLE BUNGLES

8^th August, 2012

On the road again and it sure is great to be travelling on the blacktop.  We stop for the night at a 24 hour free camp rest area which is a kilometre off the highway and across a causeway.

Crossing the causeway

We were surprised to see some pools of water in the watercourse and even more surprised when an egret caught a small fish as we passed by.

Waiting for a fish to swim by

Some of these free camp rest areas are quite good and as we are still in peak tourist season the rest areas begin to look like a caravan park as the day draws to a close.  This particular rest area had about fifty vehicles with caravans, camper trailers, buses, motorhomes etc.

Rest area free camp

Early the next morning we rolled into Halls Creek where we fuelled up with diesel and drove six kilometres out on a dirt road (with corrugations …. Aahhh!) to see an unusual geographic formation.  We had to go through a gate and like all gates out here in the outback the rule of thumb is to close the gate after you pass through.

You'd have to be blind to miss this 'Shut the Gate' sign

Another kilometre down a single lane dirt track and we arrived at China Wall.

China Wall  .... Can you see Wok?

China Wall is a sub-vertical quartz rock and over time erosion of the ground around the quartz has produced a ‘Are you sure someone didn’t build this?’ natural wall.  The quartz is six metres high in some places and from a distance doesn’t look that big but when Wok went to have a closer inspection he was literally climbing up the ‘blocks’.

There he is  ...  on the bottom section of the wall!

We continued on our merry way north and seven kilometres south of the Bungle Bungle turnoff camped once again in a 24 hour free camp rest area.  This rest area was even better than the last with actual sites radiating off turn circles.  In the morning we were up early and opened the gate onto a dirt road leading to Purnululu National Park and the Bungle Bungle Range.  One kilometre in from the gate is a caravan park where we stop and leave the Van in safe storage for the day.  From here it is 52 kms to the National Park Visitor Centre and it is only accessible by four wheel drives with camper trailers.  Caravans are a no no!  After only a couple of kilometres travelling on the dirt road we could see why caravans were banned.  The road was just as bad (if not worse) as the road into Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek.  When we came to the first creek crossing we thought ‘piece of cake’!

The first creek crossing

Then we came to the next creek crossing which was a lot wider.  Still OK we thought!

The second creek crossing

But then we came to this creek crossing which looked OK until the water started getting deeper and deeper. 

The third creek crossing

We were thinking about abandoning ship and Wok was muttering something like ‘Every man for himself!’ when Mitzi started to climb up the bank on the other side.  We hadn’t planned on washing Mitzi’s running boards and undersides yet but we’re sure she enjoyed her unplanned dip.  There were more creek crossings to come but by then we were fearless and we laughed at the corrugations and ruts.  Nothing could stop us now!  It was amazing to think that for nearly fifty kilometres we had been travelling across one section of a massive cattle station.  The farms sure are big out here!  Finally we entered Purnululu National Park and the Bungle Bungle Range came into view.

The Bungle Bungle Range

The National Park is World Heritage Listed but few europeans knew of its existence until the mid 1980’s.  The Bungle Bungle Range stands 300 metres above the spinifex covered plain and is dominated by the famous orange and black banded beehive-shaped domes.

The beehive-shaped domes of the Bungle Bungles

We pull into the parking area at Piccaninny Creek and set off on a hike through the domes.

Wok sets out for the Domes

The rounded rock towers are made of sandstone and conglomerates moulded by rainfall over millions of years.  The stripes are the result of oxidised iron compounds and algae.

Walking between the tiger-striped domes

We hike along the track around the tiger-striped domes

Wok liked the ingenuity of these termites in using the dome wall as a support for their mound

and then follow the creek bed towards Cathedral Gorge. 

Walking around the base of the domes

Along the way we spot a four foot long water monitor having a drink in one of the pools.

Water monitor having a drink

The gorge gets narrower as we make our way along the sandy creek bed

Following the creek bed towards Cathedral Gorge

but starts to widen out a little bit nearer to the end.

Nearly at the end of the gorge

Then we are suddenly standing in a humongous circular amphitheatre with towering cliffs all around.

Cathedral Gorge ampitheatre

There is a dark stain down one side where in the wet season the creek plunges to the bottom of the gorge.  The park closes in the wet season and it is easy to see why.

Dark stain where the creek flows down the cliff into the gorge

We walk around the outer wall under the circular overhanging rock

Under the rock ledge in the ampitheatre

and are amazed by the size of the amphitheatre.

To get an idea of the size of this gorge just look at the people standing underneath the overhang

We sit down on some rocks to try and take in all that we are seeing.  We feel very insignificant in this enormous void.  Much as we are enjoying the coolness of the gorge it is time to leave.  We make our way back down the creek and along the track to the parking area and find a nice shady spot to enjoy a late picnic lunch surrounded by the tiger striped domes.  Then it was time to go.  Even though we only had just under sixty kilometres to drive back to the highway it had taken us two hours to negotiate the rough track and creek crossings.  So with one last look at the Bungle Bungles we headed out.

Goodbye to the Bungle Bungles

We arrived at the caravan park just before sunset and picked up the Van.  Then it was back out to the 24 hour free camp rest area for the night.  It had certainly been a wonderful day.  Those tiger striped domes are something else and Cathedral Gorge blew us away!  The Bungle Bungles are another one of nature’s masterpieces …