Purnululu National Park is a world heritage site in Western Australia, 2054 km northeast of Perth. The nearest town is Kununurra which is a good 300 kilometres away, making this park is pretty isolated, even more so than Uluru. Interestingly, before 1983, the Bungle Bungle Range had not been known to outsiders, although the indigenous people have lived in this park for over 40,000 years.

Understand

Purnululu is the name given to the sandstone area of the Bungle Bungle Range by the Kija Aboriginal people, and the national park is also known as the Bungles National Park. The range is situated within the park, rises up to 578 m (1896 feet) above sea level and is famous for the unusual and striking sandstone domes striped with alternating orange and grey bands. The banding of the domes is due to differences in clay content and porosity of the sandstone layers. The grey banding is cyanobacteria which grows on the layers where moisture accumulates. The orange bands are layers of oxidised iron compounds that dry out too quickly for the cyanobacteria to form.

History

Landscape

The Bungle Bungle Range is one of the most extensive and impressive occurrences of sandstone tower (or cone) karst terrain in the world. The Bungle Bungles were a plateau of Devonian sandstone, carved into a mass of beehive-shaped towers with regularly alternating, dark grey bands of cyanobacterial crust (single cell photosynthetic organisms). The plateau is dissected by 100–200-metre (330–660 ft) deep, sheer-sided gorges and slot canyons. The cone-towers are steep-sided, with an abrupt break of slope at the base and have domed summits. How they were formed is not yet completely understood. Their surface is fragile but stabilised by crusts of iron oxide and bacteria. They provide an outstanding example of land formation by dissolutional weathering of sandstone, with removal of sand grains by wind, rain and sheet wash on slopes.

Flora and fauna

Climate

Visitor information

• -17.4324127.9951 Purnululu Information Bay, Spring Creek just off the Great Northern Highway turnoff. This information bay is the last point of information before doing a long drive into the park. Has picnic tables and a toilet, plus a bay for important updates. This is on top of the visitor centre. (updated Dec 2021)
• -17.4208128.2992 Purnululu Visitor Centre. 8AM-noon and 1-4PM from April until 1 October.. Has information on its recreation and the local and cultural heritage of this place. The visitor centre also sells cold drinks, ice, snacks and souvenirs (updated Dec 2021)

Get in

Map of Purnululu National Park

Access to the park by road is via Spring Creek Track from the Great Northern Highway approximately 250 km (155 miles) south of Kununurra. The track is 53 km (33 miles) long and is only usable in the dry season (1 April to 31 December) for 4WD vehicles. It will take approximately 3 hours to negotiate that distance to the visitor centre. Access by air is less painful and helicopter flights are available from Turkey Creek Roadhouse (Warmun), 187 km (116 miles) south of Kununurra, or by light aircraft from Kununurra.

During the monsoon season (from November and 1 April) or the summer months as most southerners would call it, it is not possible to enter the park and the park is closed during then.

Fees and permits

The Bungle Bungle section of the park has a fee, although the fees tend to get a little bit complicated. Up to date fee info can be found on the park's website.

• For a private vehicle with up to 12 people, it's $15 per vehicle, but the concession fee is $8
• For a private vehicle with more than 12 people, $7 per occupant who 6 years or older. The concession fee is $2.50 per occupant
• If you come by motorcycle, it's just $8

Get around

All the roads in Purnululu National Park past the caravan park are unpaved so you will need a 4WD to get around most of the time.

See

Budgerigars, wallabies, bungle bungle range, gorges, rock pools, sandstone towers and fan palm trees in crevices in rocks.

• -17.4163128.3061 Kungkalanayi Lookout, Ord River. This lookout provides panoramic 360° views of the spectacular Bungle Bungle range, and it holds a secret surprise at sunset. It's also one of the most visited lookouts as well. (updated Sep 2021)
• -17.328725128.4154972 Echidna Chasm. A 180m deep chasm that glows when the sunlight comes overhead, usually between the hours of 11AM and 1PM. Walking here is a 2 kilometre return walk. (updated Dec 2021)
• -17.322186128.4167783 Osmand Lookout. A lookout that's one of a kind giving you views of the Osmand Range with some panoramic views. Getting here is also only a short 1 kilometre walk as well. (updated Dec 2021)

Do

• -17.543786128.3074391 Scenic Helicopter Flights, Bellburn Airstrip, ☏ +61 8 9168 7335. There are helicopter tours from Bellburn Airstrip allowing better views of the 360 million year rock formation, offered by HeliSpirit. Parks WA website. (updated Sep 2021)

Buy

Eat and drink

The visitor centre sells snacks and other quick eateries, however, they tend to be very very expensive given how isolated Purnululu National Park is.

Sleep

• -17.43643127.998161 Bungle Bungle Caravan Park (Bungle Bungle Expeditions), Turn off the Great Northern Highway toward Purnululu Nat Park 1km (1km along the Purnululu National Park access track - accessible to all vehicles.), toll-free: 1300 286453, [email protected]. This Station Stay Caravan Park was established on Mabel Downs Station in 2010. Facilities are "bush" style and basic but has a great atmosphere. Meals available. For those that don't wish to brave the long rough track into the National Park a full day 4wd Bus tour leaves from here May to October. Caravan sites $35 Luxury Safari Tents $120. 

Lodging

Camping

There are two public campgrounds in the Park - Walardi to the south, near Cathedral Gorge and Picaninny Creek, and Kurrajong to the north near Echidna Chasm. They are basic campgrounds which offer water, shared fireplaces with a limited supply of wood provided (no collecting because it's a National Park) and pit toilets. Booking ahead is advisable since you don't want to be turned back after the long drive in from the highway.

Backcountry

Stay safe

Go next

• Piccanninny Creek
• Ord River
• Panton River