The "Bungle Bungles" : Visiting Purnululu National Park

If you’re eager to discover the hidden treasures of Australia, then Purnululu National Park should be your next destination. The park is located in East Kimberley in Western Australia. Its main attraction is the Bungle Bungle Range, which are sandstone towers and cones that have existed for 350 million years.

The Aboriginals have known about these structures for at least 40,000 years, but the rest of the world only became familiar with them since 1983.

One of the best ways to take in the full view of the Bungle Bungle Range is by air. The Belburn airstrip and helipad offers helicopter or plane tours. Once you’ve had the chance to take it all in, then a closer view of the site is warranted. You will need a sturdy 4WD and a good sense of direction if you plan on going on a self driven tour.

Once you reach the sandstone towers and cones, you might want to try spending some time just walking through the long narrow chasms and discovering hidden gorges along the way. If you’re fond of birds, then you’ll have quite an adventure trying to identify the 130 species of birds in the area.

Recommended Activities

Before spending time gazing at the marvelous sites in Purnululu, you might want to get as much information first as possible. Armed with the right information, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the things you’ll encounter during your trip.

The best place to get such information is at the Purnululu National Park Visitor Centre. Not only will the Visitor Centre have plenty of information about the park, it will also have information on the different activities you can join or do on your own.

You will have to go to the Visitor Centre anyway to pay your park fees, but don’t forget to find as much information as possible. You might also want to purchase a few items at their souvenir shop. Once you have a good idea of the areas you will need to visit to make your trip worthwhile, you will need to plan your daily schedule carefully. Not all of the activities will take you a day to accomplish. Some, like the Piccaninny Gorge Walk is an overnight activity.

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How to Get There

The only way you’ll be able to reach Purnululu National Park is on a 4WD, and that’s if the weather cooperates. Your trip to the park will begin at Kununurra in Western Australia. From there, you’ll be travelling around 250 kilometers to Halls Creek and then another 150 kilometers to the Bungle Bungle Range.

Where to Stay

Purnululu National Park has two public camping grounds that are complete with toilets, fresh water, and even firewood. The park management provides the firewood because it is prohibited to collect firewood around the park. There are specific places where you can create fires and it is recommended that you use the available firewood sparingly.

Aside from the public camping grounds, a commercial campsite is available through booking. The Belburn Campground has more facilities than the two public camping sites. It is even equipped with showers that aren’t available at the public sites.