4x4 adventure: Bungle Bungles to Windjana Gorge

The sign inside the Visitor Centre at Purnululu National Park says it all: “How lucky are you to be sleeping under a million stars instead of five.”

Even though we’re towing our off-road caravan, we’ve allowed ourselves the flexibility of going completely off-road with a swag packed on top of the D-MAX.

Here at Purnululu, we’ve dropped the ’van off at the Bungle Bungle Caravan Park with plans to camp in the National Park for the next two nights.

The Bungle Bungle Caravan Park is a great option for those travelling over the border from Kununurra who want to leave their vans, and tent or swag it for a night or two. Only single-axle trailers are allowed in the park. It’s here we meet up with Bernie, one of the off-road tour guides who drives visitors into the park a few times a week in 4x4 buses.

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Bernie is someone I connected with on social media more than a year ago. He’s been working at Purnululu as a tour guide for the past three months and it feels like we’re old friends as we greet each other with a big hug.

We enjoy a drink together at the Bungle BARavan, a great place to meet fellow travellers and enjoy a buffet dinner before hitting the tracks the next day.

BUNGLES BACKGROUND

The Bungle Bungles is in Purnululu National Park, about 304km from Kununurra. The extraordinary, banded sandstone domes, created some 360 million years ago and which the park is best known for, are unrivalled in their scale, grandeur and diversity, and in 2003 Purnululu National Park was World-Heritage-listed for its beauty and geological value.

Erosion by creeks, rivers and weathering in the past 20 million years has carved out these stones, along with spectacular chasms and gorges, creating a surreal landscape.

GETTING INTO PURNULULU

It's only 53km into the park from the highway, but it takes more than two hours to get there as the road is rough and four-wheel drive only. There’s no fuel within the park and you need to be completely self-sufficient, so make sure you have at least 200km worth of fuel in your tank.

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From the highway it’s only 53km to Purnululu, but it takes two hours to get there on the rough 4WD road

We were lucky that the first 17km of the track had recently been graded. Beyond that, however, the road is pretty rough. There are narrow sections, steep inclines and a number of creek crossings, but the D-Max handled the terrain well.

Our first stop is the Visitor Centre where everyone needs to register. We get our maps, camping permits for our two nights at Kurranjong and Willardi, and continue to the northern section of the park.

NORTHERN WALKS

The Bungle Bungles is all about walking. It’s the best way to explore the park, with a few important tips to keep in mind. Walk early in the day, carry lots of water, wear sturdy walking shoes and wear a hat. It’s common sense, but you’d be surprised at the number of people I saw wearing thongs. Imagine having a thong blowout on a rock and having to stagger back in bare feet! No fun.

Our first walk is to Mini Palms, a trail that starts from the Bloodwoods car park. It’s a 4.4km moderately challenging walk with some steep slopes and some large rocks to negotiate. It features dramatic cliffs, Livistona palms, stairs that lead to two viewing platforms and a natural amphitheatre that is truly stunning.

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Late in the morning, the sun sends a shaft of light directly into Echidna Chasm

Our next walk to Echidna Chasm is one of the most popular in the park, and I can see why. It’s a beautiful walk, about 2km in length that leads to a spectacular chasm. If you get there between 11am and 11.30am, the sun shines directly through the chasm creating a shaft of light that’s truly striking. You can explore farther into the chasm where the shade in the middle of the day is particularly welcome.

With temperatures soaring to 38˚C and feeling even hotter in the blazing sun, our walks were generally done and dusted by early afternoon. Then it was time to find a camp spot at Kurranjong and stay cool for the afternoon.

It’s amazing how the little things become the big things: the shade of a tree, a bore water tap, a wash-up tub that doubles as a cool foot bath, and car-wash cloths turning into cool face washers when wrung out in water.

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At Kungkalanayi Lookout for the sunset colours, with a didgeridoo player adding to the ambience

That night, just before sunset, we drive out to Kungkalanayi Lookout for 360-degree views over the ranges. It’s an awe-inspiring sight to watch the sky turn those outback hues of orange and pink – and then, out of nowhere, came the haunting sounds of a didgeridoo.

On walking a bit farther we came across the person responsible, a young guy adding his own blend of magic to the setting. It reminded us of the sacred roots of the area.

With darkness arriving early here in the west, we have dinner and hit the hay. And as I lay back in the swag and look up at a dazzling array of stars, I think again of the sign at the Visitor Centre. A shooting star flashes above me, and I silently wish that everyone can experience the freedom of travel again, as we are. This is truly camping.

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Walking is the best way to explore the maze of beehive-like domes of the Bungle Bungles

SOUTHERN WALKS

The next day, we pack up camp and continue through the park towards Piccaninny Creek Lookout, our first walk in the south. This lookout is a 2.8km trail that winds south through spinifex hummocks and the dry Ord River. Super-keen hikers can tackle the two-day trek to Piccaninny Gorge, but need to register at the visitor centre and carry a satellite phone or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). We’re content with a walk along the dry riverbank and to the lookout.

From Piccaninny Creek we backtrack and head towards Cathedral Gorge, undoubtedly the most popular and photographed spot in the park. When you reach the amphitheatre, the full scale unfolds before you. It’s magnificent, every sound is amplified and every moment in there feels almost sacred.

We finish our Bungle walks with a loop walk around the Domes, the stripey beehive-like domes that tower majestically around you. In the heat, the 700m walk feels long and intense, and we’re happy to reach the shade of a cave to rest along the way.

That night, we enjoy a simple dinner and another magnificent Kimberley sunset. It’s yet another night under the ultimate outdoor cinema.

THE BUNGLES TO WINDJANA

Back at the Bungle Bungle Caravan Park the next day, we unload the car, hitch up the caravan and continue our western adventure. We drive through Halls Creek, with a night pulled over on top of the spectacular Ngumban Cliffs, a designated 24-hour rest spot, before continuing towards Fitzroy Crossing.

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The Lennard River runs through Windjana Gorge in the wet, but forms pools during the dry season

There, we restock, refuel and continue, before eventually turning on to Leopold Downs Road for another 92km of dirt-track driving. It’s an alternate way to Derby, four-wheel drive recommended and the last hundred kilometres of the Gibb River Road. With Tunnel Bend closed at the time, our destination for the night is Windjana Gorge National Park.

The track is corrugated, and we reduce the pressure on both the car and ’van tyres accordingly. Still the track has its fair share of dips, creek crossings and grids from nearby stations, so we take it easy. There’s little traffic except for the occasional rogue cows that seem to have little concept of giving way.

Windjana is a great spot to spend a night or two. There are self-registration envelopes at the park entrance with fees of $17 per adult which includes facilities with flushing toilets, showers and tables, plus an incredible backdrop and some stunning walks.

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As the sign indicates, there are plenty of freshwater crocodiles that bask in the pools at Windjana.

Bandilngan (Windjana Gorge) National Park is one of the Kimberley’s most stunning gorges, with water-streaked walls that rise majestically to heights of 100m – we can see them from our campsite. The Lennard River runs through Windjana Gorge in wet weather, but forms pools surrounded by trees and shrubs during the dry season. The 3.5km-long gorge cuts through Napier Range which is part of the ancient Devonian limestone reef.

Walks include the Gorge Walk and begin at the camping area, winding through the gorge for 3.5km each way. There’s also the short Time Walk where you can try and find marine life forms fossilised within the limestone of the gorge walls.

Look out for freshwater crocodiles that bask in the pools. We saw many of them in the water and I nearly walked into one sunning itself on the shore, which the other half thought was hilarious. As beautiful as this park is, it’s advisable not to swim in these waters.

Both the Bungle Bungles and Windjana are closed to vehicle traffic in the wet season which begins in December in the Top End, but a flight overhead is always possible. Or you can put them on your bucket list when all the borders are open again. You’ll get a warm welcome up here in the magnificent Kimberley region of Australia.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE

1. PURNULULU NATIONAL PARK
The most famous of The Kimberley’s eight National Parks, Purnululu’s claim to fame is the other-worldly, eroded sedimentary domes of the Bungle Bungle Range that resemble skeps or wicker-type beehives.

2. BUNGLE BUNGLE CARAVAN PARK
Bungle Bungle Caravan Park offers storage for caravans and trailers; accommodation spanning cabins, safari tents and powered/unpowered sites; bus and helicopter tours; licensed restaurant; and more.

3. BANDILNGAN (WINDJANA GORGE) NATIONAL PARK
Regarded as the most stunning of Kimberley gorges, Windjana Gorge (north of Fitzroy Crossing) cuts through the Napier Range, a former ancient Devonian limestone reef.

4. NGUMBAN CLIFFS
Between Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing is the Ngumban Cliffs, a free overnight rest area and dump point with covered picnic tables, barbecue areas and toilets.

5. OFF-ROADING
Plenty of long, corrugated dirt-road driving to test your mettle and fourbie, getting to and from the two aforementioned national parks.