DannyB

4.00 Australia - 10-Jun-24 -

Some Sites it is the Destination itself, however the Purnululu National Park is a combination of the journey and the destination.  There are a number of ways to get to Purnululu, although Kununurra in Western Australia is the easiest gateway.  We chose to drive there, however, many fly into Kununurra and hire a car to travel to the site or chose to fly to or over the site from Kununurra.  A high clearance 4wd vehicle is essential to visit the site, otherwise you will not be able to get there at all.  The first 220 kilometres is all bitumen paved road and will take you about 2 hours until you turn left onto the unpaved dirt road to Purnululu National Park.  The Visitor Centre is 56 kilometres in and this journey will take you about the same time of 2 hours.  In the main attributed to the numerous river and creek crossing, all of which have various length and depth of water still within the creeks.  We travelled in on the 8th of June.  Once at the Visitor Centre a small fee of $17.00 dollars for the vehicle and 2 persons is all it costs. The roads within the park are much more easily traversable with less river crossings.  We planned to leave early in the morning from Kununurra to arrive mid-morning at the Visitor Centre, so we had ample opportunity to go to the North of the Park first.  We did this as the midday sun shines through the chasm of Echidna and produces majestical orange and yellow glows inside the chasm as you walk through the area.  This was the highlight of the walking trails in the North of the park, although there are a number of other trails you can walk along.  Heading south we drove to the Domes and the Cathedral, which are the areas that are more highlighted in the brochures when visiting the site itself.  We spend last light there, catching the setting sun on the Domes and the various colour changes.  It is also a more pleasant time with less visitors and most of the larger tour companies have headed back to camp.  Both of the Dome and the Cathedral Walk are a combined 1.5 hour walk at your leisure.  Once viewed in the late afternoon, we retired to our campsite ourselves.  We stayed with APT Wilderness Camp, which have luxurious tents and offer 3 course dining - well worth the cost.  The next morning, we choose to visit the Domes and Cathedral again to capture the sites in different light again before driving back to Kununurra.  It is two full days - but very rewarding if you love your Natural sites                 

John booth

New Zealand - 14-May-17 -

I took the more comfortable route to this site by flying in a small aircraft from Kununurra to Bellburn Airfield, within the Purnululu National Park. This had the added advantage of seeing the extent of the Bungle-Bungles from the air.

From the airfield it was a short drive to the Cathedral Gorge, in the centre of the park and in the midst of dozens of the colourful beehive domes.

Took a hike into Cathedral Gorge, noted for its shade, and ever-changing colours. Visited one of the camps for overnight stays, but opted to return to Kununurra.

Sue Seevers

USA - 25-Mar-09 -

The Bungle-Bungles were awesome, from the ground and the air as well! Definitely worth the bumpy -- really bumpy -- dirt road access into the park. And, be sure to spend a night in the park at one of the campgrounds to get the full effect of the wilderness.