25 May
Declan and I (Tim) woke up early to go fishing and (surprise surprise) we didn't catch anything before we returned to camp to find Linda and Tom well under way with packing up. Once finished we were on the road making tracks for the Purnululu National Park which contains the Bungle Bungles. After stocking up in Kununurra on the way (and Linda browsing the diamonds from a shop that are sourced from the local Argyle Diamond Mine) we made good time to the turnoff to our campsite for the night. From there the GPS told us that we only had 59km to go. After seeing a sign that told us to let our tyre pressure down to protect them we knew it was going to be a slow trip in. With quite a few creek crossings, mud, rocks and plenty of corrugations we finally finished the final 59km in two and a half hours – just as the sun was setting. This was not the best time to arrive at bush camping. Every site was taken and we had to squeeze between two groups (we weren't about to trek out and find somewhere else to camp). It didn't help when the boys started fighting and we were given long looks by our neighbours. After fights were settled we have become very routine and everyone knows what needs to be done to set up. This meant we we sitting down to a lovely dinner of butterflied lamb and veg with the hour. A great meal finished with a glass of port in a fantastic setting!
26 May
We had planned to have a big day of hiking this morning but found out that a couple of the walks in the north of the park were still not open because of the amount of water still in the area.
While checking the health of our car batteries I discovered the remnants of our air conditioning belt and so spent the next hour under the bonnet replacing it with a spare that we had bought with us. Turns out our neighbours were very friendly people and even came over and gave us a hand. One of them was a pilot and had been flying tours through the area for years and had much information to share.
Finally underway we headed off to the Visitors Centre and then on to Kungkalahayi Lookout in the northern section of the park. The 360 degree views to the 500 million year old orange limestone cliff faces of the western escarpment of the Bungle Bungle Range were lovely but we were really interested in seeing the Bungle Bungles up close.
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| Kungkalahayi Lookout |
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| The Dome Walk - Bungle Bungles |
The Cathedral Gorge Walk has now taken over from Kings Canyon as my favourite attraction on this trip. The whole walk is amazing with postcard-like scenery everywhere but finishes with a breath-taking amphitheatre that has to be seen to be believed. The colour and size of the gorge is fantastic and both Thomas and Declan loved the acoustics.
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| Cathedral Gorge Amphitheatre - Bungle Bungles |
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| Cathedral Gorge - Bungle Bungles |
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| Piccaninny Creek Lookout |
We stayed in Cathedral Gorge for quite some time just taking in the serenity (punctuated regularly by the boys testing the acoustics and the shutter on my camera working overtime, Linda was speechless) before trecking out to the Piccaninny Creek Lookout. This is the longest of the walks with once again picturesque scenery everywhere. On arrival at the lookout the views over Picaninny Creek were amazing and I find myself running out of descriptive words for this beautiful area.
Unfortunately the northern area of the park was closed due to flooding. So much water it has apparently destroyed much of the area and they are considering pumping the water out. It is not expected to be open till September or October - even then it will be the beginning of the next wet.
Unfortunately the northern area of the park was closed due to flooding. So much water it has apparently destroyed much of the area and they are considering pumping the water out. It is not expected to be open till September or October - even then it will be the beginning of the next wet.
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| Piccaninny Creek Lookout |
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