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Bungle Bungles
Bungle Bungle Range is located in the World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park. This maze of orange and black striped karst sandstone domes, often likened to giant beehives, is one of the best-loved attractions in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. The area contains the deeply dissected Bungle Bungles Range, composed of Devonian-age quartz sandstone.
The formation eroded over a period of 20 million years into a series of beehive-shaped towers or cones. Its steeply sloping surfaces are distinctly marked by regular horizontal bands of dark-grey cyanobacterial crust.
Purnululu National Park covers almost 240,000 hectares of remote areas managed as wilderness. It includes the Bungle Bungles Range, a spectacularly incised landscape where karst sandstone rises 250 meters above the surrounding semi-arid savannah grasslands.
Bungle Bungles National Park
The Bungle Bungle Range is the main feature of Purnululu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. The sandstone karst of Purnululu National Park is of great scientific importance. Karst formation on sandstone was recognized by geomorphologists only recently and is still not completely understood. The Bungle Bungles Ranges of the Park also display, to an exceptional degree, evidence of geomorphic processes of dissolution, weathering, and erosion.
The park is located in East Kimberley, about 100 kilometers from the town of Halls Creek and 250 kilometers from the town of Kununurra. You can fly into Kununurra from Perth, Broome, and Darwin.
Unique depositional processes and weathering have given these towers their spectacular black and orange banded appearance, formed by biological processes of cyanobacteria, which serve to stabilize and protect the ancient sandstone formations.
Also Read- The World’s Most Wilderness Coastline- Kimberley, Australia
Bungle Bungles Map
The Bungle Bungle Range is the main feature of Purnululu National Park, a vast, remote area in the East Kimberley, Australia.
Cathedral Gorge: A massive, naturally carved amphitheater of red rock, often with a seasonal pool of water. The Domes Walk: A shorter track that takes you right amongst the famous striped sandstone formations.
Piccaninny Creek: A major drainage system. The area includes the Piccaninny Creek Car Park, which is the starting point for the walks to Cathedral Gorge and the Domes. The main creek bed itself is a popular (and challenging) overnight hike destination. Walardi Campground: The main campground for the southern end of the park.
Once, the Bungle Bungles were known only to local people
The Bungle Bungles Range was only known to local Aboriginal owners and pastoralists until a documentary team brought it to the world’s attention in 1983. Director Guy Baskin was filming a documentary called Wonders of Western Australia when the crew saw the incredible formations from the air.
Aboriginal people are thought to have lived in this region for more than 40,000 years, and the park holds rich traces of their life. Ancient rock art and burial sites can be found across the park, and you can visit some of the sites with a local Aboriginal guide. With its unique geological and historic Aboriginal significance, Purnululu was listed as a World Heritage area in 2003.
Bungle Bungles Tours
These 250-meter-high cliffs are cut by seasonal waterfalls and pools, creating the major tourist attractions in the park with fabulous names such as Echidna Chasm, Piccaninny, and Cathedral Gorges. The Bungle Bungles are the most outstanding example of cone karts in sandstone anywhere in the world.
Read- Geotourism And Modern Geotechniques
Experience the spectacular Bungle Bungle Range with Bungle Bungle Guided Tours. As a locally owned operator, we offer unique walking tours through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park. One can experience the 40,000-year history of the Aboriginal people, the cultural and natural significance, and the reasons why this vast, 240,000-hectare wilderness—home to the iconic sculptured sandstone towers—is one of only 16 Natural World Heritage sites in Australia. Learn about traditional customs and bush-tucker as you explore this remote, historic landscape.
Bungle Bungles Campground
Within Purnululu National Park, the primary Bungle Bungle campgrounds are Kurrajong and Walardi, both operated by the Parks and Wildlife Service. These sites are basic and unpowered, featuring pit toilets and no showers, so visitors must be fully self-sufficient. For an option with more amenities, the Bungle Bungle Caravan Park offers powered and unpowered sites, as well as cabins, located privately near the park entrance.
How to reach Bungle Bungles, Australia
Due to its remote location, the Bungle Bungle Range is reached either by a scenic flight or by driving the challenging Spring Creek Track. This unsealed, 53 km track requires a high-clearance 4WD vehicle and is only passable during the dry season. It is located roughly 250 km south of Kununurra, turning off the Great Northern Highway. Scenic flights are available directly from points such as Kununurra and Lake Argyle.
