Wild and wonderful landscape

What should be the eighth natural wonder of the world, the Bungle Bungle Range, is the calling card of the Purnululu National Park, nestled in the vast landscape of the East Kimberley.

There’s never been a better time to visit, with the 450sqkm range sheltering sparse groups of explorers from each other, making visitors feel they’ve been transported to another world.

The Jaru and Gidja people are the traditional custodians of Purnululu National Park, and maintain a strong connection to the ancient landscape through Dreamtime stories, art and spiritual resources.

But the area was only declared a national park in 1987, despite being travelled through by the region’s pioneering stockmen, after a crew filming the documentary Wonders of WA spotted the domes in 1983.

The World Heritage-listed time-worn beehive-like mounds, weathered by horizontal winds and encased in a skin of silica and algae, are a sight to behold for any adventurous traveller, but they just sit at the surface of what the unique area has to offer.

Amid the grandeur of the sandstone massif, keen trekkers will find gorges and pools still glistening from the heavy rains of the wet season, with a species of Livingstonia palm found only in the range capturing life in rock crevasses and at precarious peaks.

While there are many trails to follow, highlights are the Piccaninny Creek Lookout, Cathedral Gorge, and the Domes Walk at the southern end, along with Echidna Chasm and Osmand Lookout in the north.

Walking for 4km amid sandstone giants, over rocks and through green valleys is awe-inspiring enough before being met with the astonishing amphitheatre of Cathedral Gorge and its natural acoustics, which rival those of the Sydney Opera House.

The contrasting but just as amazing Echidna Chasm is found at the end of a trail bordered by conglomerate boulders, with the 200m-high orange chasm taking walkers on a winding 2km adventure.

Fires are not allowed in the national park and desert temperatures can reach below zero at night, so it is important to keep this in mind when choosing what to pack and where to stay during your visit.

There are two public camp grounds in the park: Walardi, in the south near the domes, which allows for generators; and the larger Kurrajong campground, closer to Echidna Chasm.

The caravan park is before the treacherous road into the park, but further high-clearance transport is recommended to travel over an hour down it to fully explore what the park has to offer.

There are also two resorts at the private Bellburn. The Wilderness Lodge and Savannah Lodge are both for travellers seeking a more luxurious and catered experience.

Some travellers choose to make the trek unaccompanied, while others benefit from the extensive knowledge and hear Dreamtime stories from guides from a range of local tour operators as well as light plane and helicopter rides above the Massive monolith.

However you choose to experience the the awe-inspiring Purnululu National Park, its a must for any intrepid traveller’s bucket list.