Purnululu National Park

I visited Purnululu National Park in early August 2023 as part of a trip around Western Australia and the Northern Territory with my wife and teenage son. We flew into Kununurra from Darwin, which is a short 1 hour flight, and rented a Toyota Landcruiser Prado at the airport. Before heading south towards Purnululu, we visited the excellent Mirima National Park on the outskirts of Kununurra and walked up a steep trail for views over the valley. We also visited the Aboriginal Art Centre. After lunch we visited Kelly's Knob, a high point with a view over the town then set out on the road, arriving in Warmun in the late afternoon. We stopped a few times to check out the Baobab trees around the highway. 

We had originally planned to stay two nights at a campsite just off the highway but a dispute between the traditional owners meant the site wouldn't open for the whole season. We were only given a few weeks notice of the closure so had to hastily arrange alternative accommodation. We stayed at Warmun Roadhouse about 35 miles north of the turn off into Purnululu, and although the accommodation was basic, the roadhouse had everything one needs - shop, restaurant and fuel. The night sky here was amazing, as good as anywhere I had seen previously. 

We set off for Purnululu early the next morning as you are advised not to travel at night due to the risk of hitting animals (cows, horses, …

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 …

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.

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.