Kimberley & Pilbara
Bungle Bungles & Osmond Range
April 18-25, 2009
- World Heritage Purnululu National Park and the Bungle Bungles have been nominated for world heritage listing.
- Spectacular rock formations The rounded domes commonly seen in photographs are only part of the story. The Bungles contain some of the most spectacular gorges in the Kimberley.
- Off the beaten track Our walks take you far beyond where any other tour will take you.
This trip is the second section of our Bungles-Osmond trip. The first and third sections of that trip will not run this year.
From Kununurra we drive to Warmun (Turkey Creek) for a last snack, then continue to the end of the vehicle track at the base of Piccaninny Gorge. We then begin our walk up to a campsite about 12 km up the gorge. We use this camp as a base as we explore some of the beautiful side gorges.
Some of the walking is quite flat and easy. Some is more difficult and requires a bit of rock scrambling. Having a base camp means that we do not have to carry full packs over the roughest terrain.
|
Terrain and difficulty. Most of the walking with full packs on sections one and two is relatively flat. Many of the day walks, however, involve clambering over large boulders and may involve pushing through thick spinifex. Some people, especially those who have never done this kind of walking before, are likely to find this fairly difficult.
The beginning of section three will include a steep and strenuous climb which none of our guides have done before. Once that is done, the rest of the walk will include everything from flat and easy to clambering over large rocks to edging along narrow gorges.
Your rewards are waterfalls, wildflowers, rugged rock formations and an incredible Kimberley wilderness experience no other operator can offer you.
Purnululu was listed as a world heritage site in July 2003. The following quote is from the Australian Department of Environment and Heritage website.
"Famous for the 45 000 hectare Bungle Bungle Range, with its huge expanse of striking banded beehive structures, sandstone cliffs and towers, Purnululu has been listed as an outstanding landscape that is a superlative natural phenomenon, revealing the history of its formation over hundreds of millions of years. Purnululu National Park has such outstanding universal natural values that it enriches the world and should be conserved for the benefit of all people. Before 1982, when aerial pictures were first released, it was virtually unknown except to pastoralists, scientists and the local Aboriginal community. It is now seen as one of the scenic jewels of outback Australia."
See the UNESCO Description of the World Heritage listing.
If you would like more information about the Bungles, here is a 72 page PDF of the Australian government application for World Heritage status for Purnululu. The document contains a wealth of information (much more information than in the actual listing) as well as some beautiful photos. It's over 2MB, so you'll need a lot of patience if you don't have a fast internet connection.
Bungle Bungles & Osmond Range detailed trip notes.
See a gallery of photos from the Bungle Bungle.
For more information about this trip or to find out how to book email us for Bungle Bungles & Osmond Range Information
share