Bungle Bungle Range

by Konrad Bucheli
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Tuesday/Wednesday 2nd/3rd August, 2016

Our target was simple: the Bungle Bungle Range in the Purnululu National Park. In only 1.5 hours we got over the 56 km of dirt road to the information centre. The road was in good condition, most probably it has been lately maintained.

After the check-in we immediately went to the north to the Echinda Chasm. The water cut deep here into the rocks: it is a small chasm up to 180 m deep in the red sediment and conglomerate rock of the Bungle Bungle Range. We hiked on the dry creek bed into it. It is a beautiful light scenery, then slowly the sun shines further down the chasm and around noon reaches the ground. In the afternoon we hike into another gorge. That time Jann does not walk anymore. I carry him on my back and pass Kiara to Petra. Here it gets a bit narrow at times, but we always manage to find an alternative way, crawling or climbing. At the top Jann wants to walk back. But only until the end of the gorge, there he wants to be carried again. Then we go to the camp site. Before sunset we go to a nearby hill. There we have a beautiful view as the light of the setting sun colours the Bungle Bungles even more red.

On the next day we go to the southern part. It is totally different: the rock is eroded to round cones, similar to bee-hives. And it is orange-red and grey-black stripped. It is very own, nearly surreal. Again we go hiking. Jann is walking the first three kilometres, where we again go into two gorges. After we hike up in the river bed until there is a rock window. Here it gets lonely. Most tourists do not hike that far, even if it is only three kilometres away from the parking. And all surrounded by these strange round rocks. After lunch we drive back to the highway.

Kiara does not like the road. She is very grumpy. We change our plan and do not drive to the north to Wyndham and then to the west on the unsealed Gibb River Road. We continued on the highway towards the south-west until Halls Creek, where we stay again on the camping.

I guess there is potential for improvement concerning the entertainment for the kids on the road. Jann sings sometimes. Normally he sings the names of the people which are important to him. And sometimes elements of children songs he knows. But our repertoire here is finite. In contrary to Kiara he can look out of the car and sometimes he comments or asks about what he sees. Here in Australia Kiara has to lay backwards in baby position and only sees the roof of the car. At home in Switzerland she can already sit and view in direction of driving. When she is screeming Jann joins in by screeming much louder and with much fun. But Mami is then not pleased anymore. Today on the last hundred kilometres I hold my hand back to Kiara. She played with it, later she bites it. And Jann started to pull out the hairs on my arm. Petra has somewhere a MP3 player with a collection of children songs. Maybe that helps.