Day 52 Bungle Bungles Mini Palm Gorge

Today we were on the road early and drove to the Bungle Bungles. From the turn off the highway it is 55km to the Visitors Centre and that took approximately 2 1/2 hours and 10 river crossings, so an exciting drive in. What is the saying it is not the destination it is the journey will that was really true today.

Purnululu National Park is UNESCO World Heritage Listed with 350-million-year-old, striped sandstone domes with ancient creek beds that meander through striking gorges that transform into a golden paradise late in the day.

The Bungle Bungle is not only unique for the diverse landscape and sandstone formations, but also for the flora and fauna. More than 600 plant species have been recorded including trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns, and mosses. The park has the highest number of spinifex in one area with 13 different species. Home to more than 140 bird species, 85 reptiles, 32 native mammals, 12 frog species and even freshwater crabs.

We had lunch at the Visitors Centre then headed Mini Palms Gorge a 4.5km 2hr Grade 4 return walk which offers a challenging yet rewarding hike with steep slopes, narrow edges, and huge boulders to navigate. The towering gorge walls, elegant Livistona palms make a great contrast to each other. The trail starts relatively easy but gets more difficult following the base of the northern escarpment.

The Bloodwood Lookout was at the beginning of the walk so we started there and walked as far as we could before the boulders became to large to get over and difficult to keep going.