Bungle Bungle, Purnululu NP, WA (from the ground)

The Bungle Bugle is located in the Purnululu National Park. These tiger-striped, beehive-shaped sandstone domes rise 300m out of the arid landscape. The Bungle Bungles gain their tiger-stripes from black algae growth that permeates the more porous layers of the rock, and a glossy orange build up of manganese and iron staining. The access road to the Bungles is unsealed and is best suited to larger 4WD vehicles. The access road is only 55 km long but takes some 1.5 to 2 hours to travel in reasonable conditions.

Bungle Bungle, Purnululu NP, WA (from the air)

From the air, the Bungle Bungle range is an awesome spectacle, tiger-striped, beehive-shaped sandstone domes rising 300 metres out of the plain. The Bungle Bungles gain their tiger-stripes from black algae growth that permeates the more porous layers of the rock, and a glossy orange build up of manganese and iron staining. The orange and black stripes of these massive sandstone structures are easy to spot from a scenic flight. As you sweep over the range, a hidden world of gorges and pools are revealed, with fan palms clinging to walls and crevices in the rocks.

Ivanhoe Crossing, Kununurra, WA

Ivanhoe Crossing is a causeway built over the Ord River and is only a short drive north of Kununurra in the East Kimberley. While many people fish for barramundi from the causeway, one has to be careful because there are salt water crocodiles in the river. The safest place to fish is from the banks of the Ord River, even then you should keep an eye out for crocs which trawl just beneath the water. Ivanhoe Crossing is where the locals go fishing.

Karunjie Track (near Wyndam, WA)

The Karunjie Track traverses the plains around the Cockburn Ranges and their spectacular multi-tiered escarpments. The flats themselves were a sterile, flat expanse that were desolate and left you with the feeling if isolation. The bull dust was deep and at times and quite dangerous. At some stages the track had two or three options, all of them as bad as each other and consisting of bull-dust 50 cm deep. We even had to stop and rescue a fellow 4WDriver who had hopelessly bogged his Ford Explorer up to its axles. In my opinion, the track should only be attempted with 4WDs with high ground clearance.

Prison Boab Tree (located near Wyndham, WA)

The prison boab tree is located near Wyndham at the eastern end of the Kimberley. It can be found 23 kilometres along the King River Road, which is only a rough bush track. The remarkable Wyndham boab tree has a circumference of 14.7 metres and is estimated to be at least 1500 years old. The tree was used by local police as an overnight lock up.

Lake Argyle, WA

Lake Argyle is the biggest man-made lake in Australia. It is part of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and is located near the East Kimberley (Western Australia) town of Kununurra. It’s several times larger than Sydney Harbour and holds up to 32 million cubic metres of water. It’s so huge that it’s classified as an inland sea. There is a great picnic area at the base of the dam wall to relax and have a bite to eat or do some fishing on the banks of the Ord River. This is also a good place to spot fresh water crocodile’s sunbaking on the water’s edge.

Litchfield National Park, NT

Litchfield National Park is an easy drive from Darwin, making it a great place to explore the area in a day trip or extended visit for those that like to camp. During the dry season, the waterfalls aren’t a spectacular as the wet season but they do make an ideal place to take a cooling swim on a hot day. The main attractions are the waterfalls of Florence, Tolmer and Wangi as well as the cascades at Buley Rockhole and magnetic termite mounds.