Key facts

• The Bungle Bungle geological formation: one of the most significant karst and pseudo-karst landforms in the world — the Bungle Bungle Range is composed of Devonian quartz sandstone (approximately 375 million years old) deposited in a shallow inland sea environment; the characteristic beehive dome form results from the differential weathering of the rock: alternating horizontal bands of silica-cemented sandstone (hard; weathers slowly; orange in colour from iron oxide staining) and permeable siliceous sandstone (soft; weathers more rapidly; dark grey-black from colonization by cyanobacteria and algae) created a rock mass with fundamentally different erosion rates at different levels; as the rock was exposed and weathered over 20 million years, the softer bands were undercut and removed while the harder bands projected outward, creating the bulging dome forms and the horizontal banding; the vertical fracture systems in the sandstone (joint sets running approximately perpendicular to each other) determined the spacing and shape of individual domes; the overall landscape is classified as a “pseudo-karst” landscape (resembling limestone karst but not formed by dissolution) and is one of the most outstanding examples of its type in the world
• Cathedral Gorge: the most impressive accessible natural space in the Bungle Bungle Range — Cathedral Gorge is a natural amphitheater carved into the heart of the Bungle Bungle Range over millions of years by seasonal floodwaters; the space (approximately 100 metres wide, 200 metres high) has been created by the collapse of a dome ceiling and the subsequent erosion of the underlying softer rock; the floor is sandy; the curving orange walls rise overhead in an almost perfectly circular formation; the acoustics are extraordinary (the enclosed hemispherical space creates a near-perfect natural reverb); the Aboriginal peoples have used Cathedral Gorge as a ceremonial gathering place; the 3 km return walk from the car park at the south end of the range traverses several smaller gorges and dome formations before reaching the amphitheater
• Echidna Chasm: the most dramatic gorge walk in the Bungle Bungle Range — Echidna Chasm is an extremely narrow gorge (in places only 1–2 metres wide between vertical walls 200 metres high) cut through the northern massif of the Bungle Bungle Range; the name comes from the echidna (spiny anteater), which uses the chasm as a shelter; the chasm was formed by a combination of vertical fracture along a joint set and subsequent fluvial erosion by seasonal water flow; the floor is loose rock and gravel; the walk (2 km return from the northern car park) involves squeezing through sections where the walls almost touch overhead; the light at the end of the chasm, where it opens into a pocket of space with tall livistona palms (the most southerly population of this tropical palm species), is one of the most spectacular natural vignettes in the Kimberley
• The Kija and Jaru peoples: the Aboriginal custodians of Purnululu — Purnululu (the Kija word for “sandstone”) has been inhabited and sacred to the Kija and Jaru peoples for at least 20,000 years; the park contains numerous Aboriginal rock art sites (mostly accessed only by park rangers and Traditional Owners; not open to public visitors), sacred sites, grinding stones, and evidence of long-term occupation; the Kija people’s connection to the land at Purnululu is one of the key reasons the park was nominated for UNESCO inscription in 2001 (though the inscription was made purely on natural criteria in 2003); in 1987, the Western Australian government returned freehold title to the land to the traditional owners (the Kija Land Trust); the park is jointly managed by the Kija and Jaru custodians and the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA)
• Heritage: UNESCO World Heritage Site, Purnululu National Park, inscribed 2003 (natural criteria outstanding geological value)
• GPS: -17.5000° S, 128.4167° E (central Bungle Bungle Range)