2021 - QLD-NT-WA-SA-VIC-NSW-QLD: Day 63: Tue 22 Jun - Warmun (with a side trip to Bungle Bungles)

11-31 degC nice cool start to the day

Today we braved the “horror roads” and went to explore the Bungle Bungles. The highway run from Warmun was 53 km, which took no time at all. The 53 km from the turnoff to the Purnululu National Park Visitors Centre took about 1.5 hours. However we didn’t think the road was as bad as everyone made it out to be. We let the tyres down to 24 psi and emptied all the excess stuff out of the cruiser, although we kept the full water tank in the back with 160 litres in it. We think that helped keep the arse down. That said, we certainly wouldn’t have towed the van in there. Saw plenty of extreme off-road campers coming and going though. The blurb in the pamphlet says the track is accessible by high-clearance 4WD vehicles and single-axle off-road heavy-duty trailers.

A little lesson on the NP: in 2003 it was World Heritage-listed for two main features - the area's incredible natural beauty and its outstanding geological value. The Bungle Bungle Range is renowned for its striking banded domes; the world's most exceptional example of cone karst formations. They are made of sandstone deposited about 360 million years ago. Erosion by creeks, rivers and weathering in the past 20 million years have carved out these domes, along with spectacular chasms and gorges. The domes' striking orange and grey bands are caused by presence or absence of cyanobacteria. Dark bands indicate the presence of the bacteria, which grows on layers of sandstone where moisture accumulates. The orange bands are oxidised iron compounds that have dried out too quickly for the bacteria to grow.

Whatever one thinks of the roads, it was all worth the trip as the place is really special and unique, to say the least. No wonder it’s listed as World Heritage. After checking in and paying a very reasonable $8 entrance fee we headed to the Northern section (20 km on a better road, still quite corrugated, but could reach speeds of up to 60 km/h!) where the pretty special Echidna Gorge and Osmand Lookout are located. The walk into Echidna Gorge, with it's ever-decreasing width - to nothing was very pleasant too. The walls of the gorge look like they are on fire when the sun hits them. Although famous for its domes, this park is not just about them, there is so much more to see and we could have easily spent a couple of days here.

We were on our way to Cathedral Gorge on the southside when Wendy discovered she had misplaced her hat. So, 5km back to Echidna Gorge where we found the hat on top of a bollard; someone had obviously found it and placed it in a prominent position for the silly owner to hopefully find. She had dropped it on the way to the truck after having mornos. Whilst travelling during this very busy period, we have found the vast majority of fellow travellers extremely honest, considerate, friendly and up for a chat, which makes the whole experience so much nicer.

The 47 km trip down to the South of the Park was good and bad. However, once we got there, it made it all worthwhile. This is where the dome-like structures are and they are really awesome. There are a number of walks that can be done from the Piccaninny car park. We chose The Domes loop (700m), then onto the Cathedral Gorge walk (2 km), total 4.15 km. Being up close to these structures, they reminded Wendy of the skin of the fruit from a Monstera deliciosa - all those little segments you have to peel off to get to the yummy stuff inside. The gorge walk leads you through dry creek beds, banded domes, pebbles and potholes, towering cliffs and honeycomb rocks to an amphitheatre.

As an added bonus to the day, a lot of native trees were in flower and there were plenty of wildflowers out in all their glory. It was all pretty speccy and well worth the drive in.

There were some absolute fidiots, including a few tour vehicle drivers, on the road, driving well in excess of the conditions. The suggested speed limit was 50 km/h. One tour vehicle came around a totally blind corner, which happened to be on a crest, on the wrong side of the road and if we were a few seconds earlier it wouldn't have been nice. There were 10 water crossings to navigate, ranging from mere puddles to the largest at 10m, quite deep (running board height), and steep sides. So, by the time we had completed the entire trip, we had done 20 water crossings and over 200 km on dirt. Oh and BTW, Wendy did all the driving today and Greg said he couldn't have done any better! He had better say that if he ever wants a break from the driving again.

We were back at the Warmun Roadhouse CP, reunited with our van just before 5 pm. Thank goodness for leftovers, as we were both quite fatigued.

WARNING...WARNING...WARNING

lots of photos, in no particular order, will be titled tomorrow