Bungle Bungles & Osmond Range

April 12 - May 2, 2009

	World Heritage. Purnululu National Park and the Bungle Bungles have been nominated for world heritage listing. Spectacular rock formations. The rounded domes commonly seen in photographs are only part of the story. The Bungles contain some of the most spectacular gorges in the Kimberley.
Off the beaten track. Our walks take you far beyond where any other tour will take you. Too long? Any section can be done on its own.
This trip spends a week in the Osmond Range to the north of the Bungles, a week in Piccaninny Gorge and a week to the east of Piccaninny.

Section 1: The Osmond Range

April 12-18

We begin with a 250 km drive from Kununurra to the northern end of the range on Aboriginal owned land.
The Osmond Range is very different to the nearby Bungles. There are many permanent springs and a dense vegetation that does not exist further south.
Click here to see a gallery containing more photos of the Osmond Range. Please be patient while the photos load.

Section 2: Piccaninny Creek and Gorge

April 18-25

We return to the main road at Turkey Creek, then drive to the end of the vehicle track at the base of Piccaninny Gorge. We then begin our walk up to a campsite about 12 km up the gorge. We use this camp as a base as we explore some of the beautiful side gorges.
Some of the walking is quite flat and easy. Some is more difficult and requires a bit of rock scrambling. Having a base camp means that we do not have to carry full packs over the roughest terrain.

Section 3: Piccaninny East

Apr 25 - May 2

	The landscape to the east of Piccaninny Gorge is full of pools, gorges, open areas and interesting rock formations. The more open landscape means that the pools here are warmer than those in Piccaninny Gorge. The extra sun allows a wider variety of wild flowers to flourish. The photos here give you a small taste of what you can expect.
Click here to see a gallery containing more photos of the Bungle Bungles. Please be patient while the photos load.

Terrain and difficulty. Most of the walking with full packs on sections one and two is relatively flat. Many of the day walks, however, involve clambering over large boulders and may involve pushing through thick spinifex. Some people, especially those who have never done this kind of walking before, are likely to find this fairly difficult. The beginning of section three will include a steep and strenuous climb which none of our guides have done before. Once that is done, the rest of the walk will include everything from flat and easy to clambering over large rocks to edging along narrow gorges.

Your rewards are waterfalls, wildflowers, rugged rock formations and, on sections two and three a chance to be among the first non-Aboriginals to explore some areas. You get an incredible Kimberley wilderness experience no other operator can offer you.

Click here to see a PDF file of the detailed trip notes. Purnululu was listed as a world heritage site in July 2003. The following quote is from the Australian Department of Environment and Heritage website. "Famous for the 45 000 hectare Bungle Bungle Range, with its huge expanse of striking banded beehive structures, sandstone cliffs and towers, Purnululu has been listed as an outstanding landscape that is a superlative natural phenomenon, revealing the history of its formation over hundreds of millions of years. Purnululu National Park has such outstanding universal natural values that it enriches the world and should be conserved for the benefit of all people. Before 1982, when aerial pictures were first released, it was virtually unknown except to pastoralists, scientists and the local Aboriginal community. It is now seen as one of the scenic jewels of outback Australia." Click here to see the full Department of Environment and Heritage Purnululu World Heritage page. Click here to see the UNESCO Description of the World Heritage listing. If you would like more information about the Bungles, the link below is a 72 page PDF of the Australian government application for World Heritage status for Purnululu. The document contains a wealth of information (much more information than in the actual listing) as well as some beautiful photos. It's over 2MB, so you'll need a lot of patience if you don't have a fast internet connection. Nomination of Purnululu National Park for World Heritage Status For more information about this trip or to find out how to book, please click the link below and send us an email. Bungle Bungles and Osmond Range Information

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