After our stay in Kununurra we made the short 3 hour drive out to Spring Creek Rest Area where we planned to free camp and then spend the next day exploring the ‘Bungle, Bungle Range’. The couple of nights we spent here, essentially on the side of the road, have been amongst the most memorable.

When we arrived we could see some kids peering out from behind a big bus looking at our ‘rig’ as we rolled in, pondering the same question that our tribe always do – ‘Are there any kids?’ And of course there were. It did not take long at all until all the kids were playing and having a ball together. Tobias quickly invited himself on the bus and was merrily playing with the abundance of toys that were before him. Tom and I also made our introductions and before long we were exchanging our life stories and hopes for the future. After about an hour or so another family arrived back from the Bungle Bungles who were travelling companions to the first family that we had met earlier. That evening was spent chatting, sharing a few beers and the kids eating zooper doopers and roasting marshmallows. Isaac also befriended another family and found a kindred spirit amongst them. It was one big party!! But not too late as we had an early start in the morning.

The next morning we were up with the birds and headed into the Bungle Bungle Range, in Purnululu National Park. The road in is only accessible to 4WD and it takes a good hour and a half to two hours (depending on how you drive) to reach the the visitor centre and then another half hour to begin one of the walks.

The Bungle Bungle Range is amongst one of the most unusual and curious landforms. While this range has been there for millions of years it only became known to the broader populous in the early 1980’s when a documentary film crew began to take footage of this mysterious landform and bought this wonderous maze of beehive shaped domes to the attention of the world. In 2003 it was listed as a World Heritage Site for its geological significance and its outstanding beauty.

As we approach the range we are surprised at how much you can see from the ground. Whenever I’ve seen docos and the like on the ‘Bungle, Bungle Range’ the images are always aerial views. Seeing them from the ground however is definitely worth it and still spectacular.

It is a really hot day the day that we go, reaching almost 40 degrees, even after we started out so early. It is hard going!! We don’t have ambitions to walk great distances so plan to walk to Piccaninny Lookout and Cathedral Gorge. First we head to Piccaninny Lookout. It is an easy walk, but we are all struggling in the heat. We make it however and are so glad that we persevered.

We then made our way to Cathedral Gorge. This gorge is aptly named with a large, naturally occuring amphitheatre at its heart. The acoustics are awesome, with the kids and I trying to test them out without drawing too much attention to ourselves.