Purnululu National Park - Bungle Bungle Ranges

We dropped the caravan off in Turkey Creek and drove into Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles Ranges) for an overnight camp. The drive in along the Spring Creek track is about a two - three hour drive and covers only 53 kms... we had some fun on the bumpy, rocky road in...

The Bungle Bungle ranges are spectacular, famous for the striped sandstone domes. These stripes are caused by layers of sandstone; one with more clay content (darker layers) which support cyanobacteria (blue-grey algae) growing on the surface, creating a protective outer layer that prevents erosion and the second lighter-coloured layer containing less clay content, that does not support cyanobacteria, hence is exposed to "rusting", creating the beautiful orange colour.

First stop for us to see the Bungle Bungles was the Domes and the Cathedral Gorge walks.

Start of the Cathedral Gorge walk

Our first sight of the Bungle Bungles



Walking into Cathedral Gorge

 

Inside Cathedral Gorge.... that's mumma lucky duck in the bottom right corner

Water monitor in the gorge

Second stop was the heli-pad..... All five lucky ducks then got in a door-less helicopter and took a flight over the Bungle Bungle Ranges, Picaninny Creek, Y gorge, twin gorges... It was really exciting.

Getting ready to leave....

flying over the Bungles

aerial shot of the 'Y' Gorge

.... so beautiful

having a laugh

chatting to the pilot

aerial of Piccanninny Gorge

on our way back to base..

After all the excitement, we headed back to settle into our camping spot at Walardi Campground....

His first driving lesson...



Dry river bed we camped beside

hungry and exhausted lucky ducks.

Then came the super-duper fiveluckyducks experience, Rossco had met the principal of Purnululu Community School (Alex) in Broome whilst watching the rugby the week before. Frog Hollows is home to the school and is a closed community. Alex had invited us to the school, but as it turned out the children and teachers were also camping in the Purnululu National Park the same time as us, so we hung out with these energetic, friendly, loving children...



playing ball with the school children



Off to play with the neighbours

They were so much fun, we were invited to come along to a swimming hole with the school, all the kids swam in the river, we were blessed by the waters edge and the ladies gathered wood, threw out some fishing lines and caught some lunch. There are freshwater crocodiles in here but apparently they are more scared of us than we are of them, they must be terrified of us then!!

Boys receiving blessing to swim in the river

Mumma lucky ducks blessing

The ladies fishing for lunch

the lucky ducks learning a few fishing tricks

one of the catch

swimming in the river

the gang in the river

the gorgeous Narni