Outback Spirit Tour - Purnulu ( Bungle Bungles)

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DAY ELEVEN

This morning Kevin and I took an optional helicopter flight over the Bungle Bungles. the Purnulu National Park covers an area of 239,723ha. The banded sandstone domes cover 45,000ha. The park was listed for World Heritage in 2003 because of its natural beauty and geological value. The domes orange and grey bands are caused by the presence (dark) or absence (orange) of cyanobacteria. The orange bands are oxidised iron compounds that have dried out too quickly for the bands to grow. The sandstone was deposited about 360 million years ago. We were so glad that we did. The helicopter was the best way to see the size of area covered by these iconic rock formations.

After this everybody went for a walk through the unique orange and black beehive shaped domes. We then proceeded to the Picaninny Creek lookout and then did the 4km walk to the natural amphitheatre of Cathedral Gorge via the beehive sandstone formations. . Water pounding through here in the wet season has created a huge amphitheatre of red rock with a pool of water in the middle. Later we did the 2km return walk to the spectacular 200m high narrow gorge of Echidna Chasm before returning to the lodge. It is barely a metre wide in some parts. It features the Livistona palms at the entrance and the gorge walls provide extraordinary colours. Great for photographers

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