  Purnululu National Park, Australia
Purnululu National Park is a national park in Western Australia, Australia. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 27th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris, France, from 30 June to 5 July, 2003.
What to See in Purnululu National Park
Purnululu National Park is most famous for the Bungle Bungle Range, the whimsical quartz sandstone cones looking like clusters of beehives. These strange hillocks were the result of erosion over a period of 20 million years. There are distinct horizontal bands on the mounts created by single-celled photosynthetic organisms. The interaction of geological, biological, erosional and climatic forces have together created this extraordinary landscape that is unique to Purnululu National Park.
Photos of Purnululu National Park
Penguins on Macquarie Island
Author: Peter Ruckstuhl (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Penguins on Macquarie Island
Author: Bäras (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Penguins on Macquarie Island
Author: Bäras (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Location
Purnululu National Park is located on the northeastern part of Western Australia, near the border with Northern Territory. The nearest major town is Kununurra.
Etymology
The name Purnululu comes from the word for sandstone, from the Kija Aboriginal people. The name Bungle Bungle may have been a corruption of bundle grass.
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Location: S 17 30 0 E 128 30 0
Inscription Year: 2003
Type of Site: Natural
Inscription Criteria: VII, VIII
Visiting Purnululu National Park
Despite being in Western Australia, Purnululu National Park is closer to Darwin, the capital of Northern Territory, than to Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Hence, it would be recommendable that you make Darwin your base for visiting this site.
Here's a list of hotels in Darwin. The main town to Purnululu is Kununurra, so I also provide here the hotels in Kununurra. If you are going via Perth, here's also a list of hotels in Perth. Once you have settled on your accommodation, you can book a local tour through your hotel or a nearby travel agency.
Getting there
You can drive to Purnululu National Park from the Great Northern Highway (Route 1) via Spring Creek Track. The nearest major town is Kununurra, which is 250 km away. The Spring Creek Track is only usable during the dry months, between 1 April to 31 December. A more practical way is simply to fly there. Check with travel agents in Darwin or Perth.
|
