What are the Bungle Bungles?
The Bungle Bungles are striped, beehive-shaped sandstone domes in Purnululu National Park in Western Australia's Kimberley region. The park was listed as World Heritage in 2003.
The domes are made of sandstone layers formed about 350 million years ago. Their orange and black stripes come from differences in the rock: orange bands contain iron and manganese oxides, while darker bands hold more moisture and support cyanobacteria.
Although the Kija and Jaru peoples have always known the area, the domes became widely known to the rest of Australia only in the early 1980s, after a documentary film team flew over them.
Gorges and walks
Popular walks include Cathedral Gorge, a huge natural amphitheatre, and Echidna Chasm, a narrow cleft that glows in the midday sun. The Domes Walk weaves between the beehive formations.
Scenic flights by plane or helicopter reveal the full extent of the range. Access is by a rough four-wheel-drive road, and the park is usually open only in the dry season, from about April to November.
Purnululu means sandstone in the Kija language. The park covers about 240,000 hectares.
Did You Know?
The Bungle Bungle domes are fragile and climbing on them is not allowed.