The Bungle Bungles/Purnululu National Park
Nowhere near as difficult to access as it used to be!
The Bungle Bungles, or Purnululu National Park as it is officially called, is mentioned whenever the Kimberley is mentioned.
The park is known for the astounding Bungle Bungle range, which was only "discovered" by a film team in 1983.
Purnululu National Park was established in 1987 and skyrocketed to world fame in no time at all. And deservedly so...
Approaching the Bungle Bungle range
The Bungle Bungle range with its distinctive striped beehive domes is
most definitely one of the most spectacular and memorable places I have
seen in my life. I can't think of anything that even remotely compares
to the experience of a walk along Piccaninny Creek.
At the start of the walk into Piccaninny Creek
In my opinion one night of camping in the Bungles should be on the must-do list of every Kimberley traveller.
But many travellers are hesitant to visit Purnululu National Park as self drivers.
On the way to Purnululu National Park
The Spring Creek Track (that's the access road to the Bungles NP) has a bad reputation as a rough and difficult 4WD track, the park itself is very remote with few facilities inside or even nearby, and all of the walking tracks in Purnululu are rough bushwalking tracks.
As a result many visitors opt for organised tours or even restrict themselves to a scenic flight instead.
Before you do the same, please read through all the information on this website. Because as so often, most of what you have heard is likely either exaggerated or plain outdated.
Yes, there are a few creeks to cross...
A creek crossing on the way to the Bungles, very early in the year.(The crossings dry up very quickly.)
...but honestly, while it can look spectacular in photos, that isn't difficult to do!
(If you are nervous about the driving, grab my free guide book here. It will put your mind at ease.)
If you have a 4WD (rented or your own) and you are travelling through the Kimberley independently, then you can go to the Bungles independently, too.
Below you can find out everything you need to know to do so.
About Purnululu National Park
Purnululu National Park Background Information
Facts, history, where does the name come from...
Geology, how the striped domes were formed.
Bungle Bungles Tourism Information
The best time to visit, the weather and temperatures
Getting there: directions, distances, driving times, road conditions, fees and regulations.
Accommodation/camping in the Bungles
The Walks and Attractions of Purnululu National Park
Take a virtual tour through the park. For now. I hope you can make it a real tour soon...
Bungle Bungles Pictures
The Purnululu National Park page of my little Kimberley photo gallery.
The FREE Kimberley Pocket Guide
A great introduction to travel in the Kimberley region and along the Gibb. This free resource will answer all the questions you might have in the early stages of planning a trip.
Destination Kimberley
The full Kimberley travel guide shows you how to make the most of your adventure at Australia's last frontier. Destination Kimberley includes the most detailed and most current guide to the Gibb River Road available anywhere. Also called "The Bible" by its readers.
Have You Been To The Bungles?
Or know someone who has? Do you have a good story? Some tips? A great photo? Come on, share it!
Other readers would love to hear your tips and read about your experiences, so please share them with us.
It's easy! Just fill in the form below. Upload a photo or four if you like.
(If you'd like to add a video, please say so in your submission. I will need to do that manually.)
See existing reader pages and trip reports.
Here's what others have said
about Purnululu National Park
Click below to read the contributions from other readers and Kimberley fans...
Bungle Beauties 2013
After doing the Gibb River Road, on the way back to Kununurra to collect our caravan, we stopped at Halls Creek to get a permit for camping in the Bungles …
Purnululu National Park September 2012
It is best to visit the national park earlier in the season rather than later. We went on 24 September, planning to spend two nights in the park.
On …
Bungles in a Day
I personally don't think you could do the Bungle Bungles in a day. It takes quite a few hours just to get into the park from the entrance. You could do …
1988 Early Days in Purnululu
Our trip into the Bungle Bungles was back in 1988, the road in was very poor, full of pot holes with deep bulldust and areas of quite deep water to transverse. …
Camping at the Bungle Bungles
To see the Bungle Bungles we left our caravan at Kununurra and took the Landcruiser with roof-top tent. We needed one day to travel from Kununurra and …
I survived the road into the Bungle Bungle
Title of this my story, comes from the words of the sticker my wife bought me at the visitor center after the 53 kms driving from the turn off on Northern …
Bungle Bungles our first trip
We headed out into the Bungles on a whim not really knowing anything about the area. At that time (10yrs ago) I didn't use the inter-net. So there we …
It's A Long Way In (to Purnululu)
My wife and I drove into the Bungle Bungles three years ago and it took us three hours. When we got there everything was shut and the ranger station …
Walking in the Bungle Bungles
The Bungles are unique. My sister-in-law and I were there at the beginning of October 2007. The walks through Echidna Chasm and Cathedral Dome were relatively …
Purnululu
The Bungle Bungles or Purnululu is an experience not to be missed. I was not ready for the scale of the rock formations and the dramatic colours of them. …
Camping in the Bungles
The picture shows our camping site in the Bungles, at the location which is 15km from the tourist centre towards the south, not sure of the name again... …
(You can find more trip reports that also talk about the Bungles among the general Kimberley Trip Reports, Reviews and Experiences.)
Purnululu Related Reader Questions
Click below to read questions from other readers, and the answers and comments they received. (All pages open in new window.)
If you have a question yourself please see the questions page. Thank you.
Bungle Bungles from Warmun Turkey Creek in 1 day I have read in detail all the information and conversations about the Bungle Bungles and the time it takes to get there. I understand the time issues! Has ...
Emma Gorge to Bungle Bungle NP in one day We're travelling the Kimberley late September, beginning of October and would like to visit Bungle Bungle NP. Unfortunately we only have one day for that ...
Road access to the Bungle Bungles You state the access to the Bungle Bungles is only suitable for 4WDs. Does this include light duty all wheel drives similar to RAVs, X Trails and CRVs...
How difficult is Spring Creek Road/Bungles access? I am planning on visiting Purnululu National Park and was wondering just how difficult Spring Creek track is for someone who has done limited 4WD driving ...
Visiting Bungle Bungle with a caravan OK, I know that caravans are not allowed in the park, but where is the closest point at which you can (with reasonable security) leave a van so that you ...
Taking an offroad caravan to the Bungle Bungles On some of the websites showing road conditions into the Bungle Bungles there is a picture with the line thru a picture of a caravan. Is it strictly forbidden ...
Off Road Camper Trailers Allowed Into Purnululu National Park? I have had a read about towing caravans, thank you for that advice, but I have an Off Road Campertrailer that I have towed behind my 4WD vehicle to Kalumburu ...
Camper trailer/caravan storage when travelling to the Bungles We are travelling to the Kimberley next month with our Goldstream camper trailer, hoping to travel the Gibb River Road and the Bungles. We heard that we ...
Bungles in a Jayco pop top? How about taking a Jayco pop top caravan into the Bungles? It is called the "out back" series, it is not a full size caravan, is much higher off the ground ...
Mitsubishi DELICA 4WD van suitable for a trip to the Bungles? We are planning a trip next month (September 08) and we have a Mitsubishi DELICA 4WD van. How will this vehicle go travelling on the track to the Bungles...
Ford Territory to Bungle Bungles I will be visiting the Kimberleys and Bungle Bungles in July / August - driving an All Wheel Drive Ford Territory, towing a standard 18' tandem caravan ...
Bungle Bungles in a Rav4? We're planning a trip to the Kimberley in July/August and have been looking into flying to Darwin & hiring a 4WD for the trip - which is getting more expensive ...
Bungle Bungles overnight hike We would like to do the overnight hike to Piccaninny Gorge in the Bungle Bungles and wonder how to camp out. Will a sleeping bag be enough protection ...
Here is the full list of all Purnululu questions
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Destination Kimberley
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