Bungle Bungles | The Doc's Blog

The Doc is reprocessing images from the Bungle Bungles in Purnululu (Per-na-lew-lew) National Park in Western Australia, the original images were posted here. First up it is the reprocessed ground images, with the aerial images to follow.

Images are from Gorge Road, Spring Creek Track and Piccaninnny Creek. Viva Cristo Rey.

Sunrise and sunset images below.

One night at camp The Doc thought he was being watched, he turned on the torch to see a Tawny Frogmouth 2.5 metres away. They are silent on the wing and The Doc never heard it fly in and land, nor do their prey.

Plus a bonus image from Panikin Lookout, Lake Argyle Road, Lake Argyle (the last image).

The Bungle Bungle Ranges in the Purnululu National Park (The Kimberley) has the most extensive beehive rock formations in the world. While well known to local Aboriginals and Cattle Station owners, it did not become known to the world until the early 1980s.

Within 5 years it was a National Park and within 20 years it was World Heritage listed.

The beehives are formed by wind driven sand and rainfall (plus millions of years of weathering).

The beehive domes consist of different layers of sandstone; some orange, some black. The black layers hold more moisture allowing cyanobacteria growth which cause the black colour. The orange-coloured layers are stained with iron and manganese mineral deposits within the sandstone (in lay terms – rust!).

Typically, you see the domes from ground level. The Doc took a helicopter flight over The Bungle Bungles. The images are split into two groups; first, the rock formations out of which the beehives are weathered. Here you see deep gorges, meandering rivers (floodways now) and steep gorge walls. Second the domes or beehives themselves, from the air. Make sure you click on the pictures to see the full size images.