The Bungle Bungles are some of the most beautiful, striking natural formations in the world. Their weird and wonderful shapes are only outshone by their glowing colours and irresistible stripiness!

The cone karsts of the Bungle Bungles or Purnululu National Park, to give it its Aboriginal name, are quartz sand-stone formations that have been eroded over 20 millions years to form these beautiful domes, canyons and gorges. Incredibly it was only in 1987 that they become known to more than the local Aboriginal communities and a few passing stockmen and only 20 years ago they were declared a World Heritage site.

How could you not shout about this?

Vast, ancient and on geological timescales, only discovered just now – incredible!

There are a number of different areas to explore.

Cathedral Gorge is famous for its majestic permanent waterhole and acoustics.

Looking across the waterhole in Cathedral Gorge

Homestead Valley has only been opened up in the last couple of years and draws you in to its shaded palm-lined canyon.

Homestead Valley

Echidna Chasm has to be the best. An ever-narrowing boulder-strewn scramble through a slice of the ancient rocks, that changes light and character as the sun passes over the narrow skylights about.

We were dwarfed by the Chasm walls

Words can’t really describe the best of the Bungle Bungles, so there are extra images in the slideshow for you to enjoy.