Purnululu National Park - Kurrajong Campground

 30 July - 2 August 2022

When we did our trip around Australia in 1991 (no-one called it “doing the lap” in those days) we weren’t able to visit Purnululu National Park as it had already closed for the season, so we had it as a priority for this trip. We set off from Kununurra and made a morning tea stop at Cockburn Rest Area. This is also used as a 24 hour free camp and the number of birds around had us seriously considering it for when we would be on the way to Wyndham be in a couple of weeks.

From there we drove on and stopped for lunch at Dunham River Rest Area, another one used as a 24 hour free camp. This one looked much nicer that Cockburn but there weren’t any birds around. We continued on to the turn-off to Purnululu National Park, where we stopped to let some air out of the tyres. We had read that the road into the national park is in poor condition so we wanted to be prepared. The drive from the turn-off to the Visitor Centre is 53 kilometres and took about an hour and a half. Yes, the road was as bad as we had expected. There were a number of shallow creek crossings and lots of corrugations, as well as windy and narrow sections – but the views were magnificent.

We had booked three nights at each of the two campgrounds – Kurrajong (in the northern section of the park, and Walardi (in the southern section) – and we were required to check in at the visitor centre before travelling on to the campground. We obtained our camp tags and arrived at Kurrajong, the larger of the two campgrounds, after 4:00pm. We took our time to choose the best spot for us and found one that would give us afternoon shade as well as lots of sun to keep the solar powering the batteries. There are toilets and taps scattered throughout the campground so we were not far from those either. Although there was lots of bush around we could see to the ranges so we felt we had the perfect spot.

We decided on Homestead Valley as our first walk so we set off quite early to avoid the heat of the day. With afternoon temperatures in the thirties, it was best to walk in the mornings. The Homestead Walk leaves from The Bloodwoods and is described as a 4.4km return, Class 3 walk. It involves walking along the dry creek bed, through rocks, stones and pebbles. The end of the walk is at a very nice shaded picnic area. Although old Aboriginal stockmen spoke of a homestead in the valley, there is no physical evidence of one having been there. It’s a lovely walk, with or without a homestead at the end.

We finished there at around 10:00 am and made our way down the road to Echidna. We had a cup of coffee before setting off to walk into Echidna Chasm. This is one of Purnululu’s best-known features with the middle of the day the best time to visit. When the sun is overhead, the walls of the chasm seem to glow. The walk is 4.2km and described at Class 3 to the chasm, then Class 4 inside. This walk also involved walking along a dry, rocky creek bed. Once inside the chasm it was easy to see why it is so well-known. The place is just magnificent and we timed it well to see the changing colours of the rock walls. The walk wasn’t too difficult but we did need to do some rock scrambling towards the end. We both took so many photos – it was hard to know when to stop.

From Echidna Chasm we returned to camp in time for lunch and then a very restful afternoon trying to beat the heat. The best place to be was in the shade of the awning. Late in the afternoon we walked up the nearby hill to the sunset viewing area. We were a bit early but had left time to stop and look for birds in the spinifex along the way. The views from the top were fabulous.

The following day we set off early again to do some short walks. First up it was back down to Echidna for the Osmand Lookout – a short 1km return, Class 3 walk, which we actually found very easy. Once again fabulous views, of the Osmand Ranges, that were formed millions of years ago. From there we drove back down to the Bloodwoods to the Bloodwood Lookout. This was also approximately 500m and Class 3, but again quite easy, and with more amazing views of the Bungle Bungle Range and surrounding woodlands. Our final walk for the morning was Stonehenge. We still have no idea how it was named as it was a botanical walk with lots of interpretative information about how the various plants were used as food, medicine and to make tools and weapons.

Before returning home we revisited the Information Centre to buy a t-shirt. We are not big on souvenirs but I had been searching for a nice shirt for quite a while and this one in gunmetal grey with the very understated Purnululu logo featuring the domes, suited me nicely.

Late in the afternoon we drove up to Kungkalanay Lookout for the sunset. The path splits at the top so there are two sunset viewing spots - both with some seats. Once again the sunset view was very popular. It's important to check what time the sun actually sets as we saw a few groups arriving after it had already gone down. At this time of year in this part of Western Australia sunset occurs at about 5:15pm. 

In the morning we packed up our camp and drove the 18km or so over to Walardi Campground where we would spend the next three nights.