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Nature has once
again provided human with one of the most unique
design in Bungle Bungle Mountains which looks
like a maze of towering beehive domes in this
part of Australia whereby this area are among
the most fragile mountains in the world. Lying
in the vast Kimberley region of the Purnululu
National Park, this massif covers almost four
hundred and fifty square kilometers. The temperature is
close to 380C most of
the time and becomes very dry during winter.
However, waterfalls can be seen during the wet
season whereby rivers sometimes flood their
plains. Water is responsible for both the
whimsical shape and colorful banding of the
Bungle Bungle Mountains.
 The first European
party to set eyes on this magnificent structure
was led by Alexander Forrest in 1879. The
Aborigines, who have lived here for over twenty
thousand years, considered this place as one of
their sacred sites and the Aborigines call this
place Purnululu meaning sandstone. In 1987, this
place was classified as a national park and
since then, the Aboriginals have helped to
manage this place to prevent the fragile stone
from erosion by visitors. The four main
ecosystems making up the Purnululu National Park
are the Bungle Bungle Mountain Range in the
centre, the wide sand plains surrounding the
mountain range, the Ord River valley on the
eastern and southern section and the limestone
ridges to the west and north of the national
park.
History of this area
goes back close to four hundred million years
ago when massive beds of layered sediment built
up here, eroded from now-vanished mountains to
the north. As time passes, streams carved out
grooves and guiles in the soft rock in which
were carved by wind and water later on to leave
the isolated sandstone towers of today. The
domes are located mostly on the southern and
eastern side of the massif while towards the
western and northern section lies sheer rock
walls about two hundred and fifty meters high,
fretted with mesmerizing canyons.
 Plants such as
spinifex, acacia and fan palms are seen hanging
at the gorges and chasms. One of its attractions
is the vivid stripes in the rocks which results
by the change of weather. The sandstone is
whitish when freshly exposed but water seeping
out along the layered beds deposit a layer of
quartz and clay that is frequently forming and
breaking off. Its tinge of orange is caused by
the traces of iron while the grey and brown
comes from accumulating lichens and algae which
is then dried out by the sun.
Assisted by the rays
of a low sun, the towers and canyons of the
Bungle Bungle Mountains form a fantastic dreamland
panorama that shines as if lit from within and
provides visitors one of the most awesome
scenery ever existed and it is important to have
digital camera nearby. The remarkable
tiger-striped domes loom in surreal Photo:
Bungle Bungle Mountains grandeur
from the plains of the Ord River in Western
Australia.
Because it is so remotely located,
only a few people have set foot to this tourist
attraction. The best
way to admire this panorama mountains is by air
and you will be able to see their distinctive
banding clearly which is caused by the minerals
seeping from the sandstone.
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