16th June 2012 ...Bungle Bungle's

You see this place advertised on TV many times as truly one of the wonders of the world and think ...gee I would love to see that... well our wish came true as we flew over the Bungle Bungles  today... and also landed so we could get a closer look...

Waiting to be picked up by bus to take us to airport

We took off in an 8 seater plane and that included the pilot...and i'm telling you I wasn't impressed when I saw the size of it... Big planes scare me so this little thing terrified me...

Of course as always John got to sit in the front seat with the pilot...as co-pilot...:) he was wrapped in that !!! which of course left me to sit on my own on the back seat with noone's hand to crush as we took off..but we made it of course, as I'm here to tell the story ...

!!!After take off we had an hours flight to the Bungles..and the pilot was very informative of the whole area...

We flew over the Ord River,which I have spoken about in my other blogs...

then Lake Argyle which is a majestic man made waterway, many times larger than Sydney Harbour. In fact, it is Australia's second largest (Lake Gordon/Lake Pedder, Tasmania is the largest) artificial lake by area.


 However this is not just another dam. The tips of the mountains of the surrounding Carr Boyd Ranges tumble into the lake making it look like some kind of strange desert fjord. Away towards the horizon small mountains rise out of the lake like islands. There are over 70 islands throughout the lake.You have to see this lake by air to really appreciate its grandeur.

We then flew over Lissadell Station, which is a huge cattle station....their land just goes forever...and they are so isolated out there...

 Osmond Ranges, where we saw the copper mines...

Texas Downs Station ...which is another huge cattle station..on our way to the Bungles...

Where finally we arrived at The Bungle Bungle Range,which is in the Purnululu National Park, it is one of the most fascinating geological landmarks in Western Australia. From an aircraft, the Bungle Bungle Range is an imposing sight. The orange and black stripes across the beehive-like mounds, encased in a skin of silica and algae, are clearly visible as you approach them. As you sweep further over the range a hidden world of gorges and pools is revealed, with fan palms clinging precariously to walls and crevices in the rocks.


Although the Bungle Bungle Range was extensively used by Aboriginal people during the wet season, when plant and animal life was abundant, few Europeans knew of its existence until the mid-1980s. The area has been a national park since 1987 and its unique appearance has captured many many people.

After flying over it and around it for almost 20 mins we landed in the area, and was picked up by a huge 4x4 truck to drive us to the main Bungles area so we could explore them more by foot..

 Our guide telling us about the termites..

After being served morning tea, we were taken back to the airstrip and returned to Kununurra where we then flew over the Argyle Diamond Mines..and the Carr Boyd Ranges..

 Diamond Mines

This is the 4 star accommodation for the miners... all the rooms face away from the dam so they don't have to look at work... they have 2 pubs..restaurant... gym...swimming pools...movies etc... Good life for the single guys... on top of all that they get every 3rd week off... flown back to Perth... and get paid GREAT wages..

The mines have their own air-strip... and the pilot was saying that underneath it is millons more dollars of diamonds... when they are finished with the mines they will dig  up the air strip and collect the diamonds


Coming into landing at Kununurra the views of the farms was amazing... and the thousands of sandalwood trees...

An absolute awesome day !!!