The Bungle Bungle range consists of striking sandstone pillars marked by vivid orange and dark-gray bands located in Western Australia. Despite being home to indigenous populations for countless generations, these towering formations remained unknown outside the region until the 1980s. It was then that filmmakers stumbled upon them during the production of a documentary film.
The prominent attraction within Purnululu National Park, which spans approximately 600,000 acres (240,000 hectares) in the Kimberley district, is the Bungle Bungles. Recognized for its regions of "exceptional natural beauty" along with significant geological importance, this national park received designation as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
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The sandstone towers at Purnululu National Park (Purnululu means "sandstone" in the local Indigenous language) are a stunning example of cone karst — landscapes made up of beehive-shaped hills and rocky ground connected to form an area structured like an egg box.
Rising approximately 980 feet (300 meters) over the surrounding grasslands, these formations lie roughly 6 miles (10 kilometers) southwest of the Piccaninny crater—a meteorite-impact site that was created less than 360 million years ago, as estimated. NASA's Earth Observatory .
The sandstone was laid down approximately 360 million years ago and has been shaped into the landscape we observe today over the last 20 million years due to the combined effects of wind and water erosion, as stated by Western Australia’s authorities. Department of Wildlife, Preservation and Tourism (DBCA).
The orange and dark-gray bands serve as proof of the Bungle Bungles’ former existence beneath an ancient sea, with every stripe representing a sedimentary layer from this old seabed. These contrasting hues arise due to either moist layers containing fossilized remains of primitive algae (which appear gray), or dry sections rich in iron oxides (appearing orange). According to the DBCA, in the orange strata, rapid drying prevented cyanobacteria—the earliest documented forms of life on our planet—from thriving.
The Bungle Bungle Range can be accessed by visitors, offering multiple trails for hikes through the gorges situated among the striated sandstone towers. This iconic site serves as a habitat for various species. 130 types of birds and countless other indigenous creatures including nail-tailed wallabies ( Onychogalea and small-eared rock wallabies ( Petrogale brachyotis ).
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