Cathedral Gorge, Purnululu, Western Australia

Cathedral Gorge is well named. Entering its immense towering cavern is like entering 
a magnificent natural cathedral, a place steeped in time and history. The red and orange 
sandstone walls tower above you, and the white sand crunches softly underfoot. Tiny 
tracks from night time animals can be seen going across the sand to the central pool 
which sits still and undisturbed like a mirror. Bird calls echo. It is a place for hushed voices 
and to sit quietly with your own thoughts. If you come early in the morning, as we did, 
you can enjoy the peace undisturbed. It has the atmosphere of a holy place, a sanctuary. 
It is my favourite gorge in Purnululu. You can feel the spirituality. Peace.

Cathedral Gorge is just one of the magnificent gorges within the Purnululu National Park 
(also known as the Bungle Bungles) in the Kimberley region in Western Australia’s far north 
west. Given World Heritage listing in 2003, Purnululu is one of Western Australia’s newest 
and most spectacular National Parks. 

In the Kija Aboriginal language purnululu means sandstone. The Aboriginal people 
inhabited the region for thousands of years, however Purnululu was known only to a few 
Europeans until the mid 1980s. 

The distinctive black and orange bands of the bee-hive shaped rock domes of Purnululu 
are actually more delicate than you might imagine. Once the rough outer layer is removed,
 the soft white sandstone is exposed, making the domes very fragile.  

How it received the name Bungle Bungles remains an intriguing mystery with several 
explanations including the corruption of the Aboriginal name Purnululu, or derived from 
the name of a common Kimberley grass, bundle bundle grass, or the ranges proximity to 
the old Bungle Bungle cattle station. 

Purnululu is located off the Great Northern Highway, 250km south of Kununurra, west of 
the WA/Northern Territory border. There is a 53 kilometre unsealed road only accessible 
by 4WD and offroad campers from the Highway, through Mabel Downs Station to the 
Department of Parks and Wildlife (DEPAW) Rangers / Visitor Centre and roads are unsealed 
throughout the Park. You should allow approximately 2-3 hours for the 53 km drive in 
(approximately 5 hours total travel time from Kununurra). 4WD recommended as the road 
can be very rough and you will need to negotiate several wet creek crossings. 

There are 3 campgrounds - Kurrajong and Walardi are management by the Dept of Parks 
and Wildlife, and Bellburn Creek is a commercial operation.  Please register at the Visitor 
Centre when you arrive. 
There are numerous walks in the Park ranging from half an hour and easy difficulty, 
to an challenging overnight trek. Please be aware of your own ability before you set out, 
wear a hat, sturdy walking boots, and carry plenty of water. It gets very hot in the gorges, 
and they recommended 1 litre per person per hour. 
The Park is only open in the dry season - usually April to November. 

My article about Purnululu which I wrote following our July 2016 visit was published in the 
Summer-December-January 2016-2017 edition of Go Camping Fishing & 4WD Adventures 
magazine.

 

 


























For more information - DPAW-Purnululu

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you 
have enjoyed this visit to Cathedral Gorge in 
Purnululu. I value your comments and look forward
 to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in 
return. Have a wonderful week. 

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