KIMBERLEY (WA)
Cathedral Gorge

Return distance : 4 km ; Time : 2 hours

This walk is in the Bungle Bungles, around half an hour’s drive south of the main camping area. It is almost certainly the most popular walk in the Park, and is easily combined with the short Domes walk, which occurs as a detour. Take plenty of water: it gets hot here!

The walk is relatively easy, and follows past a large number of the striated orange and black beehive domes which are characteristic of this region.

Along the way I found this lovely ray of sunshine – not that I was looking for sunshine on this hot 39° September day!

We follow the Domes trail off to the left of the main track. The colour, the size, the weathering are all quite overwhelming.

How many eons of history did it take to sculpt this rocky wall?

Time for a break in a cool shady cavern. We appreciated a break from the outside heat.

Back to the main trail and the strange striped beehive domes.

There is so much to take in here, and it is impossible to convey it all in a photographic record.

At the start of the Picaninny Creek walk there is a subtle change in scenery. Others have strongly recommended doing this walk, but we turn back towards Cathedral Gorge.

Now this is starting to look like gorge country ...

There is a little bit of up and down climbing as the track progresses, but nothing too arduous. I wonder if anyone was standing in the wrong place here?

At the end of Cathedral Gorge we come to this magnificent cave – cool and relaxing.

A good place for a lunch break. One of us was feeling the effects of the walk – or more likely, the heat.

After lunch there is time for some experimental photography, looking back towads the cavern entrance.

Finally and with some reluctance we leave this cool cave, and once more face the great outdoors. The hot afternoon sun makes the rocks appear to glow red. In fact, the cliffs do absorb the heat and reflect it back.

So we return back to the car park, glad of our visit to this magnificent landscape.

A helicopter trip is highly recommended as the only way of truly appreciating the vast extent of this range of sculpted mountains.