 Bushwalking or Hiking?
(General information)
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Western Australia (WA):
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This vast state that covers one third of the Australian continent with an area of 2.5 million sq.kms offers a huge diversity of landscapes, flora, fauna and climates in its countless national parks. Starting right up in the north known as the Kimberley,
this remote, great wilderness encompasses 420 000 sq.kms.and features arid desert, spectacular gorges and rugged ranges. The Purnululu National Park in the north-east contains the magnificent 350 million year old Bungle Bungle Ranges. The orange and black stripes across the beehive-like mounds, encased in a silica and algae skin are clearly seen from the south, opening up to a world of hidden
gorges and pools. Very few Europeans even knew it existed prior to the mid 1980s. Declared a national park in 1987, its unique appearance fascinates one and all and offers a truly remote wilderness experience. |
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Located 145 kms from Halls Creek, Wolfe Creek Crater National Park was also only a recent discovery in 1947 when it was spotted during an aerial survey. It was named after Robert Wolfe, an early prospector and storekeeper in Halls Creek. It sits on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert surrounded by extensive spinifex grasslands and is the second largest crater in the world.
It is 880 metres wide and almost circular. The floor, 60 metres below the rim, supports quite large trees and contains a number of sinkholes that may reflect the position of stress fractures formed by the meteorite’s impact. Travelling south, one reaches the Pillar region centering on the 300 km long Hammersley Range. Of importance here is the Millstream-Chichester
National Park encircled by remnant rainforest and the Karijini National Park (formerly known as the Hamersley NP) is the second largest in the state. The early explorer, F.T. Gregory named the Hamersley Range on which the park is centred, after his friend, Edward Hamersley. |
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Being situated just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, its climate is tropical semi-desert and is renowned for its extraordinary gorges, multicoloured walls and waterfalls. In the cooler months, ideal for bushwalking, the land is covered in flowering wattles and cassias as well as many other wildflowers. |
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Heading further south, some 500 kms from Perth, one encounters the Kalbarri National Park covering 183 004 hectares. It is located on the lower reaches of the Murchison River, which has cut magnificent red and white banded gorges for 80 kms. The vivid landscape, river gorges, sea cliffs and rolling sand plains are all to be admired and explored here. |
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Moving to the east and south of the state, one discovers the Cape Le Grand National Park famous for its undulating heath covered sand plains, interspersed with swamps and freshwater pools. In the south-west corner of the park, massive granite outcrops and gneiss form an impressive chain of peaks including Mt. Le Grand (345 metres), Frenchman Peak (262 metres) and Mississippi Hill
(180 metres). Bushwalkers and climbers have long been drawn to the stunning landscape beauty of the 115 920 hectare Stirling Range National Park. At 1 095 metres, Bluff Knoll is the highest peak in W.A.’s south-west. The main face of the bluff forms one of the most impressive cliffs on the Australian mainland and it takes 3-4 hours to complete the 6 km return
climb. Other national parks of importance in this general area are Cape Arid, Porongurup, Two Peoples Bay and Torndirrup. The famous 963 km long distance trail, The Bibbulmun Track traverses the magnificent south-west from Albany (on the south coast) to
Kalamunda (in the Perth Hills). Opened on September 13th, 1998, this award-winning track is one of the world's great long distance walk trails. The Bibbulmun Track caters for everyone and every experience - from a gentle stroll to an 8 week adventure. The walk can be also done in sections and winds its way amongst the towering jarrah, karri and tuart forests and through some of the state’s most picturesque towns (Collie, Pemberton, Walpole).
Three kilometres from Pemberton stands Western Australia’s most famous karri tree, the Gloucester Tree located in the Gloucester National Park. The 60 metre giant was one of 8 fire lookout trees built between 1937 and 1952 as a practical response to the ever serious threat of fire to the forest communities in the south west. Today, visitors can climb to the cabin in
its upper branches for fabulous views of the surrounding karri forests. |
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The neighbouring Walpole-Nornalup National Park contains almost 20 000 hectares of diverse vegetation and landforms from towering karri and tingle forests to wetlands and coastal heath. The rugged coastline, rivers and calm inlets are a major part of the park’s appeal as are the huge buttressed red tingle trees that are unique to this area. |
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Other additional national parks of importance in this region are Yalgourup, Mount Frankland, William Bay, D’Entrecasteaux, Valley of the Giants, Margaret River and Leeuwin-Naturaliste which contains a wonderful seven day hike taking in 124 kms of coastline from Cape Naturaliste in the north to Cape Leeuwin at the southern end. As the walk regularly meets
campgrounds and has road access points, it is easy to do shorter sections of the track. As the track is a one way route, one must either organise a car to meet you or one would have to walk out to the towns where regular bus services operate. This does add an additional half day at each end of the track. On the north-eastern outskirts of Perth, lies the Swan Valley, the state’s oldest wine growing area. This 80 000 hectare region of unique
jarrah forest includes five national parks including the John Forrest National Park situated in the Perth Hills. A popular walk is the Heritage Trails on the western edge, past waterfalls and affording superb views over Perth. |
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Tourism & Recreation: Bushwalking in Western Australia
Everything you need to know about bushwalking in Western Australia Welcome to Western Australia - Tourism Western Australia
Information on travel, tourism, accommodation, events and everything you need to plan your holiday or vacation to Western Australia. The Government of Western Australia - Home
Official Site of the Government of Western Australia Western Australia Travel Guide : Your Window to Western Australia
Western Australia accommodation, car hire, tours and wineries. Enjoy an online journey of Western Australia, including Perth and the Australian Outback. Western Australia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Western Australia also extracts up to 75% of Australia's 240 tonnes of gold. Western Australia's economy recently has benefited from an unprecedented amount ... Bureau - Western Australia Weather & Flood Information
Provides access to Western Australian weather forecasts, weather observations, flood warnings and high sea forecasts of the Bureau of Meteorology and ... Western Australia: Welcome to NatureBase Homepage
Western Australia Department of Conservation and Land Management - Information on nature-based recreation and tourism, forest management, conservation, ... |
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