Around The World Without Flying: Across the Kimberley Part 11 - The Bungle Bungles and Cathedral Gorge

After receiving a great welcome and spending a very pleasant evening at the Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge, again in tented cabins, the next morning we were forced to wait our turn to hike along Piccaninny Creek into Cathedral Gorge. ‘Piccaninny’ is an Aboriginal name for a baby. The shape of part of the creek is rather like that of a birth canal.

The problem with our delayed departure was that by the time we left the campsite it was around 40 degrees Celsius, which made the long hike (a few kilometres) very challenging. It would have been far better to set off at sunrise! Part of the reason for the delay was there were a couple of other groups staying there as well, and many of the guests were taking turns to be driven to the spot where they were able to take off in helicopters for a spectacular flight over the park.

However, one upside of this hike was that we had a fantastic Aboriginal guide who had a great sense of humour, and passed on to us some of the very ‘naughty’ Aboriginal jokes about how the shapes of certain outcrops and other geological features resembled particular male and female body parts. We laughed our heads off when he told us the English translations of the names they gave these features - and so did he!

The other of course was the sheer beauty of the place, with its rich red cliffs, brown rocks and pale green vegetation, and occasionally some running water. We walked through quite rugged terrain and saw many of the striped ‘beehives’. It was great when we walked through a chasm that afforded a little shade and so some relief from the relentless heat, and especially wonderful to reach the massive cave-like Cathedral Gorge, where at last we could rest and enjoy a picnic lunch.

Surprisingly, the ‘floor’ of Cathedral Gorge was made up of white sand with an intriguing pool in the centre that kept changing its shape and size and clarity. Clearly there must have been some kind of water source and drainage system below it, but we could not see them.

I believe a concert has been held here - how amazing that would be, with the sound echoing off the huge walls and making its way out into the total silence of the bush!

But by now it was really, really hot, and I must confess I started to feel very faint over the last few hundred metres back to our bus. Our guide was wonderful though, and sat me down and put wet cloths around my neck and gave me water until I was up to the last part of the hike.

That evening, before spending our second night at the Lodge, we went to watch the changing colours of a distant rock formation as the sun set behind us. It went from red to a purple colour, rather like Uluru does. We sat on camp chairs enjoying the views, champagne and other drinks and nibbles in hand. A very civilised and picturesque end to a memorable day.

Some of the striped 'beehives'.

One of the native plants.

A very awe-inspiring chasm - and a welcome relief from the sun.

Cathedral Gorge.

Looking up at the sheer height of this cave-like structure, and its unusual rock formations.

My first look at the pool.

As I sat there with my picnic lunch, I noticed an oval mirror-like shape suddenly appear on the surface of the pool.

Some of the pool acted like a mirror, the rest did not! A most unusual phenomenon.

We saw this sign and the rock to which it refers (shown below) as we hiked back. Most interesting to see the apparent sculpturing of the rock - some very smooth, some pitted. The forces of Nature! We had to walk very carefully around it.