thumb|Aerial view of the Bungle Bungle range, May 2016.

thumb|Base of range

The Bungle Bungle hair is a major landform and the main feature of the Purnululu National Park, situated in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

A diameter circular topographic feature is clearly visible on satellite images of the Bungle Bungle Range. It is believed that this feature is the eroded remnant of a very ancient meteorite impact crater and is known as the Piccaninny crater.

The unusual orange and dark grey banding on the conical rock formations is caused by differences in the layers of sandstone. The darker bands are on the layers of rock which hold more moisture, and are a dark algal or cyanobacteria growth. The orange coloured layers are stained with iron and manganese mineral deposits contained within the sandstone.thumb|250px|The Bungle Bungles

History

In the Gija creation story, during the dream times, the Brolga stole the community's water. To get it back, the Frog hit the Brolga with a boomerang, and the falling water created the landscape.

Aboriginal people have been living in the area for over 20,000 years and continue to maintain a strong connection to this ancient landscape.

The range remained largely unknown except by local Aboriginal people and stockmen until 1982 when film-makers arrived and produced a documentary about the Kimberley. The area was gazetted as a National Park in 1987 and was also inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.

See also

  • Protected areas of Western Australia
  • List of reduplicated Australian place names

References

  • Purnululu National Park
  • Bungle Bungle Range (Purnululu National Park) "Information Site" including all relevant history, Photos and information about the local area...Kununurra, Halls Creek and surrounds