Purnululu National Park

The domes are made of sandstone. The rock slowly wore away into round shapes.

This took about 20 million years.

UNESCO calls the Bungle Bungles by far the best example in the world of cone karst in sandstone: rounded towers left behind as rock dissolves, weathers and wears away. They have been eroding for about 20 million years.

WA Parks says the striped domes are made of sandstone 350 million years old. UNESCO adds that scientists still do not fully understand how cone karst forms in sandstone.

UNESCO: the Bungle Bungles are by far the most outstanding example of cone karst in sandstones anywhere, formed by interacting geological, biological, erosional and climatic processes over about 20 million years; they clearly demonstrate a process recognized by geomorphologists only recently and still not completely understood, with dissolution, weathering and erosion under a savannah climate in an ancient, stable sedimentary landscape.

WA Parks describes the domes as 350-million-year-old striped sandstone.

The dark stripes on the domes are made by tiny living things.

Palm trees grow in the narrow gorges.

UNESCO explains that the black bands on the domes come from cyanobacteria, tiny one-celled living things that make food from sunlight. They help hold the old sandstone together and protect it.

Narrow, steep-sided gorges between the towers are lined with Livistona fan palms. WA Parks says the northern end of the range has open woodlands and spinifex hummocks, with chasms and cliffs lined with palms, such as Echidna Chasm.

UNESCO: the black and orange banding comes from depositional processes and weathering, with the dark bands formed by cyanobacteria (single-celled photosynthetic organisms) that stabilize and protect the ancient sandstone; sinuous, sheer-sided gorges are lined with Livistona fan palms, and cliffs up to 250 m high are cut by seasonal waterfalls and pools.

WA Parks: the northern end has open woodlands, spinifex hummocks, hidden chasms and cliffs lined with Livistona palms (Echidna Chasm, Mini Palms Gorge); the southern end holds the beehive-shaped domes. Spinifex- and mulga-dominated sand plains lie to its north, south and east within the park (UNESCO).

People can only visit in the dry season. In the wet season the park closes.

The domes change color after rain and as the sun moves.

WA Parks says visitors come in the dry season, from April to November, by four-wheel drive. The park usually closes from November to April because of the wet season.

UNESCO notes that the towers change their look through the day and through the seasons, with striking color changes after rain and as the sun moves across the sky.

WA Parks: visit in the dry season, April to November, subject to weather and road conditions; the park generally closes November to April for the wet season; access is by high-clearance 4WD only on the 53-km Spring Creek Track; it is 47 km (an 80-minute drive) between the northern and southern ends.

UNESCO: the structures undergo remarkable daily and seasonal variation in appearance, including striking color transition following rain and with the position of the sun.

It gets very hot. Drink lots of water and rest in the shade.

Stay on the marked trails.

WA Parks warns that daytime temperatures can top 40 degrees Celsius, and radiant heat can push it above 50 degrees. It advises a hat, loose long-sleeved clothing, sunscreen and sturdy shoes.

Carry and drink about 1 liter of water per person for every hour of walking, sip often, rest in the shade, walk in the cooler parts of the day and stay on marked trails.

WA Parks: temperatures can exceed 40 degrees C by day, and radiant heat can push them over 50 degrees C; wear a hat, long-sleeved loose clothing, broad-spectrum sunscreen and sturdy shoes; carry and drink 1 liter of water per hour of walking per person in small, regular amounts; rest in shade, walk in cooler hours, stay on marked trails.

There is no phone service driving into or within the park; WA Parks suggests a personal locator beacon or satellite phone and telling someone your travel plans.