Karijini National Park

Karijini National Park

Karijini is Western Australia’s second largest National Park. Located in the State’s North West, the National Park is an ideal getaway for those wanting to escape the usual hot spots, explore the Outback, and be able to travel around in a 2WD or 4WD.

Centred on the Hamersley Range, Karijini boasts rugged landscape, stunning gorges, and breathtaking waterfalls. Many of the gorges in the National Park have walk trails varying in length and difficulty.

Enter Mother Nature's own adventure world, Karijini National Park. Climb, swim or gaze into the depths of its 100 metre chasms, revealing four billion years of the Earth's history and some of the oldest rocks on the planet. Follow the trails, descend into cavernous gorges and cool off in inviting pools beneath plunging waterfalls, or scale Western Australia's second highest peak - Mount Bruce.

Regular flights from Perth land you within easy driving distance of Karijini National Park - it's just two hours from Newman and Paraburdoo, three hours from Port Hedland and four and a half hours from Karratha. You can also join guided tours from Tom Price, Karratha and Port Hedland. Alternatively, doing the journey by road from Perth will take you about three days, heading up the coast via Geraldton or through the outback on the Great Northern Highway.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Karijini, besides being one of the largest and most spectacular national parks in Australia, is the fact that its most iconic scenery is within easy reach. You can pull into a car park, walk 50 metres and see waterfalls rushing down rugged canyons into rock pools.

The waters of Fortescue Falls run all through the year at Dales Gorge, where a cooling dip awaits you at the end of an easy walk to Fern Pool and Circular Pool.

Weano Gorge invites the more adventurous into its winding narrow gorges, the far reaches of which should only be tackled with a guide to enjoy the thrills of jumping down waterfalls and climbing out from the depths of 'The Centre of the Earth'.

Nature lovers will enjoy a walk among the mulga, spinifex, eucalypts, melaleuca and some 50 varieties of acacia, keeping a keen eye out for the euro (rock wallaby), dingoes, 133 species of birds and 92 species of amphibians and reptiles.

Spend the night under a star-filled sky, taking your pick from the camping and glamping options available in the park. For more information on walking, sightseeing, camping, flora and fauna, stop by at the Karijini Visitor Centre.