Karijini National Park

Sprawling across more than 600,000 hectares in the Hamersley Range, Karijini National Park is the second largest in Western Australia. This vast wilderness area features deep gorges, cascading falls and picturesque rock pools, surrounded by lush tropical foliage and semi-desert landscapes.

Karijini National Park is the traditional homeland of the Banyjima, Kurrama and Innawonga Aboriginal people who have lived here for more than 20,000 years. The park is named after the Banyjima name for the Hamersley Range - Karijini. Traditional land management practices used by the indigenous population (such as fire-stick farming) have heavily influenced the diversity of plant and animal species found in the park today.

Keep an eye out for Australian goshawks, red kangaroos, rock wallabies, echidnas, ring-tailed dragons and desert tree frogs. Large termite mounds can also be seen rising from the hummock grasslands, while wildflowers such as cassias, wattles, northern bluebells and purple mulla-mullas ignite the landscape during the cooler months.

Follow the walking trails through the breathtaking Yampire and Kalamina Gorges and witness the beautiful cascades at Fortescue Falls. Be sure to drive through the dramatic Wittenoom Gorge, stopping to picnic beside its natural swimming pools along the way. Don’t miss the opportunity to take in the spectacular views from the Oxer Lookout that sits perched atop four red-tinged gorges - Weano, Red, Hancock and Joffre gorges.

Late Autumn, winter and early spring are the best times to visit Karijini National Park, with heavy summer rains, thunderstorms and cyclones making access more difficult.