Windjana Gorge National Park

Windjana Gorge National Park
	Windjana Gorge with Lennard River
Location:	Western Australia , Australia
Specialty:	Windjana Gorge
Next city:	Derby - Fitzroy Crossing - Broome
Surface:	21.34 km²
Founding:	1971
	Entrance to the Windjana Gorge
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The Windjana Gorge National Park (English Windjana Gorge National Park ) is located in the Australian state of Western Australia , 1,855 km northeast of Perth , 505 km east of Broome , 150 km north of Fitzroy Crossing and 145 km from Derby in the Kimberleys .

The main attraction of the national park is the Windjana Gorge, a 3.5 km long gorge in the Napier Range through which the Lennard River flows. The walls of the gorge are up to 100 m high.

geology

Originally this gogo formation was a large coral reef that was covered by water in Devonian more than 300 million years ago. Traces of fossils of Devonian marine animals can be found in the canyon walls.

The history of its origins - comparable to that of the Geikie Gorge - comprises two stages: The first stage is the elevation of the Devonian sea floor about 250 million years ago with subsequent limestone formation. The reef was then covered by younger sedimentary rocks . About 20 million years ago there was a second elevation with subsequent erosion of the younger rock, so that the underlying older limestone , which had formed calcareous algae , stromatopores and corals, came to light again.

Today's landscape was formed by the Lennard River, which carries water throughout the rainy season ; during the dry season only a few ponds remain at the lower end of the gorge.

history

The place was sacred to the Aboriginal tribe of the Bunuba ; they called the creation spirits ruling there Wandjina , which William Forrester, who set up a farm on the site in 1884, misunderstood as Windjana . The farm building Lillimilura Homestead was later used as a police station, the ruins of which have been preserved. The Bunuba resister Jandamarra was shot in the Windjana Gorge on November 16, 1894 at Pigeon's Rock , but was able to escape to the underground Tunnel Creek and hide there for 2.5 years.

fauna and Flora

The freshwater crocodile ( Crocodylus johnsoni) lives in the river and sunbathes on the muddy bank and on the sandbanks during the day. Various bird, lizard and snake species are also resident here.

In the eucalyptus species and paperbark trees on the riverbank there are often large colonies of a flying fox species.

The upper gorge end is a thicket of mangroves , with lianas umgeschlungenen eucalyptus types, and Blood Woods ( Corymbia TYPES), which separated by the baobab tree species Adansonia gregorii and flowering plant species such as the Kapok Bush ( Cochlospermum fraseri is broken).

Tourist infrastructure

The access leads from the north over the unpaved Gibb River Road and the also unpaved Fairfield Leopold Downs Road , which crosses the Lennard River; after approx. 20 km a cul-de-sac leads into the national park; from the south (Fitzroy Crossing) the Fairfield Leopold Downs Road branches off after approx. 30 km from the Great Northern Highway .

A beaten path accompanied by documentation boards leads along the river bank to the upper end of the gorge, the hike is approx. 7 km long (there and back) and offers ample opportunities to observe the local flora and fauna, especially a large bat that is active during the day Colony in the trees and the harmless freshwater crocodiles.

Since it is always hot here (even in winter often well over 30 ° C), it is advisable to start the hike early in the morning; In the evening, nature photographers find the best light on the canyon walls illuminated from the west.

In front of the entrance to the canyon there is a wild camping site with toilets, running water and fire pits. However, you must bring firewood as collecting is prohibited in the national park. A ranger usually comes by in the evening and collects the fees.

During the rainy season, the national park is closed if the slopes are impassable.

literature

Ian Tyler: Geology and Landforms of the Kimberley. 2005, ISBN 0-7309-6852-9

Web links

Official site of the park (English)