The Bungle Bungles

We were finally going to the bungle-bungles, the reason why Hanneke booked this tour. Not only for their name, ever heard of a better name for a nature site? But also for their appearance. As Hanneke described it: Take a big, big stack of layered cake (spekkoek) and shape it in al kinds of weird formed hill formations…..

But not in a straight way: We took a detour past one of the most amazing bird views of Western Australia: more than 300 different species of birds in a very small area, all overlooked by some crocodiles. We had a real bird photographer amongst us, so she was the happiest girl in town, and hard to get out of the place…. It was pretty amazing though with spoon birds, egrets, pelicans, honeyeaters, birds of prey and many many others.

It was a long way into the bungles, and the last 1,5 hours were a real dollar coaster journey…. Our guide Adam likes to drive fast, and their were many pale faces when we finally made it. After a beautiful sunset, it was already time for bush camping:) We played a great game around the fire: trying to pick up a carton box from the ground with your teeth, without your hands touching the ground. In the end it was as big as a match box, and full of vegemite (an even more horrible variation than marmite)…but all for the good cause: I made it till the end and got a nice vodka with cordial as a reward :)

The following day was all about the bungles: we walked a total of 12 km in the morning and 7 in the afternoon. We saw whip snake gorge, the window, the cathedral, the dome, echidna en esstarmen, all bungle made formations. The layers of the bungles consist of red and black layers, while the inner of the rocks are white sandstone. The outside is oxidised, thus giving a red appearance. The black layers consist of much finer sand, the silt, which holds nutrients in the rock. Cyanobacteria (some kind of algae) live on them, which gives them a black appearance.

In between the walks we made a helicopter ride over the bungles: the best way to see them. A little spoiled by our previous flight, it was only of short duration, and I was even allowed to fly it myself! pfffft.

In the evening we had a cabaret. I joined in with a dancing act with Haneke and our 64 year Michael who quickly learned some charleston,. I also used an act we made many years ago at swing out new Hampshire: the canon of frere Jaques together in all language there were available: the winner of the night :) It was a fun night with a good laugh :)