The sun was rising as we got our breakfast together & prepared for our helicopter flight & the walks.  We drove off a bit after 8am to be at the Purnululu Airport by 8.30am for our helicopter flight briefing.  The drive to the airport was worthwhile as it gave us glimpses of the Bungle Bungle Ranges & the distinctive beehive shapes & orange & black banding.  The helicopter was a Robinson 244, a tiny four seater with the doors removed for better visibility.  Helicopter passengers returning advised us that it was very cold & we should rug up more.  We went back to the cars & grabbed our warm coats & jumpers plus John & I grabbed our beanies. John & Sue took off first in a black helicopter then Tereza & I followed about 10 minutes later in a cream coloured helicopter.  This was our first flight in a helicopter, it was interesting, a tiny helicopter, four seats very close together & no doors, plus it was a bit windy.  It was very disconcerting as we took off, we were both holding on to the grab bars in front of us, the helicopter was bouncing around a fair bit in the wind, then when the pilot banked it, it felt like we were going to fall out (I did mention there were no doors) as the view was straight down to the ground.  However, the view from the helicopter was absolutely spectacular, seeing the Bungles from the air gives you a true perspective of how large the range is, the massive area it covers & how spectacularly beautiful it all is.  Again, the hundred odd photos I took don’t even come close to capturing the spectacle (I would have taken more photos but it’s a shade difficult trying to hold a camera with both hands when you are thinking you might fall out).  The flight took 30 minutes & we flew from one end of the range to the other & over all of the most spectacular sights.  One thing that amazed me was how flat it was on top, there is a huge amount of flat area on top of the range, covered sparsely with spinifex & small shrubs & trees. The pilot gave us a running commentary during the flight.  The Bungle Bungle is world heritage listed.   When we landed we were both on a high adrenalin rush.  We headed straight for a hot coffee to warm us up & settle us down.  John & Sue both enjoyed it as much as we did. The only way to describe the helicopter flight and the unreal sight is – woW!!  wOW!!! W O W !!!!!!

Next we headed out & drove 13km to the Piccaninny Creek car park for the walk to Cathedral Gorge, the dirt road was surprisingly smooth. (This is the route taken by the tour operators for the tourists who fly in & out & taken to the walks by great big 4 wheel drive buses)  Walking amongst the beehive domes & being so close to the Bungles is very special, the walk into Cathedral Gorge was full of stops for photos & each bend we came to in the track opened up another amazing sight.  The finale when we reached the end of Cathedral Gorge was impressive, (no words can describe it) a giant amphitheatre with amazingly high walls, gouged out by a waterfall & swirling turbulence after heavy rain.  It must be a very impressive sight in the wet season. (it would have to be seen from the air, the torrential waterfalls & rushing of the water would make it impossible to get in).  We soaked in the spirit of the atmosphere as we had the whole place to ourselves, not another person in sight, it is an amazing feeling being there & the acoustics are incredible as well.  You can’t help feeling spiritual, the enormity of it all & that you are right there!

The next walk was to the Piccaninny Creek Lookout, a short walk of about 800m.  The amazing sandstone bed of Piccaninny Creek for a short distance before veering off around the beehive domes up to another spectacular outlook over the Tanami Desert with some diminishing beehive shaped outcrops in the distance.  Thankfully there was a cooling breeze coming in off the Tanami & it made a welcome respite from the heat, we would hate to be here in summer when it was really hot. The walk back to the car park included the short Domes Walk where we discovered the nest of a wren with two baby chicks being cared for by a diligent mother/father, they were so tiny & cute.  On the way back to Walardi camp we stopped for a few more photo shoots as the light had changed a lot since we had come in & the view had changed significantly.  The photos do not have the brilliance of the colours, they don’t even come near to doing it justice.

A late lunch, then cheese & bikkies followed by dinner of BBQ steak & sausages washed down with another nice red, good conversation & a lot of laughs. The stars are amazing, (the sky is so enormous out here) horizon to horizon & so crystal clear.