Karijini National Park: gorges, swims and how to visit

Karijini National Park is Western Australia's second largest national park, a rugged block of the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara, 75 km east of Tom Price. It is known for deep red gorges, cold clear pools and a few walks that need real care. The best months are late autumn, winter and early spring, and the two main bases are Dales and Weano.

This guide covers how to get there, which gorges to see, how hard each walk is, where to sleep and what can go wrong.

Sources for this section: Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Karijini National Park (Explore Parks WA); Wikipedia, Karijini National Park.

Karijini National Park at a glance

The park has a tropical semi-desert climate. Rain is patchy and mostly falls in summer, between 250 and 350 mm a year, often with thunderstorms and cyclones. Summer days often top 40 degrees Celsius. Winter days are warm and clear, but nights are cold and sometimes frosty.

Sources for this section: Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Karijini National Park (Explore Parks WA); Wikipedia, Karijini National Park.

Getting there and getting around

You can enter from Tom Price, Roebourne, Port Hedland or Newman. Distances add up fast. The nearest fuel to Dales Campground is more than 80 km away, at Munjina Roadhouse or Tom Price. From the Karijini Eco Retreat it is about 70 km to Tom Price. A return trip from Dales to Weano by the shortest route is about 112 km.

Most of the southern half of the park cannot be reached, so visitors stick to the gorges in the north. The Weano and Dales areas are both reachable by two-wheel drive. The visitor centre sits just off Banjima Drive. It opens from 9am to 4pm in season and is closed from early December to early February. Stop in first, because the staff can tell you what is open and which walks suit you.

Drinking water is not available at Dales or Weano, so bring your own.

Sources for this section: Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Karijini National Park (Explore Parks WA); Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Weano Recreation Area; Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Dales Recreation Area.

The gorges and how hard the walks are

The park rates its walks by class, from Class 2 (easier) to Class 5 (hardest). Here are the main ones near the two bases, using the park's own figures.

At Dales, Fortescue Falls is the park's only permanent waterfall. It is fed by a spring and drops more than 20 metres down rock steps into a fern-lined pool you can swim in. The gorge here is about 100 metres deep. Fern Pool, surrounded by paperbarks and ferns, is a short detour past the falls.

At Weano, the lookouts give a view of Weano, Red, Joffre and Hancock gorges meeting far below. The Class 5 walks are for people with good fitness and agility. Hancock Gorge starts with a ladder, and you must return the way you came. Lower Weano Gorge to Handrail Pool means scrambling over slippery rocks and wading cold water. The park says to turn back if you doubt you can climb out again. Wear footwear that grips wet rock.

Sources for this section: Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Weano Recreation Area; Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Dales Recreation Area; Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Karijini National Park (Explore Parks WA).

Where to camp and when to go

Only two places in the park allow overnight stays. Dales Campground is a large site near Dales Gorge, with picnic tables and gas barbecues at the nearby picnic area. The other is the privately run Karijini Eco Retreat.

Campsites at Dales are in very high demand from June to September. Since 1 June 2019, bookings have been essential. In the busy months a two-night maximum overflow area runs, and it also needs a booking. The park lists camping at $11 per adult a night, $7 for concession card holders and $3 for children over 5 and under 16. These are the park's published figures, so check them when you book.

The park's own advice is to visit in late autumn, winter or early spring. That fits the weather: cooler days, clear skies and the best conditions for walking in and out of gorges. Wildflowers such as yellow cassias and wattles, northern bluebells and purple mulla-mullas show in the cooler months.

Sources for this section: Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Karijini National Park (Explore Parks WA); Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Dales Recreation Area.

Safety in the gorges

• Flash floods. Do not enter a gorge if there is rain in the area. If rain starts while you are in one, leave straight away.
• Cold water. Gorge pools can be extremely cold, especially from April to September, and hypothermia can occur. Do not dive or jump in.
• Cliff edges. Drops are about 100 metres, often with loose rock at the edge.
• Blue asbestos. It is present in Yampire and Wittenoom gorges. Breathing the dust may cause cancer.
• Dingoes. They are common around Dales Campground and can be aggressive. Do not feed them, keep children close, walk in groups and store food in your vehicle.
• Heat and help. Carry plenty of water at all times, as summer days often top 40 degrees Celsius.

There is assisted wheelchair access to Junction Pool Lookout, Circular Pool Lookout and the Weano area. The visitor centre and the Dales area have independent access.

Sources for this section: Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Karijini National Park (Explore Parks WA).

Sources

1. Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Karijini National Park: parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au
2. Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Dales Recreation Area: parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au
3. Parks and Wildlife Service WA, Weano Recreation Area: parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au
4. Wikipedia, Karijini National Park: en.wikipedia.org