A Purnululu National Park accommodation list to put you at its heart

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Spread a swag out under the stars at a remote bush camp, or get close to nature but without compromising on soft pillowy beds, hot showers and multi-course dinners.

World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park sings with raw beauty and the rich culture of the Traditional Owners, who together have Kija, Jaru and Malgnin language identities.

When it comes to accommodation, there are options for every style of traveller. Treat yourself at a luxury stay, where the tucker is laid on, the staff are friendly and they will organise helicopter and 4WD tours, or get back to absolute basics and push in the tent pegs. If you’re looking for accommodation in or near Purnululu, here’s our guide on where to stay.

two people walking toward The Bungle Bungle Range, Purnululu National Park
See enormous striped rock formations at The Bungle Bungle Range when visiting Purnululu National Park. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

1. Purnululu National Park Camping

Wake up in the heart of Purnululu National Park at one of the two no-frills campgrounds. Both are about a 15-minute drive from the Purnululu Visitor Centre, which is 53 kilometres off the Great Northern Highway via a rugged track.

Walardi campsite  is probably the pick of the two. This 37-site campground is 12 kilometres from the visitor centre, while the larger Kurrajong is seven kilometres from the centre and can cater for 100 vehicles. The list of facilities at both campgrounds is short: pit toilets and untreated bore water.

2. Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge

Purnululu’s Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge  offers luxury accommodation surrounded by wild nature. Sitting pretty, about 11 kilometres from the visitor centre, the lodge offers a comfortable place to unwind with a pool (the only one in the park) and a top-notch restaurant.

an aerial view of Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge
Stay in a modern cabin surrounded by nature.

Retire to one of the 25 modern cabins with queen or twin beds, timber floors, louvre windows and ensuite bathrooms. Wake up to the sounds of birds chirping and the smell of a hearty breakfast being prepared. Dinner is served under the stars and followed by drinks around the fire pit. Get in quick if you’re a family as there is just one cabin that can sleep up to four guests.

a campfire at Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge
Cosy up by the fire at Bungle Bungle Savannah Lodge.

3. APT Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge

Nestle amongst the bushland in the heart of Purnululu National Park, APT’s Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge offers easy access to the famous beehive striped domes of the 350-million-year-old Bungle Bungle Range.

a safari tent at Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge
Wake up to the sound of birds chirping at Bungle Bungle Wilderness Lodge. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Tents are furnished with comfy twin beds, bathrooms with hot showers and decks with two director chairs. Nearby, the restaurant serves up a scrumptious buffet breakfast and multi-course dinners featuring Indigenous herbs and a drinks menu boasting local Matso’s beers and Western Australian wines. The lodge also ticks plenty of eco-friendly boxes: solar is adopted where possible, eco-friendly cleaning products are used throughout, all recyclable items are returned to Broome for processing and water is recycled by utilising ABCO systems.

4. Violet Valley Campground

Fourteen gorgeous campsites sit on the banks of the Bow River, just 36 kilometres from the entrance to Purnululu National Park and 13 kilometres from the Great Northern Highway.

the Violet Valley Campground at dusk
Go off-grid at Violet Valley Campground.

On the traditional lands of the Gija people, the Camping with Custodians site was opened by the Baulu-Wah (Violet Valley) community in 2019. Facilities include hot showers, flushing toilets, a fire pit, barbeque and laundry.

wallabies at sunrise in Violet Valley Campground
If you’re lucky, wallabies will greet you at sunrise.

5. Doon Doon Campground

Owned by the nearby Woolah community, the campground  was remodelled in 2019 under the Camping with Custodians initiative, which allows travellers to camp on Aboriginal land, while the Aboriginal-run tourism business generates income for isolated communities, helping locals to stay and work on country.

an aerial view of Doon Doon Campground
Doon Doon Campground is an Aboriginal-run tourism business. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Conveniently located just off the Great Northern Highway, the campground neighbours Doon Doon Roadhouse, where you can buy fuel, brekky, great burgers, basic grocery items and coffee. Campsites are shady grass sites that are a mix of powered and unpowered. Take it up a notch and stay in one of the four basic but clean cabins with air-con. Everyone has access to the new toilets and hot showers, an undercover camp kitchen with electric hot plates and cooktops and laundry.

the camping grounds of Doon Doon Campground
The grounds are easily accessible by road. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)
Leah McLennan
Leah McLennan is a freelance writer based in Darwin. She was a journalist in Sydney for over a decade and counts her time as travel editor for Australian Associated Press as one of the highlights of her career. From exploring remote campsites in the Top End with her family, to seeking out new art galleries in faraway cities, she’ll grab an adventurous or arty travel experience within her reach.
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The ultimate Margaret River road trip itinerary for food & wine lovers

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

Day 1

the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay
Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

Day 2

After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering  dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

Day 3

Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

Day 4

Pair'd Beach Club
Elevate your dining experiences at Pair’d X Range Rover Beach Club.

Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

Day 5

pair'd Grand Tasting
Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

Day 6

Ngilgi Cave western australia
Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

Day 7

Burnt Ends event at Pair'd
Farewell the Margaret River.

Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Pair’d Margaret River Region is proudly owned by the Western Australian Government, through Tourism WA.