126th EDITION Winter 2023
KARLAMILYI
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WESTERN 4W DRIVER
126th EDITION
Winter 2023
NATIONAL PARK
MARBLE BAR SANDY BLIGHT JUNCTION ROAD DUNN’S TRACK
Red earth
adventure BY JOHN BEADLE
8 | Western 4W Driver #126 | western4wdriver.com.au
Off the beaten track and far away from the crowds, Karlamilyi National Park in East Pilbara is a truly remarkable destination to explore. Begin with the below and discover more of its hidden secrets on your own adventure.
D
esert Queen Baths, Kalkan Kalkan Soak, Tjingkulatjatjarra Pool. Names of faraway places that stir the imagination. I have been fascinated with Karlamilyi (Rudall River) National Park for many, many years. Last year we finally got there. Karlamilyi National Park is the largest national park in Western Australia and one of the largest in the world. Covering 1,283,706 hectares (12,837 square km), the park sits between the Great Sandy and Little Sandy Deserts, and roughly between Marble Bar and the Canning Stock Route. If latitude and longitude is your thing, a meridian through Broome will pass through Karlamilyi and exit the south coast at Esperance, and the park
is at the same latitude as Exmouth. I’ve explained this because virtually nobody knows where the park is. Sand dunes dominate the desert areas in the eastern and southwestern parts of the park. They form parallel sand ridges 20-40m high, 200m to 6km apart and up to 40km in length. Between the desert regions is a central rocky area shaped by ephemeral rivers and creeks, creating a myriad of escarpments, gorges and waterholes. Rain arrives from the north via decaying tropical low pressure systems, but the park can stay dry for years. If you are lucky enough to see Karlamilyi after a couple of good wet seasons (and we were), it is truly spectacular.
western4wdriver.com.au | Western 4W Driver 126 | 9 #