Last week Karen and I dropped into Windjana Gorge National Park. We put up our tent in the nearby campground and then set off on a 9km return walk through the gorge. I’ve got to say, I wasn’t prepared for what we found. The gorge is carved through a 100m-high limestone ridge which forms the bulk of the Napier Range. A sandy path hugs the banks of the Lennard River, which at this time of year is fairly slow moving and not very deep. Freshwater crocodiles can be seen all along the riverbank and in places were only a few metres from us. Pretty cool creatures. What really struck me about the walk was how spectacular it is. The limestone walls tower above the walkers and the place is alive with birds and animals.
From a climbing point of view Windjana Gorge is something else. I’ve only ever seen a handful of similar high-quality compact climbing locations around the world. These would have to include Victoria’s Arapiles, Verdon Gorge (France) and the limestone cliffs of Phra Nang (Thailand). The walls inside the gorge (and outside it for that matter) stretch for many kilometres and as far as I could tell most of the rock is comprised of perfect limestone of up to three pitches. The rock architecture is also really impressive and there are possibilities for literally thousands of climbs. I’m not sure how Western Australia’s Department of Environment and Conservation would view rockclimbing in the gorge (especially if it led to an influx of hundreds of climbers visiting from all over the world). Of course Windjana Gorge is a bloody long way away from anywhere. The small town of Derby is about 150km to the west and Broome is about double that. The gorge is easily accessible from the Leopold Downs Road in the Southern Kimberley. As a walker I really recommend that you check out this amazing place and definitely do the Gorge Walk. As a climber I was blown away at the potential for this to become a world-class climbing area. It’s unlikely that it will ever happen but at least I can dream.
Bring it on! I hear the humidity is a killer though?
When we were there it was just like perfect spring weather at Araps. I would suspect that the place would be pretty rainy and humid during the wet season however. Not only would the river be flowing part way up the limestone walls but the crocs would probably be snapping at your heels.