16 - 2026 - August - Kennedy Ranges, Western Australia

 

Entry 16 – 2026 – August – Kennedy Ranges – Western Australia

Over the last four months or so, we had been utilizing the North West Coastal Highway for accessing/exploring the coastal regions of Western Australia. We had explored regions, near Broome in the north and were now about 1,500 kilometres south of Broome in the region near Carnarvon. The highway had been reasonably busy with vehicular traffic.

We had identified the Kennedy Ranges National Park as another location for us to visit. We had booked a campsite several months prior to secure a spot in the National Parks main campground.

From Carnarvon we headed east along the Carnarvon-Mullewa Road to the small town of Gascoyne Junction.

The road was in reasonably good condition and there was notably an absence of other vehicles about. It was a drive of about 175 kilometres and we encountered around 6 other vehicles over the time it took us to travel the 175 kms. It was quite the relaxed drive, without a constant need to be watchful of other vehicle actions.

Though there was still the need to be attentive for those unpredictable hazards.

From Gascoyne Junction we headed north along a dirt road.

This road had been closed for several days after a rain event. It had been re-opened the previous afternoon and with a weather forecast of more rain later in the day, we had been notified there was a possibility the road may be closed again later in the day.

Initially we had planned to take a couple of days to travel from Carnarvon to the Kennedy Ranges NP. With the possibility of further road closures, we were very focused on arriving at the NP “as soon as possible.”

It was a drive of about 70 kilometres along the dirt road to the NP. Some sections of the road appeared to have had received some recent maintenance attention and it seemed to be in a reasonable condition for a dirt road. Though there were still some soft sections to be careful of. Of note there seemed to be no dust cloud created by our tow tug or caravan on the road surface, something to do with the recent rainfall. Thankfully no mud was collected on the underside of the tow tug or caravan. It seems the local council had got the road closures/openings correct. Cudo’s to the Upper Gascoyne Council.

We spotted signage advising the presence of a Cobbled Road.

We stopped for a look. It was a section of road built in the early 1920’s when all transport was undertaken by wagon’s drawn by either horses or camels.

We arrived at the campground with light rainfall about.

As soon as we entered the campground, our eyes and feel-good neurotransmitters instantly started buzzing from the impressive setting.

There was an amazing transformation of the setting when the clouds disappeared, replaced by a beautiful blue sky.

The ranges surrounded the campground in a horse shoe shape, providing a gorgeous setting.

Steve was up early one morning, mesmerised by the different lighting effects on the rock faces, produced from the rising sun. The rock face in the centre of the horse shoe was beaming with colour whilst on either side the rock faces were still shrouded by shadow. It was fascinating and tantalising at the same time.

We loved the visual setting of the Temple Gorge Campground. Adding to its appeal, there was the option of several hiking trails, commencing from the campground.

Whilst we were static, waiting for the re-opening of roads to access the Kennedy Ranges NP we came across another couple whom were in the same position. There were a couple of conversation sessions and we seemed to gel nicely.

The conversation/happy hours continued at the campground and we participated in a few of the hikes together.

Our necks were constantly moving about, trying to take in the magnificence of the setting around us. Our photographs were unable to display the true grandeur of the setting. If you like our photographs, perhaps times it by four with your own feel-good sensations.

As we headed further into the Temple Gorge Trail hike all four of us started to feel a bit strange. There was a section with a bit of ochre about, elevating our weird feeling sensations.

The Escarpment Trail description described a trail into a narrow gorge with steep slippery sections, ascending to the top of the range. Mary decided to sit this hike out. It was a good call by Mary. Steve was stretched to his limitations a few times, returning back to base camp feeling rather weary.

There was a need to monitor the placement of your feet, resulting with less time spent admiring the surrounding setting.

The top of the escarpment provided a fabulous view of our surrounds. Steve managed to get a good photograph of Mary way down below in the campground. Mary responded with pictures of us way above. Steve was utilizing our good camera and Mary the phone. The phone provided a magnificent photograph considering the different technology between the phone and the camera.

We had allocated five nights stay at Kennedy Ranges NP. Leaving the Kennedy Ranges NP we had booked two nights at a caravan park in the town of Carnarvon for the tow tug to obtain a service.

The Kennedy Ranges was such a fabulous setting, the thought of leaving after only five days stay was appalling. There was a conversation with the campground hosts, with some assistance from the park ranger and we managed to extend our stay by another nine days. It was a marvellous outcome. Though there was the requirement to juggle around other site bookings. During our stay we got to experience a different perspective from three different sites in the camp ground.

Acquiring a time slot to obtain a service for our tow tug had also required advanced bookings. There was no jiggle time with this booking. We departed the Kennedy Ranges NP without the caravan driving around 250 kilometres to Carnarvon to get the tow tug’s required service, staying in accommodation overnight, returning to our caravan the following day.

It was self-inflicted heartache. Worth every bit of it.

There was a communal fire place where you were permitted to have a fire, with a requirement to provide your own wood.

We decided to cook up a fruit damper one evening using our fire pot.

No one else was within coo-ee of the fire place when we lit the fire. Within minutes of lighting the fire people started to show up to use the fire. Once our camp fire oven was in place and word spread we were cooking up a fruit damper the human sea-gulls arrived in even more numbers.

Every time we lifted the pot lid for a look at the progress of the cook, there seemed to be many other eyes looking in.

It had been some years since our last camp fire cooked damper. From memory it took around 45-70 minutes for completion of the cook. Unfortunately, the temperature of the coals produced from the timber we had acquired seemed to be under-par. It took double the time to cook. By the time we decided to remove the pot from the fire it was around 9.45 pm and all the other campers had given up, retiring to their own beds for the night.

We were also tired and ready for bed. Delightedly the fruit damper was cooked to perfection all the way through.

The morning after damper night we were up very, very early, driving to a publised sunrise viewing location. We were in company with Rae and Chris. We all had our cuppa’s and enjoyed some fruit damper for breakfast, waiting for the sun to appear. We were all be-moaning how nice and warm it was in bed.

From the sunrise viewing location the sun did appear from the vast flat plains before us. A “normal,” Aussie sunrise, nothing overly special.

But the suns powerful luminous lighting, beaming out on a horizontal plain across the flat landscape, produced a magnificent setting. The suns beams, striking the 90-degree cliff face produced a fantastic lighting effect, highlighting the landscapes colourings.

Returning back to the campground we were all feeling bubbly, very happy with our sunrise experience. None of us cared the rest of the campground occupants were still in bed nice and warm.

We were entering a region of Western Australia, noted for dramatic displays of wildflowers appearing around late winter to early spring, depending on the seasonal rainfall. Wildflowers were starting to provide a colourful display across the landscape of the Kennedy Ranges.

We hope to provide a more comprehensive description on the wild flowers in our next blog edition, as we wonder deeper into the wildflower country side.

The Kennedy Ranges NP continued to serve up some amazing viewing. There was another, first experience for us. Not far from camp a mob of “Dawson Burrowing Bees,” had arrived during our time there. The arrival of the bees, seemingly timed with the blooming of wildflowers in the Kennedy Ranges.

We found it to be a fascinating phenomenon and provide our photographs of the captivating setting, followed by a brief description of our follow up research about these bees.

 

Our research showed there are about 2,000 Australian native bee species. Dawson’s burrowing bee is one of Australia’s largest native bees, growing up to around 25 mm long with a wingspan around 45 mm.

They are found in arid claypans of Western Australia’s Gascoyne region. They do not produce honey.

They are solitary bees, accumulate in massive ground nesting colonies between July and September, when the bees breed and forage on flowering plants.

The Kennedy Ranges NP for us was an enchanting location. Below are some more of our photographs obtained during our stay.

When we ventured into the Kennedy Ranges NP, we were unsure on what to expect. Our research revealed a smattering of information, just enough to spark our attention.

For us the Kennedy Ranges NP may well be in one of our top ten locations we have experienced in our Australian travels. It certainly provided some long-lasting feel-good memories.