Windjana Gorge National Park

2100ha.

High jagged limestone walls line the gorge cut by the Lennard River through the Napier Range. The hills - remnants of a reef of the Devonian period, when much of the northwest was covered by a tropical sea - rise to 90m above the surrounding plain. During the wet season in the tropical summer the river becomes a raging torrent and floods the national park.

The park can therefore be visited only during the dry winter, though even during the dry season the river leaves pools of cool water on the bottom of the gorge. Along the banks of the river are trees, mainly river red gums and fig trees. In the walls of the gorge are caves with Aboriginal rock paintings. In the Classic Face, the north wall of the eastern section of the gorge, the succession of strata in the Devonian limestone is clearly seen.

Freshwater crocodiles may be observed in the gorge, which also has a rich and varied bird life. Swimming is usually possible in the pools in the gorge.

Unlike the impassable Geikie Gorge (Fitzroy Crossing), the Windjana Gorge can be walked through during the dry season. A 3.5km long walking trail runs along the bottom of the gorge from the camping ground, with ample opportunity for observing birds and flying foxes, and with luck also crocodiles.