Karijini National Park is the second largest national park in Western Australia, measuring over 1.5 million acres. It is located in the far north of the state and a popular addition to any west coast roadtrip. We arrived in Karijini National Park from Exmouth.
→ Check out my complete guide to roadtripping Australia's west coast from Perth to Exmouth!
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, with the freedom of our campervan, we're trying to hit the lesser known spots and go slower.
For over 20,000 years, the Banyjima, Kurrama and Innawonga people lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived, naming the area Karijini, meaning "hilly place".
The first Europeans to explore the area were led by Francis Thomas Gregory in 1861 who named the mountain ranges the Hamersley Range after his friend Edward Hamersley. It became Hamersley National Park in 1969 and renamed Karijini National Park in 1991 to honour the Aboriginal name for the area.
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Useful Information for Karijini National Park
Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Karijini National Park. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Karijini National Park, the traditional languages of the Banyjima, Kurrama and Innawonga peoples are Banyjima, Kurrama and Yinhawangka, respectively.
→ Learn more about the language of the Banyjima, Kurrama and Innawonga peoples.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
Free WiFi can be found in the welcome shelter near Hamersley Gorge and the rest stop at the corner of Karijini Drive and Great Northern Highway.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. Karijini National Park in the north of Western Australia gets extremely hot during the summer and many of its gorges are closed due to the heat and risk of flash floods and cyclones. The best time to visit is from April to September.
Length of stay: We spent three days exploring Karijini National Park as there are so many gorges, swimming holes and hikes to enjoy. I would recommend at least three or four days to visit everything properly.
How to Get to Karijini National Park
Karijini National Park is fairly remote, located in the northern part of Western Australia. The closest town and the gateway to the national park is Tom Price.
By flight: There are two airports that are relatively close to the national park; Paraburdoo Airport and Newman Airport. Both have daily flights to Perth, with Newman Airport also connecting with Port Hedland.
It takes about an hour to drive from Paraburdoo Airport to Tom Price. Alternatively, Go West Tours offers a daily shuttle bus from the airport to town.
It takes about three hours to drive from Newman Airport to Tom Price. There is no public transport option from this airport.
→ Rent a car at Paraburdoo or Newman Airport.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to Karijini National Park is with your own wheels. This gives you the freedom to explore the national park at your own pace, stopping whenever and wherever you like.
You might want to start in Perth as your base for renting a campervan to explore Australia.
→ Rent a campervan in Perth with Apollo, Camplify, Indie or Juicy.
By coach: Integrity Coachlines runs long distance coaches throughout Western Australia. A coach journey from Perth to Tom Price takes just over 26 hours and could be a super fun way to explore the state, especially if you don't have a car.
By guided tour: There are a few tour operators who run multi-day expeditions of the west coast, starting in Perth and ending either at Karijini or further north in Broome.
→ Book a multi-day guided tour from Perth to Karjini National Park!
How to Get Around Karijini National Park
Karijini National Park is fairly remote, located in the northern part of Western Australia. The closest town and the gateway to the national park is Tom Price.
By car: Of course, the easiest way to explore is with your own wheels. We are traveling around the entire country in our campervan for a year and it gives so much freedom to get around. All of Karijini National Park is now paved roads, except for the ~50km red dirt road to Hamersley Gorge. This road is accessible to all cars, including 2WD; we managed just fine in our Mercedes Sprinter campervan. You therefore do not need a 4WD to visit Karijini National Park!
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Tom Price or at Paraburdoo or Newman Airports.
By guided tour: If you don't have a vehicle, there are a number of guided tours available to explore Karijini National Park departing from Tom Price.
→ Book a guided tour of Karijini National Park with Go West Tours, Space Chameleon Adventure Co. or Karijini Hoppa Bus.
All but one of the roads are paved in Karijini National Park
The only unpaved road is the ~50km road to Hamersley Gorge, but fine with 2WD
Driving to Hamersley Gorge
Where to Stay in Karijini National Park
Hostel: There is one backpacker's accommodation, Pilbara Backpackers, located in Tom Price within the Tom Price Tourist Park.
Hotel: There are two accommodation options in Tom Price, either at the Tom Price Tourist Park with cabins within the campground or at the delightful Cheela Plains farm stay.
→ Book a hosted stay in Tom Price.
Camping: The most popular way to visit Karijini National Park is with your own wheels with a campervan, trailer or rooftop tent giving you the ultimate freedom and flexibility to explore.
There is a paid campsite at Tom Price Tourist Park which is in Tom Price, the closest town to the national park. Alternatively, there are two paid camping spots within Karijini National Park at the Dales Campground or the Karijini Eco Retreat.
As with the rest of Australia, Western Australia permits freedom camping on designated sites. These sites can vary greatly; some offer a variety of facilities such as toilets, trash bins, picnic tables, outdoor cooking stations and others have none of this and might simply be a pull-out on the side of the road. The best way to find legal freedom camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
There are two free camping options, both of which we stayed at. Both of the free campsites have no amenities so you must be fully self-contained to stay there. There is a free campsite next to Hamersely Gorge, the Buddhas Overnighter. The other free campsite is Mount Bruce Free Camp next to the base of Mount Bruce, a popular hike. It's the closest free camp to all the other gorges and main areas of Karijini National Park.
Buddhas Overnighter
Mount Bruce Free Camp
Mount Bruce Free Camp from above
Best Things to Do in Karijini National Park
Karijini National Park is one of our favourite national parks in Australia, most famous for its many gorges that are found throughout the park. We spent three days exploring this gorgeous region.
Karijini National Park incurs park entry fees (or you can visit if you hold a WA annual national park pass). The only part of the park that doesn't require an entry fee is Hamersley Gorge.
Swim in Hamersley Gorge
Of all the gorges we visited in Karijini National Park, Hamersley Gorge was definitely our favourite. We loved it so much that we spent an entire day just here! We camped at the free campground just across the road, Buddhas Overnighter, which was helpful for getting to the gorge early in the morning.
From the parking lot, it's a short walk down steps into the gorge. There is a Lower Pool right when you reach the foot of the gorge. To the left, you can swim through the gorge. But the best part is up to the right. Some scrambling is required here; follow the metal blue markers up to the metal staircase. Here you'll find the Upper Pool as well as the famous Spa Pool at the very end with a small waterfall. It was delightful to simply spend the day exploring the different pools and diving in to the refreshing, green water.
→ Check out the reel I made about swimming in Hamersley Gorge!
Looking down into Hamersley Gorge
The river to the left
Lower Pool
On the way up the right side to reach the Upper Pool
The famous Spa Pool
Look into Joffre Gorge
Joffre Gorge is a curved natural gorge which was created by a seasonal waterfall. At some points of the year, the entire canyon is bone dry; at others, a gushing waterfall creates a flowing river below.
There is a challenging 1.3km hiking trail through Joffre Gorge down into the bottom of the canyon where you can swim in the pool at the base of the waterfall. The trail is pretty rough and includes scaling ladders. You can also just take in the view from the Lookout above which is just 50 metres from the parking lot.
Hike through Knox Gorge
Knox Gorge was our favourite gorge to go hiking in. The hike starts with an immediate steep descent straight down into the gorge and then becomes very easy, following through the base all the way to a beautiful natural pool to jump into at the end. In total, we hiked a 2km loop which took us just under an hour of moving time.
There is also a lookout at the top next to the parking lot from where you can look straight down into the gorge and the natural pool.
From the lookout
Spot the pool below
Hike to Kermits Pool
Kermits Pool is at the end of a fun hike through a gorge at the end of Weano Road in Karijini National Park. We didn't swim in Kermits Pool itself but we found the hike really enjoyable, including a bit of scrambling and climbing alongside the gorge to avoid getting our feet wet! If the water is too deep, wading might be necessary.
The hike to Kermits Pool is about 2.5km roundtrip, which took us just under an hour of moving time.
Heading down into the gorge
Hiking through the gorge
If the water is too deep, you might need to wade
Kermits Pool
Hiking back out
Swim in Fortescue Falls
Fortescue Falls is the only waterfall which flows all year-round in Karijini National Park. It's such a beautiful spot to hang out. The waterfall flows down over multiple layers of rock into a clear pool at the base which is perfect for floating around in.
Fortescue Falls is just a few hundred metres from the parking lot down a set of steps.
Spotting the falls from above
Swim in Fern Pool
Fern Pool is a sacred Aboriginal site at the top of Fortescue Falls home to a gorgeous waterfall and serene green water to float in. As it is sacred, the traditional owners ask that you are quiet here and do not jump or dive into the pool.
To reach Fern Pool, park at the Fortescue Falls carpark and walk down the steps to the top of Fortescue Falls. Then, carry on to the right a short way to reach the pool at the top of the falls. It's just a few hundred metres and an easy walk.
Spot the flying foxes
And the lizards
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
