Honeycomb Gorge

Directions - Kennedy Range National Park is located just under three hours east of Carnarvon, and 50 minutes north of Gascoyne Junction. From the Temple Gorge Campground, head back out of the park, taking a left tun before the park exit and following the signs for Honeycomb Gorge and Sunrise View. There is a small car park for Honeycomb Gorge when you take the first left turn and the trail head is next to the wooden sign.

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The Walk - Enjoying a full day of trails in Kennedy Range National Park, I had already tackled the Sunrise View Trail and the Escarpment Base Trail, with Honeycomb Gorge next on the hiking menu. Having hiked the longest trail of the park, I could now enjoy an exploration of the gorges, and get a feel for what makes the Kennedy Range so special. The brief trip from Sunrise View to the Honeycomb Gorge car park provided a relief thanks to the air-con, as it was starting to warm up.

With the Honeycomb Gorge walk being listed as a 600m return hike, I was skeptical about this as you can see the dried up waterfall on the cliff from the car park, and it doesn't look that far to walk. Grabbing a drink before I headed off with just my camera, I was hoping the experience would be more than just the destination at the end of the path. Rising up a small hill, the open nature of the landscape through the first part wasn't terribly inspiring but livened up when I passed a couple of large boulders. The closer you get to the end of the gorge, the more impressive things become, thanks to the nearby cliffs feeling a lot bigger. Climbing up a little further, I soon came to the End of Trail marker, something you'll see on every gorge hike in the area. This one is a little redundant as you can't go any further because of the vertical wall of rock blocking your progress. Staring at the main event, there was a small pool of water that is fed from above via a seasonal waterfall that you can see the evidence of, even though it wasn't flowing. The Honeycomb Gorge naming is obvious once you're here, with the way the rock has been eroded making for some pretty cool patterns.

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Rather than being just one section of the rock face, there is a series of different patterns found along the curved wall. It was fascinating to see in person, and I would be lying if I said it didn't make me feel like I was at the entrance to the Geonosis catacombs. Taking many photos of the honeycomb erosion, I retreated to a spot overlooking the small pool and decided to take some time out and just sit and observe. This turned out to be a great decision, as it was relatively cool in the shade I had found, along with a fun sighting not long into my break. Noticing something flying around, I watched where they were coming from and landing, eventually settling on one of the larger honeycomb sections. Getting some okay shots, I kept watching and it wasn't long before they went down for a drink. A couple of Zebra Finches were the resident birds here, and it was my first sighting of these red-beaked birds. Before leaving I got another close look at the rock wall, and while photographing the view looking back up, I noticed a Nankeen Kestrel having a chill high up on a ledge. Satisfied with my Honeycomb Gorge experience, I headed back to the car and moved on to the next hike.