Halls Creek is 288 kilometres east of Fitzroy Crossing.
While the town has a small population and initial impressions would suggest that there are few attractions within the town, look a little further as Halls Creek is an explorers haven. Not only are there some breath taking attractions in the vast landscape that surrounds e.g. World Heritage Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles) but also the town’s pioneering history is worth discovering. In fact, Halls Creek was the starting point of Western Australia’s main gold rush when gold was found here in 1885.
Wolf Creek Crater by Stephan Ridgway (courtesy Flickr CC)
No visit to this remote part of the state would be complete without taking a look at one impressive big hole!! or should I say Wolfe Creek Crater Meteorite!!. Located 135 kilometres south of Halls Creek, off the Tanami Track, the crater measures a gigantic 850 metres in diameter making it the second largest in the world.
Purnululu National Park is some 360 million years old, rising up over 500 metres, offering the visitor a rare geological vision of orange and black stripey ‘beehive’ mounds. The area is significant to the local indigenous communities but few non-indigenous groups knew about the park until the mid-80’s. The turn off is just 108kms north of Halls Creek and certainly warrants the time to explore. If you are short on touring time, fear not, why not book a helicopter flight from Warmun (Turkey Creek – 163kms north) or a scenic flight from Kununurra. The aerial vistas will give you an appreciation of the incredible vastness of this park.
After all that driving and exploring, it’s time to relax with a swim at Sawpit Gorge or tasty picnic at Caroline Pool – if you wish to stay longer, call the Visitor Centre for more information. But for the rest of us, it’s time to hit the road and continue east to Kununurra.