Friday, 9 October 2026

Rocks in Kununurra, NT

The photos of the some of the rock formations around a town called Kununurra in Western Australia in the tropics of Australia.  Kununurra is a very interesting place with much history attached to it. We've been there several times and it's a long way from home here in Launceston, Tasmania. The route in the photo is the shortest.

The striking red rock formations are made of quartz sandstone stained red by iron oxide around 360 million years old, dating back to the Devonian period, formed from ancient sand dunes, riverbeds, and windblows sand that compressed into solid stone.

The Devonian period is a major chapter of geological and biological evolution occurring from 419 to 359 million years ago, widely known globally and locally as the 'Age of Fishes'.
During this era, Australia was not an isolated island continent in its modern position; instead, it was part of the supercontinent GONDWANA and sat near the equator as a large peninsula before drifting southward. 

The first photo is typical of many such the same landscape you see in certain areas inland/outback in this area.



These two photos are of what is called Kelly's Knob was named after Father Kelly, a Catholic priest who was the first clergyman to visit the Kimberley district during the 1890's. This area all along the coast and inland is known as the Kimberley area.
The description term 'knob' refers to the prominent, rounded hill or small mountain that rises about 190 meters above the surrounding plain on the northern outskirts of Kununurra.
In the traditional Miriwoong language of the local Aboriginal custodians, the landmark is known as THEGOOWIYENG, reflecting thousands of years of connection to the land.  Dual naming signs now recognize both names of the site.

The view on top on Kelly's Knob is magic, you can see forever, the land below is flat.







Various rock formation around the area.



The red dotted area is the area of Kununurra.

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