Bilungunha (Hancock Gorge), Kermits Pool

Bilungunha (Hancock Gorge), Kermits Pool is a 1.5 km return out-and-back from Weano Gorge car park; allow about two hours. DBCA calls it Class 5 Extreme and recommends it only for fit, experienced walkers. The distance is short, but the gorge makes you work: descend ladders, negotiate uneven rock, wade through water, and thread the narrow Spider Walk before reaching Kermits Pool. Do this one for a hands-on gorge adventure; skip it if you want a level stroll or would rather stay dry. The public walk ends at the sign and returns the way you came.

Start at the Weano day-use area and follow the approach toward Hancock Gorge. The first stretch is relatively easy, then a metal stair-and-ladder descent takes you from the rim to the creek bed. OSM maps 36 metal steps on this descent. Pause at the trailhead sign before going down: the gorge route has a much higher difficulty than the short approach suggests. Weano’s toilets, shaded seating and barbecues are up at the picnic area, not along the walk.

Once you’re on the floor, the route goes downstream over stony creek bed, rock ledges and pools. Water travel is part of the hike, and the depth varies; some visits involve only shallow wading, others get much wetter. The cold water and slick rock can slow you down, so bring footwear that grips when wet and protect valuables in a waterproof pouch. At the Spider Walk the walls close in so tightly that hikers brace across them with hands and feet. Take care at the ladders if another group is coming through; the narrow section is awkward to pass.

Kermits Pool is the payoff, framed by steep, iron-banded walls. The public route stops at the signed limit; turn back there and don’t push farther into the gorge. The tight walls and moving ribbon of water make the best on-route photo. Keep the layered rock in frame so the image shows how narrow the passage is.

Flash floods can develop quickly in Karijini gorges. If rain starts, leave the gorge immediately. Pool water can be extremely cold, particularly from April through September, and summer temperatures often exceed 40°C. This is an exposed, physically demanding walk with no easy way to bypass the ladders or wet sections. No dogs or other pets are allowed in Karijini, and standard park entry fees apply.

The red and dark walls are banded iron formation: layers of iron-rich sediment and silica that formed on an ancient sea floor roughly 2.5 to 2.0 billion years ago. Oxygen from early photosynthetic life helped iron settle in repeated bands. Much later, uplift and running water cut the plateau into the gorges you walk through today. DBCA uses Bilungunha alongside Hancock Gorge and identifies Banjima, Innawongka and Eastern Guruma as Karijini’s Traditional Owners.

The 800 m return Oxer Lookout walk starts from the same Weano day-use area and gives a view over the meeting of Weano, Red, Joffre and Hancock gorges. It’s a separate, much easier walk, and the better choice if you want the scale and color of the gorge without scrambling down into it.