Karijini Geology and Social History

Off Banjima Dr, Karijini National Park, 6751

The deep gorges and high peaks of Karijini national park are truly an ancient landscape.

The Park has many outcrops of some of the oldest rock formations exposed on the Australian continent.

The evolution of the Karijini landscapes that we see today started over 2500 million years ago, when fine, iron-rich sediments accumulated on an ancient seafloor. Over a period of millions of years, further sediments were overlaid, creating immense pressure on the sediment layers and transforming them into tough layers of rock. Horizontal compression caused the rock to buckle and crack before rising up out of the water to form dry land. A drop in sea level caused creeks and rivers to cut down through the rocks, creating the deep gorges that we see today.

The types of rock that can be seen especially well in the gorges are the banded iron formations, dolomite (similar to limestone with a grey or pale brown colour) and Mount McRae shale (very soft purple or pink rock). 

Karijini National Park is on the traditional lands of the Banyjima, Kurrama and Innawonga people of the Pilbara region and Karijini is the Banyjima name for the Hamersley Range. The National Park was first created in 1969 incorporating lands around the Dales Gorge area. Subsequent additions to the park included Hamersley Gorge, when the park was renamed to Hamersley National Park. In 1991, the park was renamed to Karijini National Park in recognition of Aboriginal history and the continuing association of traditional owners, in particular through the Karijini Park Council.  

Today the park measures 627 444 hectares, making it the second largest National Park in Western Australia after Karlimilya National Park, also in the Pilbara.

The annual Karijini Experience event is a celebration of the culture of the Banyjima people and connection with country in Karijini, with intimate, authentic and family friendly once-in-a-lifetime experiences for all ages.