A197, Geikie Gorge National Park, Western Australia, Fitzroy River, 2007

The Balili Conservation Park or Devonian Reef Conservation Park is an Australian protected area and is located in the

Kimberley region of Western Australia The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami deserts in the region of the Pilbara, an ...

, about 50km North-West of

Fitzroy Crossing Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...

. It includes

Geikie Gorge National Park Danggu (Geikie) Gorge National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, (great-circle distance) northeast of Perth and approximately east of Broome by road. The gorge was originally named in honour of Sir Archibald ...

Tunnel Creek National Park Tunnel Creek National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, northeast of Perth and east of Broome. The natural cave through which Tunnel Creek flows is a major attraction of the park. Many Aboriginal rock pai ...

and

Windjana Gorge National Park Windjana Gorge National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, 1855 km northeast of Perth and 355 km east of Broome. It is open during the dry season only, usually April to November (dates vary according ...

History

The areas was covered by a shallow sea with a limestone reef being formed over a period of 20 million years during the

Devonian Period The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, wh ...

, around 380 to 360 million years ago. The reef then became

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

with valleys subsequently forming leading to the landforms that are exposed today. In 2017 a joint management plan for Bulali was agreed to between the Bunuba Dawangarri traditional owners the

Western Australian government The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...

Geikie Gorge National Park

The

is situated 20 kilometres from

and 280 Kilometres from

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

, the Fitzroy River has carved a 30 metre deep gorge between the Oscar and Geike Ranges. Evidence of fossils and strata of ancient limestone reef are exposed revealing evidence of life in the Devonian Period.

Tunnel Creek National Park

is situated 115 kilometres from Fitzroy Crossing, 180 kilometres from Derby and 30 kilometres south-west of Winjana Gorge. Found in the

Napier Range The Napier Ranges are located in the Kimberley (Western Australia), Kimberley region of Western Australia. The range is south of and runs parallel to the Wunaamin-Miliwundi Ranges (formerly King Leopold Ranges). The majority of the Kimberley i ...

s, this national park contains Western Australia's oldest cave system, used by Jandamarra, an Aboriginal leader. Tunnel Creek flows through the limestone range for a distance of 750 metres. The Caves house colonies of bats and impressive stalactites. At least five species of bat have made these caves their home.

Windjana Gorge National Park

Also found in the

Windjana Gorge Windjana Gorge is a gorge in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is located within the Windjana Gorge National Park. The gorge was formed by the Lennard River having eroded away a section of the Napier Range. The range was formed over ...

spans 3.5 kilometres and reaches a height of 100 metres in places. The

Lennard River Lennard River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The river was named on 8 June 1879 by the explorer Alexander Forrest, during an expedition in the Kimberley area, after Amy Eliza Barrett-Lennard (1852-1897), who he was to ...

flows through the gorge.

References

{{coord, 17, 47, S, 125, 15, E, type:landmark_region:AU-WA_dim:200000, display=title Protected areas of Western Australia Kimberley (Western Australia)