Elephant rock, also known as the sleeping Buddha, is called such due to its unique shape and structure. Belonging to the Miriwoong people this impressive rock formation sits on the edge of Kununurra and provides beautiful views over the town and The Ord River.

I completed this quick scramble with a hostel friend before starting my 8am shift at work, prior to arriving at the base of the rock you either must drive along an extremely sandy 4WD track or walk an extra 2k…choice is yours. We decided to walk the whole way and set off around 4:30am to make it in time for the sunrise, and it was certainly worth it.

Despite my headtorch being fully charged, I would be lying if I said I weren’t worried about the possibility of stepping on a snake, it was typical for them to lay absorbing the heat contained in the sand. Something about the remote location and being in the dark allowed my imagination to run away with me, although, I fear in this moment it was a valid fear to have. The sky had turned from pitch black to an inky blue and you could tell the sun was starting to arrive before we had even started the climb. We needed to get a move on. The trail was quite difficult to follow and a bit of guesswork was required to figure out where to go, it felt as though the proper path had overgrown and you just had to trust your instinct on the best route to take. The rock underfoot wasn’t always stable but there were enough edges to hold onto if need be. Surprisingly for paths like this I found it easier going down.

It was now a race between us and the sunshine, but we managed to make it just in time. The views at the top were simply breathtaking. The previously dark musty rock was now a vibrant orange, I will always wonder how such a bright colour comes so naturally. We walked along the ridge soaking up the 360-degree views of the gorgeous Kimberly region, I love how untouched these surrounding are. It was as if we were the only people in the world. 

The second the sun was visible you could feel the air start to heat up, I would not want to complete this in the middle of the day due to the unforgiving temperatures and lack of shaded areas. We started our descent, looking forward to the day stretched out in front of us.