Karijini National Park water levels appear to be dropping, worrying traditional owners and business operators in Western Australia.
Despite a wet summer, the dry condition of Karijini National Park’s spectacular gorges is concerning locals and tour operators, as Western Australia’s tourism season looms.
The national park attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, many of whom travel to see the park’s stunning waterways. There’s concern that with the water levels dropping, areas of the park will close and potentially affect tourist numbers.
Karijini Eco Retreat manager Drew Norrish told the ABC that long-time staff and repeat guests were noticing lower water levels at some gorges.
“We need the gorges to remain open all season,” he said. “When there’s no water flow, it can cause stagnated water and parts of the national park can close.
“There are several hundred thousand people that come through every year and water plays a massive part in the experience.”
Tourists have been commenting on social media about the disappointing lack of water in certain parts of the national park. One first-time visitor Natalie Mcmaster said, “We were up there for the first time a few weeks ago, and were disappointed with our first impressions of Karajini. No water in the most gorges made it not what we had envision. Stagnant water and very hot conditions made us feel disappointed to make the journey north.”
Visitors have been sharing photos of the condition of the gorges now compared to how they looked a few years ago. Corey Merilion posted this photo taken in 2017:
In contrast, Danique Farrell uploaded this image of Hancock Gorge from two weeks ago:
WA local Sandra Marie posted, “Every dam or water catchment I’ve been to around Perth in the last 3 months is the lowest I’ve seen it in the 27 years that I’ve been here something ain’t right”.
So far, tour operators in the region are aware of the discussions surrounding the Karijini water levels, but have told us they have not yet seen an impact on their operations.
Causes
The national park is the traditional home of the Banjima, eastern Kuruma, and Yingawangka people. Some traditional owners believe water use by surrounding mines could be the cause of the shortage.
Banjima man Felix Wilfert is a wood carver who often cuts paperbark trees from Karijini. He had noticed that trees appeared to be dying in the area and that parts of the park were drier than usual. According to Wilfert, there was a creek that flowed through the back roads and the water was always deep enough to cover the bonnet of his vehicle.
“The last time I went there, last year, there was no water there — nothing,” he told the ABC.
Wilfert suggested neighbouring mining companies could be causing the lower water levels.
“I think it’s something to do with mining and there should be water there all the time, really,” he said.
Traditional Owners have been calling for greater consultation and investigation into mine water allocation and dewatering for years now. Conflict between mining and Aboriginal heritage in WA has been ongoing for well over a decade. In June last year, Pilbara’s Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Corporation (YNAC) called for an inquiry into Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metal Group (FMG)’s Solomon Hub iron ore mine over cultural and environmental concerns. YNAC raised concerns over reduced water flows in the area surrounding Fortescue’s operations.
But the WA government says low rainfall over a longer period is a more likely reason for Karijini’s current water shortage. Data shows that rainfall during the past three wet seasons at Karijini National Park had been below the long-term average. However the Bureau of Meteorology’s only weather station in the national park has already recorded 113 more millimetres of rain this wet season than the 2023–24 season.
In fact, some areas of the national park have been closed due to heavy rain damage. According to the WA government’s Parks and Wildlife Service Park Alerts System, the Circular Pool Walk Trail in Karijini National Park has been closed since 17 February.
Norrish said the situation was puzzling because he believed the area had received more rain over the most recent wet season — November to April — than the previous season. He told the ABC it was time for the state government to investigate the condition of the gorges.
“It’s not healthy to have speculative reasons,” he said. “I just feel like we as a community … need to get the facts on the table so we can deal with it knowing that everyone has the same information.”
According to the ABC, an organisation representing some of the national park’s traditional owners has started its own investigation and commissioned a hydrogeologist to assist.
