Windjana Gorge is a gorge in the Kimberley region

Regions of Western Australia

Regionalisations of Western Australia are systems by which Western Australia is divided into distinct geographic regions. The most commonly known regionalisation is the governmental division of the state into regions for economic development purposes, of which there are nine.Other regionalisations...

 of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. It is located at 17°24′32"S 124°57′28"E, within the Windjana Gorge National Park

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....

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The gorge was formed by the Lennard River

Lennard River

Lennard River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The river rises below the King Leopold Ranges and flows in a westerly direction through the Lennard River Gorge and the Windjana Gorge before merging with the Meda River....

 having eroded away a 3.5 kilometres (2 mi) section of the Napier Range

Napier Range

The Napier Ranges are located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The range is south of and runs parallel to the King Leopold Range.They feature the impressive Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek and Geikie Gorge that were formed over 350 million years ago as part of a limestone reef.The...

. The range was formed over 300 million years ago and is composed of Devonian limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

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The gorge is over 100m wide and the walls are between 30 metres (98 ft) and 10 metres (33 ft) in height.

The area is a popular tourist destination and can be easily hiked through in the dry season. The gorge has permanent waterholes and supports a habitat of monsoonal vegetation. Freshwater crocodile

Freshwater Crocodile

The freshwater crocodile , also known as the Australian freshwater crocodile, Johnston's crocodile or colloquially as freshie, is a species of reptile endemic to the northern regions of Australia...

s are known to frequent the area.

The locale is prominent in the recent history of the Bunuba people of the Kimberly region. In the 1890s, the Bunuba man Jandamarra

Jandamarra

Jandamarra or Tjandamurra , also known as "Pigeon", was an Indigenous Australian of the Bunuba people who led one of the few organised armed insurrections documented against European settlement in Australia.- Background :...

, a former stockman, led an armed insurrection. In late 1894, a posse of 30 or so heavily armed police and settlers attacked Jandamarra and his followers in Windjana Gorge. Jandamarra was wounded but escaped.