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GETAWAYS | Karijini National Park
THE FROGS-IN-THE-
DUNNY ECO RETREATYour best two accommodation options in
Karijini National Park are camping and
glamping. Luckily, the locally owned glamping
option, Karijini Eco Retreat, is a very good one.
The generously sized ‘semi-permanent’ deluxe
tents are a good mix of ‘with the elements’ and
homely touches, including a king bed that is the
best for hundreds of kilometres around.
The retreat has genuine eco-cred, including
low voltage mood lights and no noisy air con
(so you can acclimatise properly). Of course,
there are compromises, but that’s the price
you pay for staying in a no-BS eco stay. The
roofless but sheltered en suite is perhaps the
best example. Inevitably, you will happen upon
one (or more) little green frogs in and on your
toilet. It’s part of the environmentally friendly
wastewater treatment system; “A sign of a
healthy ecosystem,” I’m told. “They [the frogs]
just like your bathroom water. Just flush them
down the toilet [preferably before you go].”
The eco resort’s restaurant does a fine job
of giving guests a wide choice; but it is strange
eating tiger prawns in the outback and the
salad, as you can imagine, isn’t exactly picked
from a kitchen garden. Food prices are a shade
over par – mains start in the high 20s – but
that’s the cost of remote-area logistics for you.
The young, enthusiastic staff bring an energy
to this place which makes the Eco Retreat a
great base, worth a couple of nights’ splash-out.