The savanna woodlands in Western Australia are beautiful in their simplicity and subdued colours, yet the monotony and sheer size of the flat, sparsely vegetated plains you traverse as you travel up the coast is staggering.

Many people choose the beaches for diversion and flock to Carnarvon and the World Heritage Site of Shark Bay. But if you’re keen to escape the crowds, a stunning national park hides in the remote outback a few hours’ drive from the sea that few people put on their itinerary.

Turn inland at Carnarvon, travelling east on an outback pathway called the Kingsford Smith Mail Run, and 230 kilometres from the coast, the Kennedy Range rises from the plains of the Gascoyne hinterland.

This ancient red sandstone mesa spreads north to south for 75 kilometres and covers an area of almost 320’000 ha.

It was a magnificent sight and although the ridges displayed yet more of the same colours we had seen for days, mostly different shades of greens and reds, the scenery was altogether glorious. When the last streaks of the setting sun flooded the eastern escarpment, the bright red glow was so furious and intense it seemed almost as if the cliff face were on fire.

Despite the massive size of the plateau, there was a delicateness to the rock, a fragility that comes with relentless erosion, which has sculpted the range ever since the former ocean basin was lifted above sea level. Wildflowers also add much beauty to the area, especially after heavy rains. At the time of our visit, a sea of mulla-mullas splashed mauves, pinks, and purples onto the red sandstone.

All walking trails are graded Class 3 or 4 (moderate to high difficulty) and follow markers and cairns on a slightly modified but rough walking track across the steep slopes and eroded boulder-strewn gullies. The trails are not technically difficult but the harsh desert climes and scorching daytime temperatures favour setting out in the early morning or late afternoon.

You can start all walks from Temple Gorge Campground, but to reach the shorter Honeycomb Gorge and Sunrise View Point trails on foot, you first need to put in a few kilometres on the Escarpment Base Trail.

Temple Gorge Campground is the only campsite in Kennedy Range National Park, located at the base of the eastern escarpment, and one of our favourite campsites in all of Western Australia. It’s a beautiful, secluded spot set in acacia shrubland and peered down on by a semi-circle of sheer sandstone cliffs.

4WD high clearance vehicle access is down a corrugated dead-end dirt road (conditions change frequently and roads may be closed after heavy rainfall), 60 kilometres from Gascoyne Junction (12 kilometres of which are on an unsealed road). The campground has bush toilets and a communal fire pit but no water.