Carnarvon Gorge, Queensland

After we stayed a night in Emerald, we decided to leave our caravan Florence behind and drive 3 hours South West to Carnarvon Gorge National Park.  Carnarvon Gorge is over 30 kilometres long and 600 metres deep in some areas. It was named Carnarvon by Explorer Thomas Mitchell, originating from Caernarfon in Wales.

​The drive took us through two beautiful small towns, Springsure and Rolleston. The road was sealed bitumen all the way in to where we camped at Takarakka Bush Resort, the only area available to camp in the off peak season. We set camp and sat down to eat lunch in the camp kitchen, finding ourselves spoilt with native wildlife. Kookaburras expressing themselves vocally, kangaroos eating, relaxing and sharpening up their boxing skills while wallabies follow suit. A Sand Goanna was also keeping an eye on all the action in a tree near by. 

With excitement of rocky ranges, flowing water and wildlife, we decided to get a bushwalk in before sunset which led us to look at Mickeys Creek and Warrumbah Bluff. Mickey’s Creek is a 3km return walk, pleasantly shaded by large tree ferns and impressively high cliff edges. On the walk we encountered a Tree Snake and the Keelback both stunning to look at from a distance, later knowing they are both non venomous. The track ends into rocks and then brings you too a defile that is only metres wide but 40 metres deep.

The next day we got up with the sun and hit the main 14km walking track, this took us to four beautiful areas of the Gorge named the Art Gallery, Ward’s Canyon, Amphitheatre and Moss Garden. The main track takes you to all of these turnoffs and takes you through 7 river crossings, you cross 14 of them by the end of the day.  

The Art Gallery is a sacred burial site of the Bidjara and Karingbal peoples. The paintings were outlined hands with ochre and drawings of the tools used for hunting and defence like the highly regarded stone axe and the fishing net. Carvings in the wall also symbolised the spiritual Mundagurra rainbow serpent and Indigenous Women on the land.

​Ward’s Canyon was a staircase that took us past a pleasant slow trickling waterfall, which took led us to a large density of King Ferns, which are extremely rare to inland Australia.
 
The Amphitheatre was a three story ladder climb, looking back you can see the open surroundings of Carnarvon, going forward you walk through a cave and out to an opening of  surreal cliff faces. Looking up inside the Amphitheatre makes you feel well underground with it’s hugging walls and natural skylight.

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The walking trail concludes with Moss Garden, it’s filled with sheer greenery and crystal clear running water. Lines in the wall show the different layers formed over the years, a horizontal opening in the wall runs some of the purest water into the river, being filtered by all the layers in the ground.

The two nights in Carnarvon Gorge were amazing, laying in the back of the car and falling asleep to the soundtrack of the wildlife makes you appreciate simple living.  There’s nothing more therapeutic than the walking tracks, we look forward to finding many more.