Name: Carnarvon Gorge National Park
City, State: Outback Queensland Australia
What's it like?
Step back in time to the primordial splendour of Carnarvon Gorge National Park in Queensland's Outback. Here ancient white sandstone cliffs, up to 200m high, overlook an emerald green oasis of creeks and waterfalls.
Towering cabbage tree palms, eucalypts and she-oaks make up this magical wonderland where cycads grow alongside giant Angiopteris ferns dating back 300 million years. Add Aboriginal art sites, the spectacular backdrop of the Consuelo Tableland and the Great Dividing Range, and you'll understand why visitors find it hard to leave.
While the National Park is a vast 298,000 hectares, most explore along the gorge area, a 30km chasm that twists and turns between the rugged cliffs. Stay at least three nights to make the most of the 21km of walking tracks. The most suitable weather conditions are between Easter and October.
This nature-lover's paradise features more than 183 species of birds, including those rare in Queensland, such as the yellow-tufted honeyeater and the grey goshawk. The fastest bird in the world, the peregrine falcon, calls Carnarvon Gorge home and so does Australia's largest raptor, the wedge-tailed eagle, which soars around the cliffs' thermals.
Since the creek flows throughout the year, hundreds of palms, ferns, trees and shrubs fill the fertile Gorge. Brush-tailed rock wallabies and yellow-bellied gliders are amongst the 28 mammal species found here. Spot platypuses diving into rockpools along the Nature Trail in early morning and take a torch to spot possums and bandicoots at night.
Get out your walking shoes, hat, sunscreen and camera. Throw on your daypack - with food, water and bathers - and enjoy. You can pace yourself along the graded walking tracks that range from easy strolls, to waterfalls and rock pools, or more demanding treks, such as up the 935 steps to Boolimba Bluff, 600m above sea level.
A natural spring gives life to the lush carpet of delicate mosses and lichens, liverworts and hornworts at Moss Garden, a haven for frogs, lizards and darting dragonflies. Lunch at the waterfall before continuing to the Amphitheatre where aspiring singers can test the splendid acoustics. Climb the 10m enclosed steel ladder and through a narrow crevice to enter this cool vast chasm with its natural garden of tree ferns.
Other must-sees include Aljon Falls and Ward's Canyon, a photographer's delight, and the Aboriginal Art Gallery. Carnarvon Gorge is a significant spot in Aboriginal mythology and contains art sites at Cathedral and Baloon Caves. A half-day walk will take you to the Aboriginal Art Gallery where 2,000 ochre stencils, engravings and paintings cover the soft sandstone and rocky overhangs. Images of hands and boomerangs alongside emu eggs and goannas illustrate the link of Aboriginal people to the land. Others, representing female genitalia, suggest fertility rituals.
Scenic flights of Carnarvon Gorge National Park are available and these provide breathtaking views of otherwise inaccessible areas.
Getting There
Driving to Carnarvon Gorge National Park takes eight to 10 hours from Brisbane. Why not stay overnight at Roma, a comfortable three-hour drive from the Gorge? While only 15km of dirt road remain, it's best to check with National Park Rangers on accessibility to the Gorge, as flooding may occur in summer months. As fuel is not available at Carnarvon Gorge, motorists are advised to top up at their last stop - Injune if travelling from Brisbane, and Rolleston if travelling from Emerald or Rockhampton.
QANTAS fly from Brisbane to Roma. Contact QANTAS: 13 13 13 or visit http://www.qantas.com
Accommodation
Enjoy luxurious comfort at the Carnarvon Wilderness Lodge in one of 30 secluded safari-style cabins with evaporative cooling, set amongst ancient macrozamia and cabbage tree palms, or get back to nature at Takarakka Bush Resort. You can choose between a spacious canvas cabin, complete with fridge and fan, or your own tent or caravan at the shady camping ground or powered site. For fully-sufficient adventurers, a remote camp site for six exists, ten kilometres into the mouth of Carnarvon Gorge. Carnarvon Wilderness Lodge features a fully-licensed restaurant and bar facilities. Bookings for all types of accommodation are essential.
Tours
National Park Rangers give slide shows, and free talks at set sites including the Art Gallery and Boolimba Bluff. Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge guides host walks through the Gorge between April and November. For day walks and night spotlighting for wildlife contact Carnarvon Wilderness Guides.
- By Helen Chryssides
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