Carnarvon Gorge, the most visited section of the National Park, is over 30 kilometres long and was carved out over millions of years by the ever persistent Carnarvon Creek. The inaccessible Consuelo Tableland and Great Dividing Range provide a spectacular backdrop to the Gorge.
Visitors generally stay at least three nights to explore over 25km of graded walking tracks, criss-crossing fresh water streams, up on to sandstone bluffs, into breathtaking side gorges, through Aboriginal art galleries and leading bushwalkers through a myriad of ecological marvels.
Nature Experience
The Park is a bird watchers sanctuary. Almost 200 species of birds have
been recorded in Carnarvon National Park including Azure Kingfishers,
Redbacked Fairy Wrens, Apostlebirds, Choughs, Bustards and King Parrots to
name a few.
Take an early morning stroll along the Nature Trail and spot platypus diving in the sculptured pools of Carnarvon Creek. The grey kangaroo and brush-tailed rock wallaby can also be spotted grazing in the long grass of the Gorge.
After viewing the spectacular colour changes of the sandstone cliffs at sunset, an evening walk with a torch may reveal possums, gliders and bandicoots. Hundreds of plant species crowd the fertile gorge which still shelters giant Angiopteris ferns dating back 300 million years. Palms and Cycads, Grass-tress and Eucalyptus, and an abundance of mosses, lichens and other small plants can be found.
The spectacular gorge carries special significance in Aboriginal mythology and is equally important as an historic geological landmark. Vast rock formations hold fast their secret memories of ancient tribal gatherings. Stencil art, images, symbols, engraving and freehand drawings adorn the soft sandstone and rock overhangs in the Gorge.
Carnarvon’s two major Aboriginal art sites are the Gallery (5.6km) and Cathedral Cave (at the end of the trail, 9.3km from the campsite), both on the gorge track, though if you keep your eyes open there are plenty more to be found. These are Queensland’s most documented Aboriginal art sites, although an understanding of their significance is limited to representational terms. A rockface covered with engravings of vulvas lends a pornographic air to the Gallery; other symbols include kangaroo, emu and human tracks. A long, wavy line might represent the rainbow serpent, shaper of many Aboriginal landscapes. Overlaying the engravings are hundreds of coloured stencils, made by placing an object against the wall and spraying it with a mixture of ochre and water held in the mouth. Always personal and striking, hands – including children’s – form the bulk of the designs, but there are also artefacts, boomerangs and complex crosses formed by four arms. Goannas and mysterious net patterns at the near end of the wall have been painted with a stick.
Cathedral Cave is larger, with an even greater range of designs, including seashell pendant stencils – proof that trade networks reached from here to the sea – and engravings of animal tracks and nests of emu eggs. Cathedral Cave is one of the most extensive Aboriginal art sites within the Gorge.
Beyond Cathedral Cave, there’s a bush campsite and a number of little-visited canyons to explore plus, with advice and permission from the rangers, the possibility of hiking right through to Mount Mofatt.
The Scenic Track
Many short walks from the main gorge track lead to beautiful side gorges
and waterfalls. Accompanied by an Oasis Lodge guide (peak season only),
you'll be taken to such unique sites as the Moss Garden, Amphitheatre,
Ward's Canyon and more. Oasis Lodge guides promote an appreciation and
enjoyment of nature with guided tours, information on sightings,
slideshows and a reference library.
The day-walk (19km return) into the gorge takes some beating, with intriguing side gorges: best are the Moss Garden (3.5km), a vibrant green carpet of liverworts and ferns lapping up a spring as it seeps through the rockface; the awesomely quiet, claustrophobic Amphitheatre (4km), open to the sky and reached by a long ladder from the gorge floor; and Alijon Falls (5km), concealing the enchanting Wards Canyon, where a remnant group of angiopteris ferns hang close to extinction in front of a second waterfall and gorge, complete with bats and blood-red river stones.
The Moss Garden is a world of its own. A natural spring constantly pours forth water which slowly filters through the sandstone, leaving the rock surface a myriad of tiny droplets. A carpet of green moss and a magic waterfall looking up into the accessible Violet Gorge make this spot an essential place to visit.
The Amphitheatre is a site which simply must be seen to be believed. Inside the ancient rock wall, hidden behind a narrow crack, millions of years have produced an incredible crevice in which you will feel dwarfed by majesty. It will lift your spirits as well as your voice as the Amphitheatre is well known for its remarkable acoustics.
Entering Ward's Canyon you will immediately notice a dramatic drop in temperature. Like stepping into another time you will be surrounded by ancient King Ferns (Angiopteris), the largest fern in the world. At the end of this cool narrow canyon is a shaded pool fed by Upper Aljon Falls. Here you can experience the rare moment of sunlight playing on the hidden Upper Aljon Falls, which only happens for about five minutes every day.
A hike to the top of Boolimba Bluff, towering 200 metres above the gorge floor, offers sweeping, panoramic views of the Gorge, the plains to the East and the Great Dividing Range to the West.
Carnarvon Creek’s journey between the vertical faces of the gorge has created some magical scenery, where low cloud often blends with the cliffs, making them look infinitely tall. A three-kilometre trail heads downstream between the campsite and lodge, crossing the creek a few times by means of stepping stones and fallen trees. If you’re not prepared to get wet, you can’t get past the swimming hole here (as cold as the showers, but more fun). Baloon Cave, in woodland behind the lodge, shelters some stencil art of hands and boomerangs – easy to reach if unimpressive compared with other sites in the park. Before setting off to find them, climb Boolimba Bluff from the campsite for a rare chance to see the gorge system from above; it’s a tiring climb but the views from the “Roof of Queensland” make the three-kilometre track worth the effort.
Reaching the Park
As you drive in at dawn, you’ll notice the Consuelo Tableland standing out magnificently above dark forests as the road crosses the plains below, rising gradually to the foothills on the park’s edge before terminating at the mouth of the gorge. Here, Oasis Lodge is surrounded by a neat lawn and respectably sized cycad palms; they’ve comfortable rooms, a bar and a store selling basics, fuel and LP gas refills. About 2km further on, in a wilder cycad grove, the NPWS campsite is almost always full, despite icy showers; book in advance by calling the ranger station (Carnarvon Gorge, Carnarvon National Park via Rolleston, QLD 4702; 8am–5pm; tel 07/4984 4505), which has a payphone, an orientation model of the gorge, free maps and a library on the highlands and its wildlife.