"Hidden in the rugged ranges of Queensland's central highlands, Carnarvon Gorge features towering sandstone cliffs, vibrantly coloured side gorges, diverse flora and fauna and Aboriginal rock art" Carnarvon Gorge, Carnarvon National Park | Parks and forests | Department of Environment and Science, Queensland (des.qld.gov.au)
And because the parks website has described it perfectly again, I will quote them directly here...
"Carnarvon Gorge is an oasis in the semi-arid heart of Central Queensland.
Here, towering white sandstone cliffs form a spectacular steep-sided gorge with narrow, vibrantly-coloured and lush side-gorges. Boulder-strewn Carnarvon Creek winds through the gorge. A wealth of cultural and natural heritage lies within this special place.....
.....Rock art on sandstone overhangs is a fragile reminder of Aboriginal people's long and continuing connection with the gorge. Ochre stencils, rock engravings and freehand paintings include some of the finest Aboriginal rock imagery in Australia."
With a description like that, of course I am going there!
Busy Tourist Attraction
The gorge attracts a lot of visitors each year, in fact when I asked the internet that question it informed me that 65,000 people visit it.
The gorge is well set up for those numbers and the trails are for the most part very accessible for the average person - from young children to those with a few more years under their belt. On the day I was there the majority of my fellow walkers on the gorges main trails were of the 'grey nomad' vintage.
There is ample parking, good toilet facilities at the main entrance and the trails are well signposted.
I did find it a little unusual to be in such a busy tourist location, the last time I experienced something like that was at Uluru.
Trails
I won't go into the details about the trails here as you can readily find all that information online.
This guide provides the best information: Carnarvon Gorge Guide
Great Walk
I was hoping & planning on walking the Carnarvon Great walk an 87km 6-7 day walk, but all the camping sites (limited) on the great walk were fully booked and as a result I was not able to do it, very sad. My recommendation - book in advance!
Personally I just can't get my head around booking in advance.... I mean I really don't know what day I will be anywhere.
If I find myself in an amazing location I want to stay there and enjoy it, without feeling forced to rush onto the next place because of a ''booking'... but it does mean that for the popular great walks, I miss out on being able to do them if they are heavily booked in advance.
My favourite sections of the gorge
I enjoyed the whole experience, even though I powered through it in a single day.
A highlight for me was the Boolimba Bluff Trail.
More challenging than the main walking trail this climbs up through a narrow gorge to a lookout at the edge of the gorge.
The views from the Bluff are spectacular, but it was the terrain of the trail that I loved the most, as shown in the image below.
I share my walk on this trail in the video at end of this post.
In addition to stunning natural landscape, the gorge has significant aboriginal history and their art is showcased at the 'art gallery', a large section of the gorge: Art Gallery walk | Carnarvon Gorge, Carnarvon National Park | Parks and forests | Department of Environment and Science, Queensland (des.qld.gov.au).
Once again quoting the national parks website "62m-long sandstone wall featuring 2000 engravings, ochre stencils and free-hand paintings adorning the sandstone walls. This is one of Australia’s finest examples of stencil art. See if you can find boomerangs, hands, feet, stone axes, shields, nets and an assortment of animal tracks".
It is also a great place to take a break, eat your lunch while you absorb and admire the location, the art and imagine what it must have been like living here for the Bidjara and Karingbal Aboriginal people.
There is a wealth of information explaining the meaning of the symbols drawn on the walls.
This information helped me recognise burial sites when I went exploring in the Mt Moffat section of the park (more about that in my next post).
Some more images from my time in the gorge
Join me as I walk through the gorge
I hope this little video will impart a sense of my experience in the gorge and entice you to visit it yourself one day.
Thanks for sharing this journey though the gorge with me.
Next we will explore the more remote Mt Moffat section of the Carnarvon National Park.
PS, I loved it even more than the main gorge... stay tuned!
Fantastic. Love your posts xxx Leanne