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Carnarvon Gorge WalksLovely Walks and Beautiful SceneryThe main reason to come to Carnarvon Gorge is to walk and whether you do the longer walks along the gorge or some of the shorter ones around the Visitors Area there is something for everyone. You could spend anything from one full day to about four or five days walking in this section of the Carnarvon National Park depending on how much you are prepared to walk each day and how many of the walks that you actually want to do. If you prefer to just relax and do very little that is alright too! The main track along the gorge starts at the Visitor Area which is 4km from the Takarakka Bush Resort and runs all the way out to Big Bend a distance of 9.7km and is reasonably flat. Before starting I hadn't realised that we would be crossing the creek as often as we did but fortunately the water was quite low when we were there so we didn't have any problems. There are 22 creek crossings using stepping stones along the way and these may be impassable if there has been heavy rain. It took us about 2 hours to do this walking at a reasonable pace. There are quite a few off-shoots from the main walking track but it is recommended that you walk to the furthest point that you intend going to and visit these offshoots on the way back. We had expected to be walking in a narrow gorge but at the start it is actually quite wide and the track goes through trees but at each of the crossings you get great views of the steep cliffs along the gorge and these light up as the sun goes higher making this a beautiful walk to do. You may see some wallabies along the creek and you will definitely hear lots of birds singing and hopefully see some beautiful colourful ones too. We were very pleasantly surprised by how few people there were along the track but I would imagine this would be different during school holidays. There are pit toilets at Big Bend and as these are the only ones along the way I would advise you to use them. The bend in the gorge is beautiful and there is a pool there which would be nice for a swim in the summer. There is also a small camping area which is really away from it all. The first off-shoot on the return is Boowinda Gorge which involves clambering over rocks and boulders the whole way. It is quite spectaular as it is a very narrow gorge but quite cool because the sun doesn't get in to it. It isn't necessary to walk all the way to the end of it although if you don't mind the boulders I think it is worth going in a short distance at least. Next is Cathedral Cave which has a bench just below it where we had our picnic lunch. You only have to climb a few stairs to reach this from the main track and rather than a cave it is a large and very impressive overhang. It has some Aboriginal paintings, stencils and engravings which are explained on information boards with some of them dating back thousands of years while others are as recent as 200 years old. The Art Gallery is the next off-shoot and this is a short walk uphill from the main track. As its name suggests there is a lot of Aboriginal artwork here but nothing different than what is on view at Cathedral Cave. If you don't want to go as far as Cathedral Cave this is well worth a visit but if you have seen Cathedral Cave and are looking to miss something out on the way back I would suggest that you miss this. Next along is Ward's Canyon which is home to the rare king ferns which are amazing. It also has a small waterfall and a large tree trunk which you can sit on and relax while enjoying the peaceful ambience of this "secret" place. It is only 270m off the main track but you do have to climb up to it. The Amphitheatre, which is the next off-shoot along, is a large open topped cavern which has been created by nature over thousands of years. You have to climb up 4 sets of iron ladders to get to a large crack in the rock which leads through to the Amphitheatre. Note the markings on the wall that show how the water is thrown around when there is a storm. This is not a safe place to be during a storm so if you hear any thunder don't go in to it. Last but definitely not least is Moss Garden which for me was the prettiest and most impressive off-shoot of the gorge. The water drips through the sandstone but then reaches a layer of rock that it can't get through so it drips out and creates lots of moss. The moss on the side of the rock is really green and pretty and the water dripping continuously out is lit up by the sunlight and is absslutely beautiful. There is also a small waterfall and a picture of it during one of the floods. You will probably not do all of this in one day but you can if you are short of time. We did everything except the Moss Gardens in one day and it took us about 7 1/4 hours and left us feeling exhausted. We walked in to the Moss Garden on our second day after going to Bulimba Bluff mentioned below. Obviously you don't need to walk as far as Big Bend and can do as much or as little as you want. Another walk which starts from the Visitors Area is the track to Boolimba Bluff which is a 6.4km return trip and you should only tackle if you have a reasonable level of fitness as there are 963 steps on this track. The views from the top are spectacular looking down into the gorge and also across to other ranges in the distance. It is recommended that this walk should be done early morning or late afternoon as this is when the light is best. It took us 2 1/4 hours including about half an hour at the top. There are some shorter walks which start from various car parks between Takarakka and the visitor area such as the Rock Pool, Balloon Cave and Mickey Creek Gorge. You can get information about all the Carnarvon Gorge walks from the Visitors Centre or on the official Queensland National Parks website. |
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