Some of the many creek crossings in the gorge

The Carnarvon Gorge in Queensland has long been on our destination wish-list. A few years back we headed to Takarakka Bush Resort, to base ourselves to explore the gorge, but on arrival we discovered it was fully booked. After sitting on the side of the road for several days, we managed to secure a booking for three nights. This short visit whet our appetites to one day return, and the opportunity occurred recently – with a push from my daughter. The gorge and camping facilities are a good 20km off the main highway, heading south to Roma and north to Rolleston; it is good bitumen but narrow. You are also travelling through properties, so watch out for livestock. On the way in, you will pass the remains of an aircraft found many years after it crashed, so stop for a look as it gives you an idea of this area’s remoteness.

Our trip to the gorge began in Tin Can Bay where we live, heading for Brisbane to meet up with our daughter who followed us in her car. Having another vehicle proved to be useful in getting to and from the gorge from Takarakka. From Brisbane we headed west to Roma, with a couple of stops along the way, then north towards Rolleston before turning off to the gorge, which is well sign posted.

Heading up to Boolimba Bluff

For this trip, we booked online several months ahead to be assured of a site for a week. I found a week’s stay is necessary if you want to  take your time and give all of the walks justice. By now you are probably realising there is a lot to see, and that Carnarvon Gorge is a very popular tourist destination. Hence, the importance of booking, as it’s the only camping ground with facilities in the area. There is a bush camping ground at the entrance to the gorge, adjacent to the rangers’ info centre run by National Parks and Wildlife, but it is only open during school holidays and booked out months ahead. A quick tip for our readers, it is not suitable for caravans and motorhomes. There is one other campground, situated on a hilltop for self-contained vehicles, at Sandstone Park which has great views but a little further away from the gorge.

For those of you who may want something a bit more comfortable, there is a lodge a little closer to the gorge, which contains the Discovery Centre that holds regular talks on what to see and is run by trained Savannah Guides who offer day and night walks at a reasonable rate. There is a restaurant on site here, and also at Takarakka. Both offer different styles of dining but are highly commendable. Takarakka also provide free daily talks on what’s to see, so with these choices you can enjoy the gorge any way you wish.

If you stay at Takarakka, it’s about a 15-minute drive to the rangers’ display centre, where the walking trail starts. In my opinion,  it is good value considering the remoteness of the area. Takarakka offer different accommodation options so other friends and family can share the experience with you. I should also point out that Takarakka has the Carnarvon Creek running past its boundary, so if you spend a little time, maybe over a cuppa, platypus can be easily viewed at different times throughout the day.

Once you have decided on your style of accommodation, it’s time to start planning your walks. My daughter and I planned our own, with our first day being the longest, a 20km loop walk to Big Bend. We also managed to take in a couple of side loops among spectacular landscape. We figured on getting the longest walk out of the way first, making subsequent walks shorter and allowing more time to take in the scenery. Wildlife is in abundance, particularly kangaroos and wallabies, so have the camera ready. The walking is mostly flat following the creek bed, but there are many creek crossings over stepping stones. So a certain amount of agility is required, and it will take a full day without rushing, giving you adequate time for rest and meal breaks. Walking trails in the park are explained in terms of fitness required, so it’s a good idea to build up your fitness level as we did for a few months prior, also a good lightweight day backpack is necessary for food and water etc. There is no mobile coverage in the gorge, so you must be confident in your ability.

The Moss Garden

Our next interesting walk was to the must-see, picturesque moss garden. This is probably the easiest walk of all and does not require any high degree of fitness, but agility is necessary to cross the creek over stepping stones. But don’t be deterred as I have seen many people using walking sticks for balance, as the water is only ankle deep at most crossings. Wards Canyon is further on and up many stairs, but is also well worth the effort with rare ferns growing within.

There are Indigenous rock paintings to view in another area and a very interesting amphitheatre reached by very steep ladders, which reminded me of Kings Canyon in the NT, another interesting walk. I should also mention that there are much longer walks available, lasting several days around the top of the gorge, that should only be considered by experienced bush walkers. The short walks in the gorge cover the most scenic and interesting features, which will satisfy most people’s curiosity.

We saved the most strenuous walk till last, because it involved rising at 4am in order to climb to the top of the Bluff lookout, ready to catch the sunrise as it lights up the sandstone cliffs with a golden glow. This is quite spectacular, and is well worth the 900 or so steps to the top, which is why we left it till last, as you can’t rush these things. The lookout path is the first side trail you encounter upon entering the gorge, and if like us and you do it in the dark, I would suggest a good ‘head lamp’, which will leave both hands free for the tricky bits. Watching the walls of the gorge below your viewing point, lighting up with the glistening golden glow of sunlight, metre by metre, with birds wheeling about above the canopy far below, is really something to behold. For me this was probably the highlight of the whole trip – exhausting yes, particularly in your early 70s. But on return to our motorhome, I was able to stretch out and relax for the rest of the day, with that feeling of contentment one can only feel after achieving such a rewarding goal.

We did observe feral pig issues in the gorge, with many areas having that ‘ploughed up’ look. But then  Australia has many feral problems which we encounter in our travels, so nothing new here, and it certainly does not detract from the beautiful scenery.

Another gorge well worth a visit is Mickey’s Creek which is situated just outside of Carnarvon Gorge and is handy if you are having a day off from the longer trails in the main gorge. There are some swimming holes and short walks nearby, so a week tends to go quite quickly as we only had one day off for R&R. 

For those interested in geography, the Warrego River rises from below Mount Ka Ka Mundi, in the Carnarvon Ranges near Tambo in Queensland, and flows generally south, reaching its confluence with the Darling River downstream from Bourke. So you can see the ranges play an important part of the Murray-Darling basin. The Warrego River is the most northern tributary of the Darling River, which recently has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Our return trip took in Rolleston and Monto, where we spent several days exploring the Cania Gorge National Park, which will surprise and delight walkers and nature lovers. There are two great camping grounds/caravan parks in the gorge, and don’t forget to take the kayak, as you can explore Lake Cania as well. I hope you get the opportunity to explore Carnarvon Gorge one day and enjoy its beauty as much as we did.

Category: Destinations
Written: Wed 01 May 2019
Printed: February, 2019
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