Carnarvon National Park
- Introduction
- Fact file
- A look at the past
- Aboriginal culture
- Natural features
- Native plants
- NQIS (07) 3227 8185
- Carnarvon Gorge park ranger
- (07) 4984 4505
- VIEW the amazing Aboriginal rock art at the Art Gallery or Cathedral Cave
- WALK to Violet Gorge to see the enchanting Moss Garden
- MARVEL at the ancient king ferns in Ward’s Canyon
Introduction
Tucked away in this vast, rambling park in Queensland’s Central Highlands is the magnificent Carnarvon Gorge. Boasting towering white sandstone cliffs, breathtaking side gorges and some of the finest Aboriginal rock art in Australia, this 160-million-year-old natural wonder is the region’s most popular tourist attraction. The Carnarvon Gorge area, the most accessible and most visited part of the park, is only one of seven sections of Carnarvon National Park and occupies only a fraction of the total park area. The other, less accessible sections are Mount Moffatt, Ka Ka Mundi and Salvator Rosa, which offer visitors a remote wilderness experience, and Goodliffe, Buckland Tableland and Moolayember.
Fact file
Access
From Roma via Carnarvon Hwy; from Emerald via Gregory and Dawson hwys; park access road is 21 km of unsealed gravel surface, suitable for 2WD in dry weather but impassable following rain; check road conditions before travelling.
Best Season
April to September
Location
720 km north-west of Brisbane; 250 km north of Roma via Injune; 196 km south-east of Emerald via Springsure and Rolleston
Park Information
Permits
Camping permit and fees apply; bookings essential
Size
298 000 ha
Where to Stay
Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge
(07) 4984 4503
Takarakka Bush Resort
(07) 4984 4535
Warremba Farmstay (07) 4626 7175
A look at the past
Explorers Thomas Mitchell and Edmund Kennedy passed through this region in 1846–47. Pastoralists moved into the area soon after, with the nearby town of Springsure surveyed and gazetted in 1863. However, the rugged terrain of Carnarvon Gorge eventually forced pastoralists to abandon their leaseholds in 1931, and the national park was declared in 1932. The Ka Ka Mundi section was grazed for more than a century before it became part of the national park in 1974, and old cattle yards are a reminder of early pastoral history.
Aboriginal culture
At Carnarvon Gorge there are three main rock-art sites: the Art Gallery, Cathedral Cave and Baloon Cave. In the Art Gallery, dated at over 4000 years old, 62 metres of rock wall provide a natural canvas for more than 2000 ochre stencils, freehand paintings and rock engravings. The even larger Cathedral Cave is one of the most extensive rock-art sites within the gorge. Here there are depictions of human hands, spears, boomerangs, goannas and emu tracks. There is more ochre stencilling at the smaller Baloon Cave.
Natural features
Part of the massive Consuelo Tableland in central Queensland, this vast, rambling park extends east–west for some 160 kilometres. The 200-metre-high cliffs of Carnarvon Gorge have been carved out over millions of years by Carnarvon Creek. Along its 30-kilometre length are numerous, narrow side gorges, complete with waterfalls, pockets of rainforest, natural wonders such as the Moss Garden (left), the quiet, almost claustrophobic Amphitheatre; and Ward’s Canyon, with its ancient king ferns.
Native plants
Hundreds of plant species thrive in Carnarvon Gorge, which shelters endemic cabbage palms (Livistona nitida), ancient cycads, ferns, flowering shrubs and gums. Remnant rainforest flourishes in the heltered side gorges with mosses, lichens and other small plants. On the plateau above the cliffs and bluffs is open eucalypt forest with an understorey of native grasses. The park is a sanctuary for a wide range of birds. Over 175 species have been recorded including azure kingfishers, red-backed fairy-wrens, apostlebirds, choughs, bush stone-curlews, bustards and Australian king-parrots. Other wildlife includes eastern grey kangaroos, whiptail wallabies, green tree frogs, freshwater snakes and eastern water dragons. If you are lucky you might spot a platypus in the clear, shallow waters of Carnarvon Creek. An evening walk with a torch may reveal possums, gliders and bandicoots.
Featured Activities in the National Park
Introduction
Carnarvon Gorge visitor centre is about 3 kilometres inside this section of the park, and has wheelchair-accessible toilets and picnic tables. Three days is the minimum time recommended for a park visit.
Aboriginal rock art
Of the gorge’s Aboriginal rock-art sites, the most accessible is Baloon Cave, which has a self-guided walk (500 metres return, 30 minutes). More effort is required to reach the Art Gallery (5.4 km return, 3–4 hours) and the Cathedral Cave (9 km return, 5–6 hours). All of these art sites have descriptive signs and interpretive material.
Bushwalking
At Carnarvon Gorge, the main trails start near the visitor centre. A good place to begin is the short Nature Trail (1-km circuit, 30 minutes). After that, there are the many side gorges: Mickey Creek Gorge (1.5 km return, 1 hour); Rock Pool (2 km return, 1–1½ hours); Moss Garden (3.4 km return, 2–3 hours); Amphitheatre (4.1 km return, 3–4 hours); Lower Aljon Falls and Ward’s Canyon (4.7 km return, 3–4 hours). For breathtaking views over the national park, walk to Boolimba Bluff (3.2 km return, 2–3 hours) or hike to Battleship Spur (14 km return, 8–10 hours) – latter is strenuous and recommended for fi t, experienced bushwalkers only.
Campsites
Big Bend camping area (walk-in camping)
Dargonelly Rock Hole camping area
Rotary Shelter Shed camping area
Nogoa River campsite (bush camping)
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