About Carnarvon Gorge
Getting there
Leaving Emerald we took the 240km drive to Carnarvon Gorge, stopping off at Springsure for a coffee break and to say “see ya” to our travel buddies Liam & Jackie as they were staying at Rolleston for a couple of night before re-joining us in Carnarvon Gorge (route map) in another 2 days.
It was then a non-stop trip from Springsure to Carnarvon Gorge except for the several road blocks created by the local cattle on the drive into our destination from the Warrego Highway. It was quite comical with the cows just standing in the road trying to stare us down as we were stopped by them. It was almost like they were trying to tell us to “pee off and leave us alone”.
Accommodation
There are two locations in the Carnarvon Gorge where you can stay in your caravan/motor home etc…
- Breeze Big 4 Caravan Park (aka Takarakka Bush Resort & Caravan Park) – power & water available and $56 per night
- Sandstone Park Camp site – no power & water with only (Kenny style) porter loos available and $35 per night
We stayed at Sandstone Park Campground (maplink), as you need to have booked about 12 months in advance to get into the Breeze CP. We loved this location as it sits up on a ridge with expansive views over the sandstone cliffs and surrounding countryside – until the wind gets up and it’s a fairly exposed spot!
1st sunset over Carnarvon Gorge
It was up to the special sunset area near the CP office to joining together with the other campers to experience another great sunset.
The park manager, Gayle, was great explaining to everyone that they MUST stay longer than expected after the sun has gone down to experience a “proper Carnarvon Gorge sunset. She was not wrong as the colours were amazing!
1st day’s exploring
Mickey Creek Walk
Leaving Sandstone Park and heading into the gorge the 1st walk you find is Mickey Creek, which is a short 1.5km track from the carpark. It’s a Grade 3 level walk and was a great way to ease into our exploring the gorge. Along the way we discovered some miniature bush orchards, thankfully marked on the track by an earlier walker.
Wurrumba Gorge
There’s an off-shoot along the Mickey Creek Walk to the Wurrumba Gorge and WOW was it worth the effort. We got to the gorge to find a sign saying “end of formed track” but were advised by other walkers to continue up into the gorge proper. It reminded us a lot of our trip to Cobbold Gorge in 2020 (link to post), just on a smaller scale.
TIP: Walk to the end of the Mickey Creek trail 1st and then take the signposted turn left turn off the track to experience Wurrumba Gorge on the return to the car park, it’s only 600m to the end of the formed track.
The Rock Pools
Next along the road into the gorge proper is the Rock Pools Walk, which is only 150m from the car-park and also has a Grade 3 rating. It’s recommended to come here after one of the longer (10+km) walks and cool your feet off in the water. I can tell you now it would be like sticking your feet into an esky full of ice, as the water is freezing!
It was a lovely quiet spot to have lunch and then do some exploring, where we came across some tortoises in the pools and the bird life is exceptional.
2nd day’s exploring
It was a rather quiet 2nd day, with a bit of a sleep in and just cruising around Sandstone Park. Then it was up to the end of the road into the gorge to the ranger’s station to check out what was on offer. We did the Nature Trail, then had lunch before heading back to our caravan for a (very) early happy hour 🍺 🍺 😁.
Nature Trail
The Nature Trail starts near the Ranger’s Station and is an easy Grade 3 walk along the shady banks of Carnarvon Creek. We were told that there’s a platypus further along the trail and it was an easy location to find as there were a number of people quietly waiting to spot this unique marsupial. We eventually did see the platypus but was on the other side of the water hole and not wanting to provide the ultimate photo. At one point somebody pointed out a 2nd platypus swimming toward us and all camera’s swung onto it but it was a large water rat LOL!
3rd day’s walking
Today was the “big walk” into the Carnarvon Gorge with 6 of us heading out for what ended being just over a 14km return walk from the Ranger’s Station. We were joined in today’s exploring by Jackie’s brother Joe and his partner Bron so the intrepid group of six headed out on the next adventure.
Moss Garden
The Moss Garden is another Grade 3 walk along a well maintained track, 3.5km from Ranger’s Station (1.3km from main gorge track). It’s not until you get to the end of the track do you get to experience the quiet spectacle of this attraction. It is a great place to just pause, quietly breathe in the sweet pure air and appreciate your surroundings..
Water drips constantly from the sandstone walls of the Moss Garden, supporting a lush carpet of mosses and ferns. Beneath the tree ferns straining for sunlight, a small waterfall tumbles over a rock ledge into an icy pool.
The Amphitheater
Our last location on today’s walk was to be The Amphitheater, which is another Grade 3 walk along a rougher type of track with several (easy to do) creek crossings track, 4.3km from Ranger’s Station (1.2km from main gorge track).
We were told by most people we met that it’s an “absolute must do” but you must take care on the “ladder climb” at the end of the track to access the Amphitheater. This was a bit of concern for all of our group as we pictured climbing up this vertical ladder bolted to the canyon wall! It turned out to be a series of pretty steep stairs, like you’d see on a ship – all good!
You enter though a short chasm to enter the Amphitheater and I must say that any aches and pains from taking the walk are instantly forgotten as your breathe is taken away by the grandeur of this place.
My 1st thought was that there had to have been a greater being responsible for this glorious place to have been created in the 1st place, for us humans to sit and wonder at it’s absolute beauty.
There were a couple of other must do’s in the gorge such as Ward’s Canyon and the Art Gallery but we all agreed it was getting a bit late in the day and time to head back to the start.
…suppose that means we will just have to return in the future to continue our explorations of Carnarvon Gorge!
Summing up…
- Accommodation – Sandstone Park Campground 1800 874 444
- No of nights – 4
- Cost per night – $35.00 (@ 14-Aug-2022)
- Facilities – No facilities, except for Porta Loos – cleaned daily. No power or water available
- CP Location – Carnarvon Gorge Rd Carnarvon Gorge
- Our rating/score – 8/10 – next time we’d try to stay at “The Breeze Big4“
- Was it a nice town to visit? – One of our favourite stays
- Activities & places of interest – All activities are related to the gorge
- Tourist info centre? – NONE – some info available at Ranger’s Station
- Would we return? – YES
- We rate the town – 9/10
- Overall thoughts – Totally enjoyed our stay at Carnarvon Gorge and would love to return one day and maybe do some fitness training beforehand 😄.