Carnarvon Gorge

Yesterday morning we farewelled Theresa Creek Dam and continued our adventure through the Queensland outback.  After completing the obligatory times tables and spelling lists and a quick stop for fuel (diesel and donuts) at Emerald we settled in for a few more chapters of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

We arrived at Takarakka Bush Retreat by about 3pm and I could already feel the chill in the air.  We soaked up the last of the sun’s rays at happy hour before heading to the Takarakka deck for a briefing on the local walks and tours.  At dusk we checked out the platypus pool but those sneaky little beggars were hiding again!

We cold drove us back to the caravan for some hot soup for dinner.  Discovering that the forecast was for a minimum of 2 degrees made us question our choice of an unpowered site, but the decision was made.  Instead we steeled ourselves to enjoy both of those degrees as much as we could!

We huddled around a very small campfire until the kids had toasted and eaten their nightly allocation of marshmallows, then it was back to the caravan.  Holy cow it was cold!  Keysbrook cold!  We couldn’t bear to get undressed so slept fully clothed, complete with jumpers, socks and beanies!  Brrrrrrrrr.

We were up early this morning for our walk through the beautiful Carnarvon Gorge National Park.  Carnarvon Gorge features over 30 kms of dramatic sandstone cliffs sculpted by Carnarvon Creek over a period of some 26 million years.  The white sandstone cliffs of the steep sided gorge, the narrow, vibrantly coloured and lush side-gorges, the pebbly creek crossings and the remnant rainforest plants made for a picturesque and fun nature walk.

We headed up the main track which crosses the Carnarvon Creek many times.  We had a quick stop for breakfast in the sun before taking a side track to the Moss Garden.  Here water drips constantly from the sandstone walls, supporting a lush carpet of mosses, ferns and liverworts.  Beneath tree ferns straining for sunlight a small waterfall tumbles over a rock ledge into an icy pool.

Next it was off to the Ampitheatre.  Hidden inside of the gorge here is a 60m deep chamber, gouged from the rock by running water.  The towering stone walls create an awe-inspiring atmosphere within.  The Johnston boys found the towering stone walls made a great slide…

From there we walked on a little further to check out Ward’s Canyon.  Ward’s Canyon is a small side gorge that is home to the world’s largest fern, the King Fern.  A short, steep track winds through spotted gums and around a small waterfall.

We stopped for a picnic lunch on a rock in the Carnarvon Creek.  We enjoyed soaking up the sun’s rays and took our jumpers off for the first time all day!

Our final side-track was to the Art Gallery.  Here over 2000 engravings, ochre stencils and free hand paintings adorn the 62 metre long sandstone walls of this significant Aboriginal site.  The Art Gallery contains one of the best examples of stencil art in Australia.

By this stage the troops were flailing, so we boosted their morale with M&Ms and powered back to the car.  All up we walked 14 kms, most of it with Fletcher being carried in the backpack.  We were all pretty worn out by the time we got back home about 3pm.  We had certainly earned our beer and chocolate Butternut Snap afternoon tea!

Soon enough the cold descended again and we found ourselves once more huddled around the campfire with a damper baking in the coals.  The boys had a talc war and Bruce entertained a dozen or so grey nomads with some tunes on the guitar.

He played a few requests and we all enjoyed a bit of a sing-a-long.  It seems that Cows With Guns is fast becoming the Johnstonstouraus theme song!  The other campers must have been impressed because they even paid Bruce in cash at the end of the night! 

Eventually the cold drove us to bed.  And oh Lordy was it cold!  I can’t remember ever sleeping in so many clothes – beanie, scarf, gloves, shirt, jumper, tracksuit pants with PJ pants over the top and socks.  Under a doona and a blanket AND a night walker snuggling in and I WAS STILL COLD!!!!!