Next day, I opted for a lay day, my feet covered in blisters, though I really would’ve loved to do the
Art Gallery,
Moss Garden and Ward’s Canyon.
My Darl was still keen as, for the 1000 steps so he packed his lunch and off he went announcing he would do the 3 spots then if he was still up to it would do the Boolimba Bluff walk to lookout.
Off you go Darl!
and take lots of photos.
I’ll do it on the next trip out here.
I had a great day left at camp, got chatting to some other campers, did some blog notes, went for a walk down by the creek and before I knew it, it was 3 o’clock and no sign of my Darl.
The following photos from my day at camp. Amongst the 173 odd bird species at Carnarvon parrots, kookaburras, chuffs, currawongs and these Apostle Birds. Apparently they have a number of alias's including CWA birds - because they congregate in big numbers and chatter a lot.
A variety of Palms including Cycads are abundant throughout the gorges of Carnarvon. These ones dotted throughout the Takarakka Campground where we are staying.
Carnarvon Creek runs by the campground. There is a couple of spots in this creek known to be the habitat of platypus, but we have not heard of any sightings so far. They are very elusive, shy creatures. I just love the reflections in the water which is crystal clear.
 |
| Another shot by the creek, reflection in a puddle |
 |
| The fruit of a Cycad, the white nut like centre contains cyanide! |
My Darl got back about 4pm and very gingerly got out of the ute, pretty done from his day of walking, got lots of photos and had lots of chats with fellow walkers along the way.
He changed his plan of attack for the day and decided to do the 1000 steps to the top of Boolimba Bluff (3.2km one way) first up. The walk contains very steep steps and a number of ladders to climb up along the way. Though Darl reckons it was easier that the ascent up Kings Canyon Rim Walk, that was rugged.
Up the top the view pretty spectacular. The Bowen basin on the east side of Carnarvon, the Darling/Murray Basin to the west. At this point my Darl was relishing the fact really that I wasn't there with him to be on his case about jumping over the barriers and hanging out on ledges to take photos.....yep the handbrake stayed home today. This photo was one of those taken over the barriers.
 |
| The line through the trees is Carnarvon Creek |
Next stop is Moss Garden (650metres one way off main track - 2.8km from Visitor centre). Here the sandstone cliffs above soaks up rainwater like a giant sponge. Over thousands of years this water seeps down through the stone. Eventually the water reaches an impenatrable layer of rock known as shale. With no where else to go the water moves sideways trickling out from the walls. This constant supply of moisture sustains a green oasis of mosses, ferns and liverworts.
 |
| Another view at Moss Garden, a bit shaded |
 |
| A shot walking in to Wards Canyon |
Next stop is Wards Canyon (270 metres one way off main track, 4.3 km back to Visitor centre). A canyon lost in time......Like a time capsule this small canyon preserves the wet cool environment that long ago sustained rainforest across much of Queensland. Under the canopy of the rainforest grew one of the world's largest ferns, the King Fern. As the weather become hotter and drier, the rain forest along with the king fern retreated to the coastal fringes. Today, this is the only place in central queensland where these ancient plants survive.
 |
| I yelled to my Darl to show me the spring in his step when he got back |
We were having happy hour drink by our camp and we noticed the Kookas jumping around in the trees around our camp. Next thing they all snuggled up on a branch in one of the trees. How cute all bedded down for the night. This has gotta be one of my favorite photos. I like the little one facing opposite to all the others, a bum view. Apparently they have big mean owls in this national park and sometimes they just come along and pluck one of the kookas off the end, in the dark of night.....
We managed to get a free feed for tomorrow night – Peter cooked the girls up an Irish Stew and had some leftover.
He was trying to give it away, with no takers and said he will throw it out – was not interested in having left overs as we suggested, we just said if you’re going to throw out, we will take it, so with that we did. Nice! no cooking tomorrow night. From left to right Joy, Peter, Lynda and Fay.
Friday night and one of the new comers settled in around the fire pit with his guitar and started strumming some tunes. Now who put the logs on the fire and made it smokey, Peter?? But I thought it made for a mysterious shot. Some folk we met, some we didn't but it was a nice friendly environment, every one kicking back either after their walking adventure or looking forward to their walking adventures of this beautiful place. We enjoyed the music, a chat and some laughs.
The people you meet! You know when you get a feeling you know someone, but you not quite sure. This couple at camp kitchen first night we here, turns out I do know the bloke, my brother's mate Mick, and his girlfriend Cathy. We found most of the folk here are from around Brisbane or central Qld. Made us feel more like we are getting close to home. Folk of all ages enjoy this place, from kids to nannas and pops. It is a magic spot and one we will return to.
The campground has cabins and these on site tents as an option for accommodation. We found it is quite a spacious set up, except for the powered sites they seem to cram them in there a little. We opted for non powered site and it was great, only a bit too shady for our solar power. When leaving the park there's a sign saying - "Carnarvon Gorge - Good for the Soul, Not for the Feet". Yep that's it in a nutshell.
On the way we come across quite a lot of "free range" cows on the roadway. We also saw lots of emus, an eagle and pheasant on the road when driving in and out of here.
A last shot of Carnarvon on the way out, the ranges still looking pretty spectacular.
This memorial on the road in to Carnarvon dedicated to the American and Australian crew killed when their C47B Dakota aircraft crashed here during a violent electrical storm on 16th November 1943 while en route from Darwin to Brisbane - there were no survivors.
And last but not least one of the creek crossings we encountered. Fair bit of water still over the road but it has gone down from the other day when we arrived. It wouldn't really take much for all these creeks to come up. We heard some french tourists were stuck in Carnarvon after they had some flooding rains here about 6-8 weeks ago........
The people you meet! You know when you get a feeling you know someone, but you not quite sure. This couple at camp kitchen first night we here, turns out I do know the bloke, my brother's mate Mick, and his girlfriend Cathy. We found most of the folk here are from around Brisbane or central Qld. Made us feel more like we are getting close to home. Folk of all ages enjoy this place, from kids to nannas and pops. It is a magic spot and one we will return to. 
The following photos from my day at camp. Amongst the 173 odd bird species at Carnarvon parrots, kookaburras, chuffs, currawongs and these Apostle Birds. Apparently they have a number of alias's including CWA birds - because they congregate in big numbers and chatter a lot.
A variety of Palms including Cycads are abundant throughout the gorges of Carnarvon. These ones dotted throughout the Takarakka Campground where we are staying.
Carnarvon Creek runs by the campground. There is a couple of spots in this creek known to be the habitat of platypus, but we have not heard of any sightings so far. They are very elusive, shy creatures. I just love the reflections in the water which is crystal clear.
He changed his plan of attack for the day and decided to do the 1000 steps to the top of Boolimba Bluff (3.2km one way) first up. The walk contains very steep steps and a number of ladders to climb up along the way. Though Darl reckons it was easier that the ascent up Kings Canyon Rim Walk, that was rugged.
Up the top the view pretty spectacular. The Bowen basin on the east side of Carnarvon, the Darling/Murray Basin to the west. At this point my Darl was relishing the fact really that I wasn't there with him to be on his case about jumping over the barriers and hanging out on ledges to take photos.....yep the handbrake stayed home today. This photo was one of those taken over the barriers.
Next stop is Moss Garden (650metres one way off main track - 2.8km from Visitor centre). Here the sandstone cliffs above soaks up rainwater like a giant sponge. Over thousands of years this water seeps down through the stone. Eventually the water reaches an impenatrable layer of rock known as shale. With no where else to go the water moves sideways trickling out from the walls. This constant supply of moisture sustains a green oasis of mosses, ferns and liverworts. 
Next stop is Wards Canyon (270 metres one way off main track, 4.3 km back to Visitor centre). A canyon lost in time......Like a time capsule this small canyon preserves the wet cool environment that long ago sustained rainforest across much of Queensland. Under the canopy of the rainforest grew one of the world's largest ferns, the King Fern. As the weather become hotter and drier, the rain forest along with the king fern retreated to the coastal fringes. Today, this is the only place in central queensland where these ancient plants survive. 
We were having happy hour drink by our camp and we noticed the Kookas jumping around in the trees around our camp. Next thing they all snuggled up on a branch in one of the trees. How cute all bedded down for the night. This has gotta be one of my favorite photos. I like the little one facing opposite to all the others, a bum view. Apparently they have big mean owls in this national park and sometimes they just come along and pluck one of the kookas off the end, in the dark of night.....
We managed to get a free feed for tomorrow night – Peter cooked the girls up an Irish Stew and had some leftover. He was trying to give it away, with no takers and said he will throw it out – was not interested in having left overs as we suggested, we just said if you’re going to throw out, we will take it, so with that we did. Nice! no cooking tomorrow night. From left to right Joy, Peter, Lynda and Fay. 
Friday night and one of the new comers settled in around the fire pit with his guitar and started strumming some tunes. Now who put the logs on the fire and made it smokey, Peter?? But I thought it made for a mysterious shot. Some folk we met, some we didn't but it was a nice friendly environment, every one kicking back either after their walking adventure or looking forward to their walking adventures of this beautiful place. We enjoyed the music, a chat and some laughs.
The campground has cabins and these on site tents as an option for accommodation. We found it is quite a spacious set up, except for the powered sites they seem to cram them in there a little. We opted for non powered site and it was great, only a bit too shady for our solar power. When leaving the park there's a sign saying - "Carnarvon Gorge - Good for the Soul, Not for the Feet". Yep that's it in a nutshell.
On the way we come across quite a lot of "free range" cows on the roadway. We also saw lots of emus, an eagle and pheasant on the road when driving in and out of here. 
A last shot of Carnarvon on the way out, the ranges still looking pretty spectacular.
This memorial on the road in to Carnarvon dedicated to the American and Australian crew killed when their C47B Dakota aircraft crashed here during a violent electrical storm on 16th November 1943 while en route from Darwin to Brisbane - there were no survivors. 
And last but not least one of the creek crossings we encountered. Fair bit of water still over the road but it has gone down from the other day when we arrived. It wouldn't really take much for all these creeks to come up. We heard some french tourists were stuck in Carnarvon after they had some flooding rains here about 6-8 weeks ago........
No comments:
Post a Comment