MAP
We stopped at Springsure for three nights in a park using some of the time to wash and power devices before our next free camp in Carnarvon Gorge.
Day1
Minerva Hills in the Springsure area.
We travel out of town and along some semi 4×4 roads to some great lookouts situated in the Minerva hills and Mt Zamia.
These included
Springsure lookout for morning tea and some drone footage
Virgin rock, Eclipse lookout and Springsure lookout (which was a 1.8 km walk) looking at some great scenery. We had also stopped to do drone footage into a gorge which didn’t have a designated stop or name.
After lunch at Fred’s Gorge (below) we return to the van
The scenery was amazing as were the ferns, mostly the Zambia fern which is native to this area and Carnarvon Gorge our next stop.
Mt Zamia in the Minerva Hills is a ancient landscape born of fire, gas, and liquid rock during one of Australia most volcanic periods. The picture below shows the area from a distance, the far right of the crest across the top is where the lookouts were situated.
Our second day we visited the the “staircase“ which was a cutting through the granite rock made by the Chinese for a road in 1905 using just hand tools like a ⛏ and shovel.
Now the road runs to the side of this cutting and is 15 kms south of Springsure and close to our free camp stop on the way north 4-5 months ago.
Then out to Rainworth Fort consisting of buildings from the old cattle farm still run by the original family. More old Stuff!!!!
and a look in town at the sculptures here.
Carnarvon gorge
We met Dave and Andy at Rolleston on the way to Carnarvon Gorge and set up camp together on the side of the road just prior to the National Park.
The accommodation at both sites in the park were booked out and we were preferred to free camp.
On the way we stopped at the USAAF C47B Dakota Remains which was wreckage from a plane crash in 1943 where 18 people died after their plane was hit in an electrical storm.
At our camp Dave got the fire going and cooked some lamb shanks for them while we just did some salmon and then the camp oven was also used to make a yummy butterscotch self saucing pudding. A nice night by the fire with Andrea educating us on watching Survivor . They had TV reception with their satellite dish. Another thing on the wish list when we change to our off road van next year.
An early rise the next morning to start our trek into the gorge. It soon became very obvious we or especially me was never going to keep pace with Andrea and Dave so off they went making it to the end of the gorge to a spot called Big Bend and they also managed most of the side walks and scenic points. 26 kms in total.
John and walked 7.5 kms out which was 3km before the end of the gorge and decided that was enough for us as we also had to do the return hike back through the gorge
The walk into the gorge wasn’t to hard some steps and mild rises but generally easy the hard parts were the side shoots.
There are at least five side shoots and these include the Aboriginal art site, the Moss garden, the Amphitheater, Wards canyon and the Boolimba bluff. At the end of the gorge is Cathredral cave and Big bend but we didn’t make it that far. The thought of adding another 7 kms to our walk was just to hard.
So back once on the return track home we did two of the off shoots.
John climbed to the art site with Indigenous rock features vulvas and hands and extensive granite walls, this area is a women’s site in years gone by.
Next we both climbed up to Wards canyon along 240 metres of stairs to a spectacular rock canyon.
In this area the ferns were amazing mostly the king fern which has a short thick base from which the fronds arch outwards. Carnarvon gorge is home to the only colony of King Ferns in central Qld as they need a rainforest canopy to survive. Tree ferns were also in abundance, these having a tall trunk with a umbrella shape canopy. Other ferns native to the gorge are the Zambia fern shown in the Springsure area above.
The water trickling through this area was clear but the rocks stained were a bright red. A stunning place with a small waterfall as well and a amazing cathedral cave in the rocks.
The gorge itself has massive granite walls in some areas and the landscape varied from dry bush land to stony creek beds and sandy tracks. In Many areas the ferns were everywhere as was the Eucalyptus trees. Kangaroos and wallabies were also a frequent sighting.
There were many creek crossing which John helped me negotiate, stepping across the rocks, we crossed 7 going in and the same going back.
We missed the Amphitheater and the Moss Gardens on our return walk as we were getting too tried to negotiate all the steps and ladders to get to these site.
We decided to leave these to another day.
By the time we got back to the car we had done over 16kms, the biggest walk we have never done and we were both exhausted.
Both couples had an early night too tired for sitting up around 🔥 fires.
Day 2
We went for a walk into the rock pool but we were not inspired to swim, then walked into Mickeys creek gorge and Warrumbah creek gorge, which had Boulder climbing, so I left that to Andrea, Dave and John to do this without me. this is best seen on the video.
On the walk in we spotted a wild brumby and an échina and once again the area was full of ferns.
Lunch followed at the local cafe and then an afternoon at the vans while Andrea iced her pulled muscle after spilling down a Boulder and we all caught up on blogs and videos etc.
Day 3
We walked back through the gorge, over 4 kms to where the path to the Amphitheater is, then 630 meters in and up some metal stairs / ladders to the entrance of this amazing area hidden behind a soaring cliff and through a crack in the rock. It was formed by water and floods carving the huge cavern out of solid sandstone.
The ladders had to be negotiated backwards when leaving here as they were steep and narrow.
Then back to the Moss Gardens, my favourite spot in the Gorge, which required another climb uphill and more stairs and two more creek crossings.
The Moss Gardens was formed from rainwater that fell thousands of years ago that was soaked up in the sandstone like a sponge it takes thousands of years to soak down through the sandstone until it finally reaches down to impenetrable rock like shale and then has to track sideways to drip from the wall. This constant supply of moisture sustains a green oasis of mosses, ferns and liverworts.
My confidence today was much better and did all the creek crossings by myself . Yah!!
We left Carnarvon Gorge exhausted but having loved the experience. We are now heading south towards Injune. The next blog!
