Left at 7.30am heading for the Carnarvon Gorge National Park. Stopped at Rolleston to top up with Diesel, last stop before the Gorge. As they don’t supply it out at the Park it’s a long distance to the next pump when we leave here. Don’t want to get caught out with an empty tank. As we couldn’t check into this place until 12.00 noon, after arriving at 11am we decided to do one of the smaller walks first. That took us about one and half hours. Good bush camp very tidy and well run, but has all the facilities that any good camp has. There are several different walks to do but as we only have the one day we will do about three of them. That could cover about 9 or 10km. We will see how we go most of it is grade 3 so mostly flat with a few ups and downs. Hoping for a bit of sun tomorrow. It was very sunny this morning then the cloud came in.
Today’s road trip. The roads seemed better but then in places started to get uneven. It’s always in the flood zone areas. As one local told us they are built on what they call black soil so not good foundations. Not like WA they are mainly built on Iron Ore
Started off without a cloud in the sky. Coming near some mountains and now going over rolling hills. Good surface out of the flood zone areas.
We passed a few fields the colour of this bright green but had no idea what they were growing. Lots of contrast colour there.
Passing Bandana Station. Lots of cattle stations in this area. They seam to like having their flashy name signs.
This is a common look. We are now off the main highway. No fencing for these cattle just have cattle grids which we continuously have to cross. Makes a real racket going over them.
See by the photo how these minor roads are narrow but of cause not a lot of traffic. This is leading us out to the Gorge. Also around in the area they have a few fords running across the road. This time of the season they are usually dry but we went through one with a little water. Imagine in the wet season how much water could run through.
National park ahead of us. The surface on this back road is in better condition than the main highways.
As we were too early to check in, we went for this short walk. Although it was a little longer as I will explain as we go.
The walk is a lovely walk along this very little stream called Mickey Creek. As you can see not much water around.
Very pleasant walk
Not unlike NZ.
Now we are starting to see the walls of the Gorge over the next three photos.
You walk 1.5 km which is the end of the walk. Then turn around and head back.
But on our way back there was another walk branching off. Mickey’s Creek walk where we came from now going out further to Warrumbah creek gorge walk.
This was a very pretty walk with another stream running beside us.
This definitely could be NZ. Gorge wall behind the fern.
Gosh, this big boulder doesn’t look too safe. You wouldn’t want to sneeze under it.
We have now come to the end of what they call the formed path.
You would think that this meant stop here and return back. But no, we had been told by several people don’t stop walking there continue on. Gosh, what a marathon but we had to tackle it to see what was at the end. There was the opening of a small gorge. We clambered over some massive rocks, crossed little streams jumping over from rock to rock, then climbed around a rock wall on a ledge hanging on to anything you could find. I was determined to keep going but also knowing I had to return the same way.
To get to see the opening of the gorge we had to climb over big boulders, no path any more. Some were bigger than these and getting round the rock wall, well I certainly couldn’t stop and take a photo to show how hard it was. That was the last thing on my mind.
We reached the opening without too much trouble just big steps to get over boulders.
Now starting to walk up to the narrow way through.
We got a long way in but just felt I couldn’t go any further. It was too risky. We could hear voices deeper in. They were on their way back. So waited to ask was it any better further in . They told us that they came across water probably up to their waist high. They too decided to turn around.. they weren’t prepared to get that wet. And I know that I wouldn’t get PT to wade through water waist high when he didn’t know what was under us. 🤔
We were happy with what we saw and were glad we went that much further.
The people in front of us coming back out.
Now we have turned around and back out in the open after walking around a ledge on the inner walls again. But we are still a little way from the formed paths.
Still climbing over big boulders
Back on the path for our return walk back to the car park. Bigger walk than we had expected with that big hard add on at the end but well worth it to be amongst the opening of this part of the gorge.
Got back to the van and drove back a few kms to go and check into camp. Didn’t do much for the rest of the day. We will get going reasonably early tomorrow to do our three other walks through the big main Gorge. How it all works is the big gorge has a walking path up through the middle and there are different smaller walks going off the main track. So we will walk up the main path to the furthest walk we are doing then branch off to do that walk back to the main path and work our way back with two more branching off walks. We are having tomorrow night here also.
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