Ok, so I am getting a little behind (2 -3 weeks), forgive me. What can I
say, I am otherwise occupied and the beach is far more attractive than my
little laptop. Anyway…
Having gotten a little tired of the wet weather we thought that we would
try our options inland a little, hopefully until the weather settles down on
the coast a bit. When you think of Queensland you might picture white sandy
beaches and rainforest, but Queensland also has a lot to offer in the way of
natural wonders in its interior. You need only drag out a map of the state to
see a patchwork of National Parks and Reserves all with something unique to
offer. Our little jaunt westward would take us to Carnarvon Gorge, roughly in
the centre of state. It’s a place I had heard much about over the years and so
its been on the to do list for sometime. Time is on our side, the bushwalking is
excellent and there is a very good display of aboriginal art work so the 1000km
return journey should be worth the effort.
I thought you might be interested in what a day on the road entails for
us. Not riveting stuff I know but worth a mention if you are contemplating a
similar journey or just want to know about the logistics of our trip. We base
our travels around two types of days. Those where we are on the road getting
from A to B and those where we stay put to explore and enjoy the destination
that we have come to see (we aim to have mostly theses kind of days). For us,
the travelling days are the working days (tough life I hear you say). There is
a sense that there is a job to be done and its important to get away earlyish
otherwise we arrive in the dark which is not ideal for team morale. Our travelling days go something like
this:
·
Travelling days are generally early starts. Packing
box’s, pulling out anchors and ropes, bringing down awnings, mounting bikes and
getting into the familiar, highly sequenced routine of folding up the Caravan.
Initially we thought that we would become super fast at this, but the faster we
went, the more mistakes we made. What we have learnt is the more casual about
time we are, the quicker (and happier) we finish. Everybody has his or her job
and it’s becoming a really well meshed effort bringing the family together
nicely. Generally we are on the road by 9am.
·
Coffee is a must and over our stay we have generally
sourced a good cup (that’s another story) and we grab one for the road.
·
We aim for a total distance of between 300 km –
400 km, tops. This equates to about 5 or 6 hrs from start to finish.
·
We break our day with lunch somewhere where there
is a good park with a playground and picnic tables and half decent food. We
avoid the golden arches or the like as much as possible.
·
After a quick reconnaissance of town, we generally
find a good food option and a close by park. One of us is dropped off to order
or buy the necessary items to make lunch while the other heads back to the park
with the kids. A short time later lunch is on its way back and we chill for an
hour or so. As simple as it sounds its something that we quite look forward to
when we are on the road.
·
Back on the road for the afternoon we aim to get to
our destination by 3 or 4 pm. Setting up the caravan takes about 30 minutes to
an hour, just in time for dinner and the day is done. Once the kids are off to
sleep, Tamara and I settle down for a bit of TV on the laptop or a quiet read.
On the road to Carnarvon Gorge we stopped at Biloela, (pronounced
bill-o-eel-a) which was a perfect example of one of our travelling day stops.
Anyone with kids will appreciate how good, a good park can be (those who don’t
you will just have to take my word for it, they are gold for all involved).
This park was brand new, complete with flying fox, ropes course, and an obstacle
course for kids bikes, as well as brand new gas barbeques, it had the works! To
top this off it was a beautiful warm sunny day. The kids ran around for a good
hour or more and Tamara and I just watched, chatted and enjoyed the sunshine.
Back on the road we continued westward, with the distances between towns
getting further and further and the countryside becoming more arid. We rolled
into the refreshingly spacious Takaraka Bush Resort campsite at the foot of Carnarvon
Gorge just on dusk. As the reception was closed a sign directed me to check in
via a 2 way radio to a homestead some distance away. We were clearly in the bush
and loving it.
What makes Carnarvon Gorge special for me is that it is an oasis set
amongst the semi-arid country of central Queensland. The gorge itself stands
out in an otherwise featureless terrain and although it is not massive in size,
the white sandstone walls give it a special character. The other draw card is
the extensive aboriginal rock art and hidden canyons begging to be explored.
.jpg) |
| Carnarvon Gorge |
.jpg) |
| Hidden Canyons of Carnarvon Gorge |
The walk up through the gorge was stunning. It was cool, moist and lush,
with the gorge filled with Giant Ferns, Cycads and Palms. It almost feels
prehistoric and you are half expecting a pterodactyl to swoop down at any
moment. The “Art Gallery” was a welcome half waypoint and the paintings were well
worth the effort and certainly the most impressive that I have seen. The kids
did surprisingly well, obviously Jacob had to be carried some of the way but the
main challenge for the children is the monotony of long walks and not the physical
side of it. Both Tom and Lara virtually ran the last 2 km driven by sheer
happiness of reaching the car and the reward of ice creams. Total distance of
this walk was 14.5 km and it was a great effort by the kids. The most
impressively part was both Tom and Lara backed up the next day for a 7.5km walk
up one of the bluffs.
 |
| The Art Gallery |
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| Camping at Takaraka |
We had two great days at Carnarvon Gorge and could of done with a couple
more. Our first bush camp was successful and surprisingly good and we look forward to returning
to the bush after our stint up the coast.
Next stop Yeppoon and the Capricorn Coast
Recommend
-
Carnarvon Gorge
-
Lyons Park, Biloela
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