Outback Queensland Trip 2024, Day 16: it’s all about Carnarvon Gorge

In Mandandanji country

I’m very sorry for the scattiness of yesterday’s post – I was so tired and my proof-reader was asleep!  The way I work is to make rough notes as we go, paste them into the blog, and then massage them into shape. Unfortunately, the massager’s hands were not up to scratch last night. I have now edited the post, so if something didn’t make sense when you read it, it will hopefully make sense now!

The reason I was tired is because of Day 17’s adventures. We have been blogging one day behind ever since early in the trip when we had no reception one night. (I tried to catch up with a two-day post in Mt Isa but with my COVID in full throttle, I ran out of puff and had to back out of that plan.) Day 17 was a big one as you will see, but the significant news of that day is that I tested negative, so I could partake of the adventures! First, though, the itinerary:

“We continue south into the Carnarvon National Park. An oasis in the heart of Queensland, Carnarvon National Park is characterised by towering white sandstone cliffs and pockets of rainforest. It is also known for its incredible abundance of wildlife, being home to over 180 species of birds, 90 reptiles, 22 frog species and five of our six species of gliders. It is also a refuge for Australia’s two monotremes, the Platypus and Echidna.

Today, there are numerous guided walks available depending on your level of fitness. Spot an elusive Platypus on a gentle nature trail or, for the more seasonal [“seasoned” I think they mean] walkers, head up the gorge to Moss Garden where the water seeping out of the limestone supports a lush carpet of mosses and ferns. Your experienced guides will explain”

So, it was a big day. It started with a 6:30am breakfast and departure at 7.15am, followed by 45 mins drive to Rolleston for a quick leg-stretch and toilet-break, then 1 hr 30mins drive to the Gorge. We arrived a little before 10am. We were to spend 4 hours at the Gorge, after which there was 3 hours driving, plus the requisite break, to Roma. We arrived at Roma around 5:30pm. A big day. 

I mentioned before the minimal references to First Nations people. Well, today we had a little more, starting with the turn off to Old Rainworth Fort, just south of Springsure, being pointed out. The fort was “built in 1862 as protection against aboriginal attack. The fort was fireproof and very nearly impregnable, being constructed of basalt blocks and corrugated iron”. It was, however, never used apparently! (This what happens on tours – you see many signs to points of interest that you don’t get to see – but then again, this happens on self-drive holidays too, doesn’t it? You can’t see everything.)

The next references happened during our quick leg-rest-cum-toilet stop at a lovely little park in Rolleston, which is on Ganulu (or Kanolu) country. Here there was clear recognition of the local people, including a scar tree and a gorgeous map.

After this, it was more driving, but the scenery was interesting. It’s pastoral – mostly beef – country, but the breeds were changing from the strong Brahman influence of the north to Angus, Hereford, and Murray Grey. Gradually, the Carnarvon Ranges appeared on the right, and the Expedition Ranges on the distant left. As we drove, our tour leaders told us that the Carnarvon Ranges, at 1100 metres, are often described as the “Rooftop of Queensland”. (For our readers from overseas, Australia is an old worn down continent so our heights are not high!)

At Carnarvon Gorge

At the Gorge we met our Savannah Guides/Australian Nature Guides, Simon and Michelle, and had our morning tea. Eight of the 30 of us opted for the Moss Garden Walk. We were read the riot act about what this involved – 7.2km, 600 steps, three creek crossings, and 5 ridges. I was anxious about the creek crossings, because my balance isn’t great. I do not want to fall and break a bone. Len was more anxious about the steps. But we did it – and more comfortably than we expected. (Meanwhile, the Outback Spirit tour leader who accompanied us, was more concerned about the octogenarians. “You won’t fall will you, because I can’t carry you”, she said!) As it turned out, no-one fell and all made it back on time.

Michelle was our tour guide (with the Outback Spirit leader), while Simon at the other Outback Spirit leader stayed back and did small walks. Michelle was wonderful. As we walked, she’d stop and explain the environment, what we were seeing, and what was interesting, unique or special. Plants have worked things out, she said, without our help! I’m not sure scientific Len would explain it quite that way, but we know what she meant. She also talked a little about the local First Nations people. She told us about (but I’m not going to give you the details!):

• Cycads, which we’ve met before in the Northern Territory and on this trip further north, but they are old and fascinating plants
• Woody pear tree (Xylomelum pyriforme in the Proteaceae family)
• Xanthorrhoea, which were flowering
• Climbing tree orchid, but I’m not sure of its botanical name
• Quinine bush (Petalostigma pubescens), which is native to Papua New Guinea, Queensland, Northern Territory, New South Wales, Western Australia. This bush, Michelle said, was used by the local First Nations people for birth control. This people believed that three children per couple was the workable number for their community and resources, so when a woman had had three children (who had passed the infant mortality stage), they would take a preparation from this bush which would render her permanently infertile. Women would apparently also use a lower dose to bring about an abortion, if, for example, a pregnancy was too close to the previous one, as they also had ideas about spacing children. This, she said, was “women’s business”, but men had their own interesting “snip” at puberty (which they would reverse when it was time to have children.) All this revealed a sophisticated understanding of reproduction, for a start, that they were not given credit for by the settlers.

Michelle said that First Nations people used this place, this gorge, but they didn’t live here permanently. She believes this was because they recognised what was needed to conserve it. They lived in less well resourced areas, and only visited here.

Anyhow, eventually, we met the tricky creek crossing, and Michelle did two things to make it easier. One was to tell us to avoid the tempting, big (and higher) stones, because they require more strength and control to step down from. The other was that she demonstrated her preferred path across the creek. These two pieces of advice took the stress out, and I found it much easier, and less nerve-wracking than I expected.

Finally, we reached the Moss Garden, where we ate our packed lunch. (While others had sandwiches, my gf lunch was a salad bowl with dressing and no cutlery. Oh well, fingers were made before … I managed to eat my lunch perfectly well!) Moss Garden was like a little oasis. Here, a small waterfall cascades over the sandstone ledge, with a clear pool below. There are gorgeous rocks, water-carved boulders, and a variety of ferns, mosses, and liverworts. It was a worthy destination for our effort!

On the way back, Len and I brought up the rear with Michelle, and she treated us to the sight of Striated Pardelotes flying out of burrows at the side of the path. We’d not seen that before. And that generated a little discussion about snakes, goannas and pardelote burrows. She also pointed out a goanna (lace monitor) track on the path we were walking.

Then it was on to Roma

From here we had a 3-hour drive to Roma. We passed through Injune (which apparently resulted from someone misspelling the creek name Injohn as Injune!) It has a population of 400. We drove past native cypress pine stands for which a sawmill still operates in Injune. We drove back over the Great Dividing Range to be on the west side and back into the Murray-Darling catchment.

We arrived at Roma soon after 5pm, and for the first time in over a week, Len and I were able to dine at the communal tables. How lovely that was to be part of the group, again. We dined with the UK couple, a couple from Tamworth, and a single woman from Adelaide – all friendly, interesting people.

Today’s images