Carnarvon Gorge.

So......this time last week we woke up at Takarakka for our first day in Carnarvon Gorge. The Noisy Friar birds were living up to their name. We were up about 7.00 am and had a sausage breakfast. Limpy emerged from his tent and looking at the sky said "Well, you brought the weather with you." It was a clear blue sky. We set off walking from the Visitor Centre by about 8.30 am.

We had overheard a guide at Takarakka the previous day saying that 95% of visitors walk to 'The Art Gallery' first and then visit the other places on their way back. We decided to do the opposite. On the walk we had to cross Carnarvon Creek many times but there were conveniently placed stepping stones at all the crossings. The sides of the Gorge towered above us as we headed into it. You couldn't help but keep looking up....and it reminded me of my first time in New York.....the looking up, that is. Our first detour off the main path was 'The Moss Garden'. It was an area of a side gorge with a small waterfall and a mossy wall onto which water dripped from above. We had it to ourselves for a few moments before others arrived so we moved on.

Our next stop was 'The Amphitheatre'. I didn't know what to expect but what we found was amazing. The path headed to what looked like the sheer gorge wall but as we got closer there was a large metal ladder leading up to a crack in the rock wall. The crack split the cliff face from top to bottom, it was as if two sheer cliff faces had been built within feet of each other. Climbing the ladder we found ourselves in a narrow passage between the two cliffs which lead to 'The Amphitheatre'. We found ourselves at the bottom of a huge oval shaped hole in the ground above. It was incredible and we had it all to ourselves for a few moments before some children arrived, whooping and hollering and cooo-eee ing so we left before I throttled them.

We passed 'Wards Canyon' and headed straight to 'The Art Gallery'. A sign at the entrance said that it was a sacred Aboriginal place where ancestors had been buried and we were to treat it as if it were any other graveyard. We walked in to find quite a lot of people sat on the benches provided having their lunch. Do you always search out a graveyard for your picnic lunch?

On the cliff wall, protected by a slight overhang was Aboriginal drawings, carvings and paintings. There were stencil drawings of hands and boomerangs, shells and lots of oval shaped carvings which looked like and turned out to be representations of vulvas.....I wondered how the picnickers explained that to their children nibbling on tuna sandwiches. The paintings and carvings told of the history of the Aboriginal people in that area but it was not as story I found easy to read. We didn't hang around too long, put off by the many people around us chattering loudly.

We found a quiet spot away from the path by the Creek to have our lunch. Will wanted to head back along by the river until we found the path again but I wanted to just get back on the path. As I made my way back to the path I almost stepped on a snake lying in the sun. I thought they were supposed to move away when they saw you coming.....this one didn't it just sat there. It was a good job I saw it, one more step and I would have trod right on it.

"Well spotted," said Will. I thought you didn't see snakes in Winter.....it was a bit worrying.

We headed back to 'Wards Canyon', a narrow side gorge higher up on the side of the main gorge. Here were King Ferns and apparently this gorge was the only place they are found away from the coast in the whole of Queensland. The gorge was named after the Ward Brothers who, after wondering what they would grow up to be, decided to become Possum Hunters. How brave they must have been. How the people must have looked on in awe as they passed by with their Possum whackers.

We headed back out of the gorge but took the path up to Boolimba Bluff. We could see the where we were headed but wondered how we were going to get up there......we soon found out.......it was a steep climb up a gully but the view at the top was wonderful and well worth the climb.

Back at Takarakka we were pestered by Apostle birds eager for our crisps. We had early showers and then explored the resort, walking up to the 'Lookout' to see the sun go down. We walked to the Platypus pool and found others waiting in the dusk for the platypus to emerge.....we did eventually see one swimming along the bank on the far side.

Back at the tent I showed Limpy my snake picture, Todd's son Samuel wanted to see too and got out his reptile book and we decided it was an Eastern Brown Snake.....they are deadly! Samuel then brought over his camera and was showing me all the things he had taken pictures of, feral pigs, baby red-bellied black snakes, echidnas, fish (his camera was waterproof)....he was a real budding naturalist.

We ate tea looking at Venus and Jupiter shining brightly in the sky and were in bed by 7.30 pm.

Limpy and Nick woke me up talking loudly and brushing their teeth then it sounded like someone was arriving pulling a caravan which rumbled and rattled around the park.....I looked at the clock and it was midnight.......I was looking forward to getting to the peace and quiet of 'Big Bend' tomorrow.....but was also a bit concerned after meeting the snake. I eventually got to sleep.