Carnarvon Gorge facts for kids
Carnarvon Gorge is a truly amazing place in Central Queensland, Australia. It's about 593 kilometers northwest of Brisbane. Imagine a giant crack in the earth, around 30 kilometers long and 600 meters deep at its entrance! This incredible gorge was mostly carved out by water over millions of years. It's the most popular spot within Carnarvon National Park because it offers so many different things to see and do, and it's easy to get to. The towns closest to this natural wonder are Injune and Rolleston.
In 2009, Carnarvon Gorge was celebrated as one of Queensland's "Q150 Icons" for being such a special natural attraction.
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A Journey Through Time: Carnarvon Gorge's Past
Long ago, Aboriginal people had a deep connection to Carnarvon Gorge. Their ancient stories, known as dreamtime stories, tell of the Rainbow Serpent creating these gorges. They believed this powerful spirit still lives in the permanent waterholes today. For Aboriginal people, the gorge was a very sacred place.
The first European explorer to come close to the area was Ludwig Leichhardt in 1844. He noticed the mountain ranges nearby. Two years later, Thomas Mitchell passed to the west and named the Carnarvon Range. This name might have come from Henry Herbert, 3rd Earl of Carnarvon. Reports of good land and water brought new settlers to the area. This led to difficult times and big changes for the Aboriginal people.
By the late 1870s, many Aboriginal people sought safety on properties run by kind settlers. In later years, many were sadly moved from their traditional lands to government or church-run places. This period was very hard for their culture and way of life.
Today, cattle farming and growing crops are still important industries around Carnarvon Gorge. However, since 1932, when the gorge became a National Park, these activities are no longer allowed inside the gorge itself. In 1974, the Ka Ka Mundi area, which had been used for grazing for about a century, also became part of the park. Instead of grazing, a thriving tourism industry has grown. More than 70,000 visitors come to Carnarvon Gorge every year to explore its beauty.
Exploring the Wonders of Carnarvon Gorge
The first ten kilometers of Carnarvon Gorge are packed with amazing sights. You can see important Aboriginal cultural sites with ancient rock art. There are also narrow sandstone canyons, towering sandstone cliffs, flat-topped mountains, and lush rainforest areas. It's like a treasure chest of nature and history!
Popular Tracks and Sites to Discover
A main 10-kilometer track leads into Carnarvon Gorge. From this track, you can take detours to special places like the Art Gallery, Big Bend, Wards Canyon, Cathedral Cave, the Amphitheatre, and the Moss Garden. Near the entrance of the gorge, there are five more sites to explore: Boolimba Bluff, the Nature Trail, the Rockpool, Mickey Creek Gorge, and Baloon Cave (which was closed due to bushfire damage in December 2018). For very experienced hikers, there are also remote tracks like the Ranch, the Devil's Signpost, and Battleship Spur.
How Carnarvon Gorge Was Formed: Rocks and Landscapes
Carnarvon Gorge is located in the Central Queensland Sandstone Belt. It sits between the Consuelo Tableland and the Great Dividing Range. The stunning landscapes here were mostly shaped by water erosion. Over the last 27 million years, Carnarvon Creek has slowly carved its way through 600 meters of rock. This process has revealed rocks from three major periods of Queensland's geological past.
The youngest rocks are igneous basalt rocks. These were laid down between 35 and 27 million years ago, up to 300 meters thick. You can see this basalt on top of the high country on both sides of the gorge. It protects the land from erosion and creates different types of soil. Large boulders from this basalt layer are common in the gorge's waterways because they are very strong and resist water erosion.
The most visible rocks in the gorge belong to the Surat Basin. This basin holds much of Queensland's gas and oil, as well as important groundwater. The Surat Basin is part of the huge Great Artesian Basin, which creates many springs within the gorge. The oldest part of the Surat Basin is the porous Precipice Sandstone. This sandstone forms the gorge's spectacular cliffs. It's also a main area where water enters the Great Artesian Basin, making it a vital replenishment zone.
Below the Precipice Sandstone, the gorge's floor is made of the Moolayember Formation. This layer doesn't let water pass through easily. This means that water from Carnarvon Gorge's springs stays close to or above the surface. This is very important for the water supply in the gorge's ecosystems. Carnarvon Creek is a very reliable source of water. Its flow has only stopped twice since records began! During dry times, the gorge becomes a green oasis, supporting many forms of life that have disappeared from the drier areas around it.
Each type of rock in the gorge wears away differently. This creates a variety of soil types and landforms. This variety helps explain why Carnarvon Gorge is home to such a wide range of plants and animals.
Carnarvon Gorge's Unique Weather Patterns
The weather inside Carnarvon Gorge is quite different from the flatter areas surrounding it. The gorge gets more rain, averaging about 1,000 millimeters each year. Temperatures on the gorge floor are also milder. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the gorge was -2°C. However, just 5 kilometers away, temperatures can drop below -5°C!
In July, the average temperatures range from 6.3°C to 20.9°C. In January, they range from 20.5°C to 35.5°C. February is usually the wettest month, and August is the driest.
Remember that Australia's climate can be very unpredictable. For example, between October 2007 and February 2008, Carnarvon Gorge received 1,400 millimeters of rain. That's 140% of its average yearly rainfall in just a few months!
Amazing Plants of Carnarvon Gorge
Carnarvon Gorge has three main types of plant life. You'll see woodlands with eucalyptus and angophora trees. There are also mixed woodlands and forests on sandstone slopes, ridges, and cliffs, featuring eucalyptus, acacia, white cypress pine, or turpentine trees. Some areas are cleared or have new plant growth.
Four special plant communities that are "of concern" can be easily found by visitors. These include Queensland blue gum woodlands on floodplains, silver-leaved ironbark woodlands on floodplains, and tall open forests in sheltered gorges and moist areas.
Two plant species are especially famous in Carnarvon Gorge: the cycad Macrozamia moorei and the Carnarvon fan palm (Livistona nitida). The cycad is found near the ancient basalt rock flows and grows only in Central Queensland. The Carnarvon fan palm grows only near the springs and waterways of the Dawson River area, and Carnarvon Gorge is its most important home.
Some plants here grow in isolated groups or are at the edge of where they usually grow. For example, you can find a unique group of king ferns (Angiopteris evecta) in Wards Canyon. The tall Sydney blue gum (Eucalyptus saligna) also grows in the gorge's wettest spots.
Wildlife of Carnarvon Gorge
Mammals and Their Life Cycle
Carnarvon Gorge is home to many different mammals. This includes Australia's two unique monotremes: the platypus (Ornithorhyncus anatinus) and the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus).
You can also spot several types of kangaroos and wallabies, such as the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), the pretty-faced wallaby (Macropus parryi), the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor), the wallaroo or euro (Macropus robustus), the red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus), and the rufous bettong (Aepyprymnus rufescens).
Gliders: Masters of the Air
Five of Australia's seven glider species live here! These amazing creatures can glide through the air from tree to tree. They include the greater glider (Petauroides volans), the yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis), the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis), the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps), and the tiny feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus).
Birds of Carnarvon Gorge: Protecting Their Reproduction
Over 180 types of birds have been seen in the gorge. They range from the tiny weebill (Smicrornis brevirostris) to the huge wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax).
Some birds in the gorge have become used to people because they have been fed by visitors. This is against Park rules and causes problems. When birds like the laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) and the pied currawong (Strepera graculina) are fed, their populations can grow too large. Then, when fewer visitors are around in the summer, these extra birds put too much pressure on natural food sources. This can even mean they hunt the young of other bird species, affecting their reproduction and survival. It's important not to feed wildlife to keep them healthy and wild!
You might see Australian bustards (Ardeotis australis) in the farmlands near the gorge. If it's been wet, you might also spot brolgas. Birds that breed in groups, like the white-winged chough, the laughing kookaburra, and the apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea), are common near the gorge entrance.
Peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) and wedge-tailed eagles soar above the cliffs deeper in the gorge. Below them, many parrots and honeyeaters search for food in the eucalyptus trees. Closer to the ground, you might see the Australian raven (Corvus coronoides) and the pied currawong wherever you stop for a break. Along the walking tracks, smaller birds like red-browed finches (Neochmia temporalis), white-browed scrubwrens (Sericornis frontalis), and several types of thornbills live in the bushes and ground cover.
Reptiles and Amphibians: Life in the Water and on Land
More than 90 types of reptiles and 22 types of frogs live in Carnarvon National Park. The snakes you're most likely to see are the keelback (Tropidonophis mairii), the green tree snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata), and the carpet python (Morelia spilota).
The largest lizards in the gorge are the lace monitor (Varanus varius) and the sand monitor (Varanus gouldii). Among the many types of skinks, the major skink (Egernia major) is the largest and lives in a unique, isolated group here.
Common frogs include the tusked frog (Adelotus brevis) and the striped marsh frog (Limnodynastes peronii). Sadly, the introduced cane toad (Bufo Marinus) is also present. This invasive species has caused problems for native animals, like the northern quoll (Dasyurus Hallucatus), which was once thought to have disappeared from Queensland.
Freshwater turtles, such as Krefft's river turtle (Emydura krefftii) and the saw-shelled turtle (wollumbinia latisternum), are common in Carnarvon Creek. You can often see them basking in the sun on rocks and logs during the day.
Invertebrates: Tiny Creatures, Big Impact
The National Park has an incredible variety of invertebrates (animals without backbones). Several insect species and at least four types of land snails are found only within the park's boundaries.
Butterflies are a beautiful part of Carnarvon Gorge's wildlife. Large groups of common crow (Euploea core) butterflies gather in the cool, moist side gorges to spend the winter.
Carnarvon Creek is also home to many invertebrates. Many of these are the young stages of winged insects like dragonflies. If you visit Wards Canyon, you can easily watch these creatures in the clear, shallow, spring-fed stream.
Planning Your Visit to Carnarvon Gorge
The Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service has a base at Carnarvon Gorge, connected to the National Park Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre is open from 8 am to 4 pm every day and offers free Wi-Fi. The Carnarvon Gorge Day Use Area has picnic tables, toilets, and parking for cars, motorhomes, and caravans.
The Carnarvon Gorge Camping Area only opens during the Easter, Winter, and Spring Queensland School Holiday Periods. The Big Bend Camping Area is open all year round.
You can find various places to stay, including cabins, caravan and motorhome sites, and camping spots. Commercial tours of the gorge are also available.
See also
- Bunya Mountains
- List of canyons
