Author: Mr A
Location: Carnarvon Gorge, Qld Highlands
The dawn broke over this spectacular landscape, and after a quick cuppa (of course), we were off and at ’em. It was only a short drive to the trail head and we were walking by 7.30 am, determined to do most of our hike in the cool of the early to mid morning.
We had decided to repeat the walk we did when we came here years ago, the “recommended” medium distance hike of 14.5km (9 miles) which took in several of the major sites in the Gorge. We were pleased to be ahead of the crowds, we remembered on our last trip it was pretty frenetic. This time there were very few people around, and the sounds of the birds and the water cascading over the rocks the only noises to break the early morning stillness.
We hopped over the first water crossings, the views down the watercourse with the sandstone walls towering imposingly in the background were amazing. This is a special place, and we’re so glad it is being looked after well.
We briskly hiked up as far as what’s called the Art Gallery.
A spectacular display of aboriginal stencil art dating back to…well take your pick really…the estimates vary here but these have been carbon dated back twenty thousand years at least. The initial simplicity of the paintings belies the complexity of the messages they contain, would be my summary. The information boards tell a sketchy story of what the art work would mean to those who painted it, and the countless generations of aboriginals who came after. It’s such a spine tingling experience standing looking at artwork that predates almost any other in the world.
The gorge shows signs of habitation for over 20,000 years, quite “recent” compared to the 50,000 year dating of artefacts such as the axe head found in Arnhem Land and recently dated using a range of new techniques that have ever increasing reliability. If you’re interested in this field then sign up for the free newsletter “SAPIENS”, which has all the latest anthropological research and discoveries in it.
We started to retrace our steps back down the gorge and then took another side path to Ward’s Canyon named after a couple of brothers who were possum hunters and used the gorge to base themselves in. Guess their surname… this cool gorge contains central Queensland’s last stand of King Ferns.
From here, we continued back to another diversion, taking us to what’s called the Amphitheatre. You need to climb up some ladders into a narrow cave, which then widens out into this massive…well..natural amphitheatre. We were the only people in there and the brooding silence off the massive walls was quite something.
We enjoyed lunch on the banks of Carnarvon Creek before continuing back.
So back at the car, with legs feeling the kilometres and 35 flights of stairs equaivelent, I realised I was not hiking fit!
Mrs A soon put a spring back in our stride with mixing some damper dough which I then baked in the Weber. Then it was Thai chicken green curry, still with so many fresh veg that we had brought in Bundaberg.
We slept well after watching the moon rise over the landscape…just magical.
Miss Tassie jumped out of the car enthusiastic for an explore, but was quickly scared back into the caravan by a pair of yapping dogs in the van behind us. She chose not to come out again.
The owner of aforementioned dogs came over to apologise and explain that his fur children lived with cats and were not threatening Tassie, just saying hello. They were holidaying at this spot for 10 days. One night was more than enough for us – while at face value the riverside camp looked pretty enough, the road trains thundering just metres away along the highway from 4am onwards were not ideal.
We selected a spot with no nearby neighbours and plenty of views, and got settled in. Miss Tassie had a good look around and gave it her tick of approval before retiring to bed.
At 4.30pm there was a talk by a local expert about the gorge’s history and the wildlife we can expect to see. There are extensive examples of Aboriginal spray painting artwork here, much of which has been dated back 20,000 years. We are looking forward to seeing that. It was a great talk, and we’re feeling extra enthusiastic about our hike in the morning.
It was haircut time for me and with some trepidation I walked into the “Hair Dinkum” salon where “no appointments needed”. For the bargain price of $22’s I was shorn and sent on my way 10 minutes later. Catherine didn’t laugh too hard when she saw me so I took that as a good sign.
We parked on his manicured lawn with a view right across the Burnett river. We had power and water if we needed it. There is access to toilets and showers in their guest house. Colin and his wife have created this resort style facility where they host weddings, as well as offering holiday accommodation in a villa.
We were up as the dawn broke to head off in a double kayak that is put at the disposal of campers – no extra charge. We pushed off into the Burnett river and headed down a small tributary where Colin said we might see platypus. 
Well we didn’t see them but we did a multitude of water dragons, looking pretty silly as they do bobbing along on their stumpy legs, then a bright blue azure kingfisher darted in front of us and landed on a branch with one eye on his next breakfast morsel and one eye on us. An Eastern Great Egret stood regally admiring his kingdom, what a majestic bird.
As for the platypus, well we saw plenty of bubbles that we imagined was them rooting around in the mud, as they do, but not a glimpse for us. We were happy with the other wildlife on display in this beautiful river.
Even our Burmese princess gave the place a big paws up.
We diverted off the highway to check out Boolboonda Tunnell, all 192 metres of it – and its claim to fame twofold. Its the longest unsupported tunnel in Australia, and its home to a massive bat colony. Wandering through it was pretty smelly, and those bats were going crazy flying around our heads.
We stopped for lunch at a rest area and Tas just couldn’t wait to get out and start bounding around again. What a little energiser cat she is turning into! By late afternoon we found another rest area to camp at just as we turned onto the Barnett Highway, good old WikiCamps. Again Tas was straight out the car and exploring,
The tide goes out a long way, leaving mirror-like reflections across the sand, and a surreal feeling you are walking amongst the clouds. We walked barefoot, splashing through the warm waters at the edge. For the most part, there was not another person on the beach.
There were many little blue swimmer crabs, most of which ran in their dozens for cover when they spotted us coming, burying themselves in the soft sand. And birds, huge flocks of cormorants, terns and gulls, resting on the sandbanks. In the distance we could see four whistling kites, two of which were constantly fighting and swooping – probably juveniles, jostling for top spot.
We reached the mouth of Theodolite Creek, wishing we had our Packrafts to allow us to cross, but instead enjoyed the peaceful ambience a while, before ambling back to camp, into a headwind this time, a little harder going.
Mr A got talking to a local resident, an elderly man who had purchased his dream retirement home on an estate here. Our exploration of Woodgate had revealed there are no shops – just the pub where we are staying and a cafe and takeaway near the caravan park.
We paddled upstream, feeling like we were on a treadmill, constantly battling the outgoing tide. Once we had reached a particularly shallow area full of stingrays speeding along just under the water’s surface, we decided to just roll with it, and put our feet up and let the current take us back. There’s not much more relaxing than that – an extremely meditative experience of just watching shapes in the clouds, drifting with the stream.
Mainly holiday rentals and a caravan park, the river was pretty broad and would have been fun to explore if we had our big kayak with us. The brisk southerly that had blown up meant getting the packrafts out would have been a struggle.
After a lovely salad for lunch, it was time for a read for me, quickly followed by a nap, I’d had another 5am wake up this morning.
There are some pretty swanky houses here, a mix of holiday rentals and retirees we would guess by the demographic of the residents we saw.
Just over 10km. under our belts, Ms Tasmania decided to take a pre-dinner stroll – returning at full gallop to the “safe Zone” once the magpies and minor birds had spotted her and let their feelings known shouting “Cat! Cat! Cat!” (or so it sounds like to us!).
For dinner we decided to test out the pub’s very predictable menu. We shared a plate of oysters. I asked where they were from which threw the kitchen into a hubub – apparently no one has asked that before. For main Mrs A had a nicely done Red Emperor with chips and salad, and I had the locally caught Barra. Very nice…even though the pub has all the atmosphere of a bus shelter. Nothing unusual about that of course – situation normal in Australia.
We chose an interesting wine from the Eden Valley, absolutely delicious, and recommended by our sommelier who clearly knew her stuff. The Alejandro Saperavi was initially fruity on the palate but had a lovely dry finish, complimenting our menu choices perfectly.
Our food commmenced with bite sized steamed buns containing fried chicken, sriracha mayonnaise and pickles, followed by a shared dish of fresh locally caught snapper with beetroot, apple, raddish, smoked almonds and pork scratching. Finally we shared a small portion of sticky beef short ribs with coconut and ginger caramel. All this came with two sides – triple cooked fat cut chips with a rosemary aoli and pan fried broccoli topped with chilli, garlic and anchovy oil. All dairy-free! Delicious, every bite.
It was a little window into life in Hervey Bay. It’s an economy based on whale watching tourism, although the biggest employment sector is healthcare. Perhaps this is reflective of what seems to be an older demographic. The town is experiencing a significant population boom, and is one of the top 10 fastest growing areas in Australia. Let’s hope there are jobs for those who want them.
The rest of the day was spent pottering along the bay on our bikes, and a little siesta went down a treat. We are really enjoying the quiet pace of life in this friendly little town.
An off-road cycleway follows the coast for several kilometres, commencing at Urandangi Pier to the south and leading to Point Vernon in the north. We’re staying in a suburb called Torquay (now where have I heard that name before?!) so we started there and headed north. It’s the first time in a long while (since South Australia) that we have seen flat water along the coast, the islands and reefs offshore calming the waves. The beaches are pristine and empty – it’s like a little paradise, a long way from the Hervey Bay I remember. I first visited this town 19 years ago as a backpacker – it has changed substantially since then, becoming more of a destination in its own right than just a hopping off point for Fraser Island.
The pathway winds its way along the coast through picturesque scenery, through parklands and bush, along cliff tops and past mangroves. We had a small diversion to a bike shop on our way so Mr A could check out a strange clicking sound on his bike. The bearings had worn down and needed replacing. He later found someone to do the job on the spot for $55, for a 45 minute job. Certainly not Sydney prices!
The expensive part of the day came later in the afternoon – our faulty plug and under-spec wiring in the car was replaced, we had to purchase three new batteries for the caravan (replacing the ones which had been damaged and no longer held a full charge), and a 160 watt portable solar panel…more than $2k in total spent – gulp! At least we are back on track again for getting off the grid without sleepless nights worrying whether our fridge will still be running in the morning.
A guy bounded out and with my city hat on, I wondered what we had done wrong. But no – he had come to check we had enjoyed our stay on their free RV camp. He owned an adjoining property and was himself building an RV park on his other property just outside of town. We chatted about the likely demand, and what customers are likely to be looking for. I am so enjoying this different pace of life in the country where strangers are still willing, and have the time, to talk to one another.
Then after some hectic calling around to determine a supplier to help us with some battery charging issues, we headed for Battery World in Hervey Bay, a relatively short drive down the busy Bruce Highway.
We were promptly met outside by a very polite technician who started to diagnose what was going on. I’m in no position to assess anyone’s technical skills but I can see when someone is clearly sincere about trying to help customers. That was Dan. Then the girls in the shop were just as helpful, one of whom even gave Catherine a lift to a hair appointment she was running late for. Finally we met one of the franchise owners Dave, who picked up where Dan had kicked off and soon had the issues isolated.
Lunch enjoyed, we picked up a few other supplies in town before heading back to Kenilworth, hitching up and saying goodbye to our fellow Zoners.
Bauple is the ancestral home of the macadamia nut, discovered thousands of years ago by local aboriginals. There is a little museum here, a petrol station and free wifi for the residents between 9am and 12pm. There are even clean toilets for campers open beside the museum, complete with green tree frog!
It’s extremely peaceful and Miss Tassie enjoyed a d.o.g free stroll around the area during the afternoon. We camped for free in the RV rest area with a lovely view across the park towards the hills in the distance, not another soul seen.
