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Tues 3 Aug to Fri 6 Aug.
There was no need to rush the morning we left Springsure as one could not move into Takarakka Bush Resort until 12 o'clock.We did not get far down the track when Warren realized that the brakes on the van were not working and as we had a couple of steep ranges to cross, we started to panic. We came to a very steep decline so we pulled off the side of the road & Warren got his gadget out to see weather or not we had a short in the wiring system, well after about 10min and a few expletives it suddenly dawned on him that one of the controls on the gismo under the dash may have been knocked and sure enough that was what had happened, thank goodness nothing major.On our way again, we reached Takarakka just after lunch, the road in was not in the best condition but it was reasonably short (14KS) compared to the other dirt tracks we have been on recently.We had previously booked into the resort or should I say bush camp because it in no way does it resemble a resort, & if you intend to do this trip I would recommend that you pre-book as the park is chock-a-block most of the time especially this time of year.Tuesday afternoon one of the resident Rangers gave the new arrivals a run down on what to expect to see & do while at Carnarvon Gorge. He talked for over and hour and he never came up for breath but I have to say that he was very interesting and most informative; he has been a Ranger in this park for 12 years so he really does know what he is talking about.The same evening another one of the Rangers showed a set of slides with fauna and flora one might expect to see on the Gorge walks; it was put on mostly for the benefit of a busload of school kids who were camped at the Resort. Tuesday was a very cold night, the coldest it's been on the trip; I had to break out the bed socks, my granny PJ's and an extra blanket.
Wednesday morning after a sluggish start (it was still very cold) we got to the Rangers Station at about 10 o'clock, picked up a map and hit the trail.The plan was to walk as far as we could and see as much as we possibly could that day as we did not intend to come back the following day and repeat it all over again. To start with the walk from the car park to the Rangers station is 350m and then another 2.8ks to the first detour.By that stage you haven't seen anything except for a lot of amazing bushland and creek crossings.What was suggested to us was to walk along the main track which crosses Carnarvon Creek many times (we crossed the creek 9 times on the way in) to the most furtherest part of the Gorge before turning around and then detour off the main track to all the different sights on the way back.So we walked and walked and walked until we come to the detour to the Art Gallery which is 5.4 km one way from the Rangers Station the last 300m is all uphill.In the Art Gallery there are over 2000 engravings, ochre stencils and freehand paintings covering the 6.2 m long sandstone wall of this Aboriginal site, how very spectacular and sacred it was. We had lunch at the Art Gallery soaking up the culture, from there we walked back passing Wards Canyon.We made a decision not to climb up the steep incline into the Canyon, although it was only 250m in from the main track. Warren's knees were already grinding and my sciatica was giving me trouble also.Apparently it was most spectacular; the rare King Ferns flourish only in a tiny pocket of remnant rainforest in this small beautiful side-gorge which then winds around a small waterfall.The next attraction was the Amphitheatre which is 630m off the main walking track with a slightly uphill grade to reach the site.Hidden inside the walls of the Amphitheatre is a 60m deep chamber, gorged from the sand stone rock by running water. Access to the Amphitheatre is via a four tiered ladder (if you don't like heights, then forget it). I must say that it was the most spectacular site that we visited that day, truly unforgettable.Our next detour was The Moss Gardens which is 650m off the main walking track which was quite steep in sections as well.Water drips constantly from the sand stone walls of the Moss Gardens, supporting a lush carpet of mosses & ferns.Beneath the tree ferns a small waterfall flows into a rocky crystal clear pool. It's timeless, it's what you imagine the Garden of Eden would have looked like, and it takes you back to another time & place. Once we reached the main track again it was only 2.8ks back to the Rangers Station and another 350m back to our car, but that last 3+ks felt like 10ks, we just dragged ourselves back and by the time we reached the car we were both utterly exhausted.In total we walked close to 14ks and it took us 6 hours, and if it wasn't for the TENS machine that I had attached to my right hip I don't think I would have made it. Mind you we did not walk to the very end of the main track before turning around.That walk taking in all the sites is 22ks long,I think we did good for a couple of seniors citizens, hey.
The following day we decided to take it easy, we were rather sore & sorry for ourselves.However we did muster up enough strength to go for a walk in the arvo around the Resort & down to Carnarvon Creek just to get the stiffness out of our legs, nothing too exhausting though.On Friday we went for a couple of short walks, first to the Rock Pools and then to Warrumbah Creek Gorge.When one enters this Gorge, which by the way has no established path for the last 100m or so, it's like being thrown back in time into this beautiful mossy, ferny paradise.It is so hard to describe, these little pockets of the Gorge have never changed in thousands of years, they remain so pristine and untouched and unbelievably beautiful, hopefully they will stay that way forever. And so we racked up another 5ks on this walk. So now we have many beautiful scenes implanted in our memory banks from everything we have seen & done, and a few hundred photos too of course. Even although we realize that we did overdo it on the first day, I don't think I could have gone back the second day to do the things we missed.The people in the van behind us, who are at least 10 years older than us, went out walking 3 days in a row.The first day they walked the whole track all the way to Big Bend with one detour to Cathedral Cave which is a massive wind-eroded overhang where the aboriginals used as shelter for thousands of years. That was a 20k round trip, and then the next day they did the same walk that we did (14ks) and on the third day they walked another 7ks to the Rock Pool and all the other walks in the area.They really put us to shame; they just had so much energy.
Well I told you that this would be our Grand Finale, and so it has been.I think that we saved the best till last.From here we will slowly make our way back home, we want to find a nice quiet spot somewhere on a creek or river bank and veg out for a few days before returning to the routine of normal everyday life.I hope you have all enjoyed our circumnavigation of Qld as much as we have. We have seen and done so many wonderful things in the last 7 weeks, and the three things that I enjoyed the most were, The Lava Tubes, Lawn Hill & Riversleigh, and of course my favourite Carnarvon Gorge.We have been waiting a long tome to do all three, and now that we have, all we have is memories and photos to prove that we have been there. We are looking forward to seeing our little Heidi again, she probably won't be talking to us when we get home, we have never left her this long before.Thanks to Chris & Rob for being Mummy & Daddy to her.We hope that this finds you all well and happy.Love to all our family and friends, we love you all dearly and miss you very much. We cannot wait to see you all again.So until we meet again, all our love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Carol & Warren/Mum & Dad xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
P.S. Arrived Moura today, sitting beside the Dawson river having a wine or two.Warren put the yabby pots in so hopefully we will catch a few, if not we will move on to another spot and try our luck.We should be home by next weekend all going well XXXXXXXXXXX Carol
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