Carnarvon Gorge, QLD
11.0 km (4 hrs )
★★★★★

Carnarvon Gorge has been on my bucket list ever since I first saw photos of this amazing location, but at a distance of 1,300 km from Sydney, getting there was a journey in itself! You can see details of that extended trip in my Walkabouts section - Min Min Encounter. My group and I were fortunate to be able to spend a day at this fascinating location. While some sections of the gorge were closed due to the bushfires that had swept through the area just a few weeks before, we were still able to access much of the gorge and thoroughly enjoy the sights.

The hike we chose visits some of the most stunning destinations in Carnarvon Gorge - Moss Garden, Wards Canyon and the Art Gallery. The Amphitheatre was also on the list to visit, but unfortunately the track was closed due to the recent fires (a reason to come back). Most people visit this location in the cooler months of the year, but one advantage of being here in the middle of summer was that there were very few people here.

The hike begins at the visitors centre at the start of Carnarvon Gorge - an area where the Carnarvon Creek has carved a passage leaving imposing white cliffs. The track follows the creek as it winds its way through the gorge. You need to cross the creek multiple times on this hike, but convenient stepping stones make for easy crossings. The track is mostly level, making for a fairly easy, if somewhat long hike. All three of the destinations that we visited were fascinating in their own right, but combined, they make for a hike that rates as one of the best that I have done.