The bushwalk to the Big Bend Walkers Camp at the end of Carnarvon Gorge is pretty impressive – but add all of the seven side-tracks and it becomes one of the best bushwalks in Australia. Well, one of the best I’ve done – and definitely on par with many of the more popular and better-known Australian bushwalks. Shaded glens, narrow canyons and two incredible displays of Aboriginal rock art are all within easy reach of the main Carnarvon Gorge walking track. Although it makes for a long day, an early starts means you can explore the many features of Carnarvon Gorge without anyone else around.
The Carnarvon Gorge bushwalk starts near the Visitor Centre at the end of Carnarvon Gorge Road, and soon crosses Carnarvon Creek via a set of stepping stones. It’s the first of 17 creek crossings, as the walking trail makes its way up the main gorge.
The well-constructed Main Gorge Track continues above the creek, through eucalypt and angophora dominated woodland. Palm trees are a common site – the Carnarvon fan palm is found only in this region and is one of the few palm species native to inland Australia.
I soon reach the junction with the track up to Boolimba Bluff – but being the longest of the side-trips I’m leaving this until last (if I have enough time and energy left) – this is more typically done as a separate trip.
Moss Gorge
The next junction is the side-track is to Moss Gorge, which crosses Carnarvon Creek as it heads away from the main track.
The track climbs fairly gently up the side gully.
As the gully narrows, the vegetation changes to semi-rainforest, with giant strangler figs and many different types of ferns.
At the end of the trail is a raised platform in the middle of the narrow gorge. The creek tumbles over a sandstone ledge into a shallow pool, fed by rainwater that is soaked up during the wet season and slowly released throughout the year. It’s several degrees cooler here, and a very tranquil spot for a short break.
Once back on the Main Track there’s Creek Crossing Number 2, where I pass a swamp wallaby.
After another 500m there’s Creek Crossing 3… Carnarvon Creek flows year-round and is a very reliable source of water – it’s only known to have stopped twice since records commenced – and in Spring the water is only ankle deep. The stepping stones at every crossing mean you never get wet feet. Unless of course you slip and fall in… But in Autumn after the Wet Season the crossings may be a little trickier.
The Amphitheatre
This side-track to The Amphitheatre crosses Carnarvon Creek (these are bonus crossings which are in addition to the 17 crossings made by the Main Track – just in case you’re counting).
The entrance to The Amphitheatre soon comes into view – a steel ladder that leads to what seems to be a narrow crack in the cliffs.
It’s hard to capture the grandeur and enormity of The Amphitheatre in a photograph: the narrow slot opens to a huge chamber, with towering 60-metre high sandstone walls on all sides, and a dense patch of ferns in the middle. It’s considered one of the most dramatic features of Carnarvon Gorge, and definitely worth a visit.
Once back on the Carnarvon Gorge Main Track it’s back across the creek again a couple of times (Crossing 4 and 5), and a section of casuarina trees that’s slightly different vegetation.
Wards Canyon
It’s only just over a kilometre until the start of the next side-track, which goes up to Wards Canyon. It’s a short trail but the steepest one so far, as the trail follows Wards Canyon – or Angiopteris Ravine after the name of a large fern – up along a small creek and waterfall.
The Wards Canyon Walk ends in a large, shaded and cool overhang with ferns at both ends.
At the far end of Wards Canyon is a grove of King Ferns (Angiopteris evecta) – the world’s largest living fern which has links with the ancient flora of Gondwanan origin, and the only inland location of these ferns in Australia.
There’s one more Carnarvon Creek crossing (Number 6) over the next kilometre of the Main Track – and some nice views of the escarpment above.
Art Gallery Walk
It’s another fairly short side-track up to the spectacular Art Gallery rock art site, past a few rock formations and up a through a slot between two boulders.
The Art Gallery is a 62m-long sandstone wall featuring 2,000 Aboriginal rock art motifs including ochre stencils and free-hand paintings and described as “one of Australia’s finest examples of stencil art”.
A timber walkway runs along the base of the sandstone wall, with interpretative signage explaining some of the more unusual figures.
This area can get a little busy – it’s as far as many people walk, before they head back. It’s also about halfway to the Big Bend Walkers Camp at the end of the Main Track, with another 4km before the next attraction. There are another six (or maybe it’s seven) creek crossing as I continue along the Main Track.
After Creek Crossing 12 there’s a particularly scenic section of Carnarvon Creek, where the tall cliffs of Carnarvon Gorge tower of a deep pool along the creek (no swimming is allowed along the creek within the gorge).
After this there are another two creek crossings before Cathedral Cave is reached.
Cathedral Cave
Arguably even more spectacular than the Art Gallery, Cathedral Cave is an immense overhang that was used as by the Aboriginal people as an occupation shelter and burial site. (The Art Gallery site has more motifs, but the Cathedral Cave has a more extensive area of rock art sites and is a far bigger shelter.)
Cathedral Cave has over 1,500 Aboriginal rock art figures including stencils, paintings and engravings.
Boowindra Gorge and the Carnarvon Great Walk
Less than a hundred metres after the Cathedral Cave is the junction with the track into Boowinda Gorge – which is also the route you take if doing the Carnarvon Great Walk. The start of the gorge soon comes into view, and the trail turns into what Parks Queensland calls a “cobbled carpet”. Which really means you’re walking on a bed of loose rocks, which makes progress a bit slower than the Main Track.
The passage gradually gets narrower, and the walls of the gorge that have been sculpted and smoothed by water become more picturesque.
It’s a few degrees cooler within Boowinda Gorge, which is a pleasant change as the day is now getting warm.
The gorge continues for over a kilometre, before it starts to open up and become a wide gully. (While it’s worth the detour if you’ve come this far, the shorter and more accessible Mickey Creek Gorge and Warrumbah Gorge are more spectacular.)
At the end of Boowinda Gorge, orange triangles mark the track up to Battleship Spur.
It’s a steep track with footholds cut into some of the rock slabs, and a few tree roots to hang onto… I only go a couple of hundred metres before turning back. I’d considered making Battleship Spur my destination, but it’s another 6.5km return with 500m elevation gain making it a really long day-trip. A smarter plan would have been to camp at Big Bend, and then do Battleship Spur on the second day, before heading back.
After re-tracing my steps back to the Carnarvon Gorge Main Track, there’s two last Carnarvon Creek crossings (that would be 16 and 17) before the of the track!
Big Bend Walkers Camp
Although Carnarvon Gorge continues a bit further (it’s around 30km long in total), the trail ends at the Big Bend Walkers Camp, which is on a picturesque bend in Carnarvon Creek. The sheer vertical cliff towers above a series of pools along the creek, making it a very picturesque spot.
There’s one other person here, who like me is doing Carnarvon Gorge as a day-walk. On the way back I meet one couple who are camping at Big Bend. I had expected the campsite to be full, so I’m surprised that in late September there are so few people around. I’m not in a rush to get back, so I find a quiet spot just off the track to have a break, before my return leg.
It’s a pretty quick trip back down Carnarvon Gorge, as I’ve done almost all the side-trips on the way up. There’s almost no-one on the track, so if you want to avoid the crowds either start early – or finish late!
Boolimba Bluff
I’ve got plenty of time left for the longest of the Carnarvon Gorge side-trips, which is up to Boolimba Bluff. (This adds about 4.5km as a side-trip, or it’s more commonly done as a separate 6.4km return walk from the Visitor Centre.)
The track ascends for the first 500m through tall eucalypt forest.
It then levels out, as it follows a contour below the cliffs of Boolimba Bluff.
About a kilometre from the start of the track is the steepest part, as the trail heads straight up a slot in the cliff line. There are several steel ladders and 300 stone steps on the steep climb up.
The last section of this track is level again, as it heads towards the end of Boolimba Bluff, passing the junction with the Carnarvon Great Walk track (which heads towards the Cabbage Tree camping area, another 12km further).
Boolimba Bluff has a couple of fenced lookouts along the top of the escarpment, with views over the Carnarvon Gorge and sweeping vistas from the “roof of Queensland”. You can see out to the Expedition Range and Clematis Ridge. The common advice is that it’s best to visit at sunrise, but both dawn and dusk are equally good times to visit.
I linger for a while, enjoying the view… but I’m getting a bit hungry and there’s an hour to go before sunset, so I gradually head back down.
There’s nice late afternoon light as I complete the last kilometre of the Main Track back to the end.
Nature Trail
Just before reaching the end of the Carnarvon Gorge Main Track, I turn onto the Nature Trail which offers a slightly longer but picturesque option for completing the gorge walk.
The Nature Trail follows Carnarvon Creek for most of its length, and is one of the best places to spot a platypus (or turtle) – although I don’t see any. It’s still a very pleasant way to end what’s been a long but very enjoyable bushwalk.
The Nature Trail finishes at the back of the Carnarvon National Park camping ground, where the smell of sausages and steaks being barbecued spurs me on to the car, and the very short drive back to my cabin at the BIG4 Breeze Holiday Park.
0.0km Start of Carnarvon Gorge Main Track
1.2km Junction with Boolimba Bluff trail
2.8km Junction with Moss Gorge trail
Moss Gorge - 650m one-way
5.0km Junction with Amphitheatre trail
The Amphitheatre - 400m one-way
6.2km Junction with Wards Canyon trail
Wards Canyon Walk - 300m one-way
7.6km Junction with Art Gallery trail
Art Gallery Walk - 350m one-way
12.2km Cathedral Cave
12.4km Junction with Boowinda Gorge (Carnarvon Great Walk)
Boowinda Gorge - 1-3km return / 9km return to Battleship Spur
16.1km Big Bend Walkers Camp
24.9km Junction with Boolimba Bluff track (4.7km return)
27.2km Boolimba Bluff
29.6km Back on Main Track
30.6km Turn onto Nature Trail
31.7km Carnarvon National Park camping ground
31.9km Carnarvon Gorge Road / main carpark
The many Carnarvon Gorge bushwalking options!
The distances above are “as walked” and are slightly longer (and more realistic) than the distances shown on the map. You can split up this long bushwalk through Carnarvon Gorge over a couple of days, doing Boolimba Spur as separate walk. Alternatively, go as far as the Art Gallery site (about 14km return with all the side-trips along the way) and then do Mickey Creek Gorge & Warrumbah Gorge (about 4km return) and Boolimba Bluff (6.4km return) as separate walks.
If you camp at Big Bend Walkers Camp you can add the walk up to Battleship Spur (bring a smaller backpack for this) at the end of Day 1 or the start of Day 2. As the campground is next to the reliable Carnavon Creek, you won’t need to carry any water (it’s recommended you treat/filter the water from the creek).
Getting to the Main Gorge Track at Carnarvon Gorge
The Carnarvon Gorge Main Track starts in the Carnarvon Gorge visitor area, which is 5.9km by road from the entrance to the park. Carnarvon National Park is about 240km (3 hours) from Emerald, which is the nearest airport, via Injune and Rolleston. All roads are seaked and suitable for all vehicles.
More information
Exploring Carnarvon National Park has a summary of all the bushwalks in the park, including the Carnarvon Gorge and Mount Moffatt sections.
- Parks Queensland – Main gorge track / Carnarvon Gorge Map [PDF]
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