Carnarvon National Park

223,000ha.

The Carnarvon National Park, first designated as a reserve in 1932, is one of the most important national parks in Australia. The area was discovered in 1844 by Ludwig Leichhardt, who called it Ruined Castle Valley. The original park was later enlarged by the addition of the Salvator Rosa area (to the west), with eroded sandstone pinnacles, and the wilderness area of Ka Ka Mundi, with Mount Moffatt (an arid region with isolated sandstone cliffs and Aboriginal sites; Kenniff Cave). These areas are wild and without any tourist facilities - for experienced bush walkers only.

The most interesting feature is the 30km long Carnarvon Gorge, with sheer sandstone walls rising to heights of up to 200m. In the main gorge, with a perennial flow of water, there are tall trees (eucalyptuses, casuarinas, palms). The park has an extraordinarily rich fauna: no fewer than 172 species of birds and 28 species of mammals have been recorded. The hills in the park are part of Queensland's central sandstone belt. Thanks to the permeability of the sandstone rainwater feeds the large Artesian Basin in the interior. Bathing is possible in some of the rivers. A network of walking trails leads from the camping ground at the downstream end of the park to all the features of interest, crossing the river several times. The complete route takes a full day to cover. The high spots are the extraordinary natural beauties to be seen in Moss Gardens (with a waterfall which plunges down in several steps), the Amphitheater, Ward's Canyon and the Art Gallery, the most accessible of the caves with Aboriginal rock paintings (including some in the 'stencil' technique). From the Kenniff Lookout on Mount Moffatt there are spectacular views of the gorges on the Consuelo tableland.