Carnarvon Great Walk

[numpty]

Last September we set off for Carnarvon Gorge to complete one of Queenslands Great Walks. A 2 day drive up, 6 days walking and a 2 day drive back.

It's taken me a while to post this thread :D but better late than never. It's a truly "great walk" as I'm sure anyone else who's done it will testify. 95 k's over 6 days, with designated walkers camps for overnight stops, complete with potable water at each campsite.

This post is pic heavy I'm afraid, so will post it in smaller portions.

First nights camp on the Balonne River north of St George.

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It would seem by the signs that the sheep were the ones who needed to be wary.

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Common wildlife near Carnarvon

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[numpty]

Day 1 of the walk is a relatively easy stroll up Carnarvon Ck, with a number of side trips to points of interest.

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The Creek at Big Bend

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And our first nights camp at Big Bend Walkers Camp

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[numpty]

Day 2 required a back track of 500 metres, up a side gorge, then a relatively steep and arduous (well it was for us :p) climb to Battleship Spur. A short side walk takes you to the lookout, affording fabulous views of Carnarvon Ck and its Gorge up which we had walked the day before.

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Too busy walking and huffing and puffing to take many photos today. This was for us the most strenuous day of the trip. The countryside around Gadds Walkers Camp, although recently burnt, presented some great colour and a contrast in woodland type. Mainly Wattle and Ironbark here.

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Gadds Walkers Camp. Note the water collection shelter, collecting the water which is drained into underground tanks and is then accessed via 2 hand pumps.

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Day 3

A creek crossing on the track

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Maranoa River East Branch, where we availed ourselves of a welcome bath.

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We decided not to use the walkers camp here (Maranoa East), but opted for the drive in campsite. Apart from Carnarvon Gorge itself, this is the only other place on the walk accessible by vehicle, being in the Mt Moffat section of the Park

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Day 4 and a bit of colour

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There are a lot of Cycads on this walk growing up to 6 metres tall, so consequently, a few pics were taken over the coming days

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The track is very well marked with small reflective triangles and occasionally a marker such as this one, referring to the next walkers camp being Consuello Tableland.

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I'm also fond of gnarly trees

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Consuello Tableland Camp

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[Barefoot Dave]

Numpty, thanks for those beautiful shots.
Haven't heard many first hand reports of the walk, but will add it to the list, now!
I imagine having reliable water on the route made for a much lighter pack?
Did you do any comms checks along the way? Phone, UHF etc?
Thanks, Dave.

[scarry]

Fantastic place,friends of ours did the walk about 6 months ago,it rained every day,but they loved it.

[Xtreme]

Thanks Numpty, fantastic 'graphs.
Apart from the gorge area, Balonne River looks very peaceful and my kind of campsite.

[numpty]

Don't know about a lighter pack.......I wish :p I don't seem to be able to get mine down below 18 kg's and I have carried 20 in the past. I think we carried 3 litres of water between us on each day, which was enough for drinking and lunch. Organising enough food is the biggest task and we'd cooked, dehydrated and vac packed all of our meals before leaving.

Weather was kind to us, if a bit warm on a couple of days. We also carry a Spot Messenger for reassurance of family/friends and for emergency if needed.

The Balonne River camp is a freeby not far off the main road Roger. There were a couple of caravans nearby, but as you can see, not in our view at all.

I'll post up the rest of the walk probably tomorrow.

Perry

[Xtreme]

[snip]The Balonne River camp is a freeby not far off the main road Roger. [snip]

Perry

Thanks Perry,
Would that be about 50km north of St George and 8km off the main rd?

Must include it my 'possible overnight stop overs'.

[numpty]

Thanks Perry,
Would that be about 50km north of St George and 8km off the main rd?

Must include it my 'possible overnight stop overs'.

Could be :angel:

[newhue]

Perry good on you. I have good friends who helped survey that walk and give feedback to NP's. Glad you enjoyed it.
I am bit envious though, after kids my walking days have amounted to 0 really.

I see you have the same tent as me.

[CapableCate]

Wow Perry, your shots are superb! We are planning a trip there in August, not sure what the weather will be like, but thinking probably mild'ish days, hopefully not wet, and crispy nights.
Love your sleeping quarters on top Gandalf; looking at something like that for the Disco. Any info/tips appreciated!
Cate:-)

[numpty]

Perry good on you. I have good friends who helped survey that walk and give feedback to NP's. Glad you enjoyed it.
I am bit envious though, after kids my walking days have amounted to 0 really.

I see you have the same tent as me.

Yes Jason, I noticed your tent in a previous thread. I like it for the amount of room it has and it is not "overly" heavy. I actually put the fly in one stuff sack and the tent in another, that way the weight can be shared between the 2 of us.

[numpty]

Wow Perry, your shots are superb! We are planning a trip there in August, not sure what the weather will be like, but thinking probably mild'ish days, hopefully not wet, and crispy nights.
Love your sleeping quarters on top Gandalf; looking at something like that for the Disco. Any info/tips appreciated!
Cate:-)

Thanks Cate, all taken with a Canon pocket camera, albeit with a 20 x zoom.

August could be cold (nights), but just do it. I prefer the cooler weather for walking. I did the Overland Track in winter and that had a bit of everything. Good gear is the key and layers.

Roof top tent is waiting for the SWB trailer to be finished and then it will be going on that.

Happy to answer any questions re tips etc that I can.

[numpty]

5th day took us through some lovely forested country with the ever present cycads seeming to dominate.

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Hardenbergia was a feature near the final nights camp, blanketing a lot of the understorey.

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Cabbage Tree Camp

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Day 6 took us back towards Carnarvon Gorge although still high up.

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That's Carnarvon Creek below

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Packed up ready to head home after the final nights camp on the Macintyre River at Mungindi.

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All in all a terrific 10 days.
Perry

[newhue]

Yes Jason, I noticed your tent in a previous thread. I like it for the amount of room it has and it is not "overly" heavy. I actually put the fly in one stuff sack and the tent in another, that way the weight can be shared between the 2 of us.

They are a great 2 person tent. They are also a good 4 season tent as well, though only rated to 3.
Having 3 of them I used the fly off one to make a shelter with no inner. Sewed a ground sheet from sil nylon with eyelits and clips in the corners. Used a bit of velcro to keep the poles crossed. Bit of no-see-em mesh around the base of the fly and its become a light sturdy insect free shelter.

Good on you partner sharing the weight, in my camp I get the tent.

[Yorkie]

nice trip and report, we read the signs when at mt moffat a few years ago and thought it must be interesting walk and where would water be available which you have now answered. thanks :)

[W&KO]

Bumping a pretty old thread....

I se you mention potable water at each camp but I’m sure the NP online map says no water. Back to recheck NP info.

What your thoughts on starting and finishing from Mount Moffett (actually didn’t realise on could access the walk from Mount Moffett).

Thanks

[p38arover]

Perry,
If you'd like to add the pix again, I can do that for you if you forward them to me at p38arover@gmail.com

[numpty]

Bumping a pretty old thread....

I se you mention potable water at each camp but I’m sure the NP online map says no water. Back to recheck NP info.

What your thoughts on starting and finishing from Mount Moffett (actually didn’t realise on could access the walk from Mount Moffett).

Thanks

Sorry to be so lax, but I haven't been on here for quite a while.

Don't know about now, but all of the campsites had a roofed water collection area which drained into underground tanks with the water accessible via a hand pump.

[numpty]

Perry,
If you'd like to add the pix again, I can do that for you if you forward them to me at p38arover@gmail,com

Thanks Ron.

If I went searching through three different computers I could probably find the relevant pics.

I'll think about it. [bigsmile1]