Carnarvon Gorge

Precipitous sandstone gorge with Aboriginal paintings

Access

The Carnarvon Gorge is situated on the Great Dividing Range. To reach it, travel from Brisbane across the Darling Downs to Roma. From here travel through Injune towards the Buckland Tableland. The park is 169 kilometres from Injune.

Activities

The sandstone gorges of this park will provide you with hours of enjoyment as you explore them, noting each of their particular characteristics. The main track system follows the Main Gorge as far as Cathedral Cave. There arc another two small tracks, one heading to the top of Boolimba Bluff and the other to Baloon Caves. If you wish to do any walking off the track system make sure you contact the Ranger and give him details of your proposed route and expected date of return. If you wish to see the whole gorge you should walk the 10 kilometres to Cathedral Cave and camp the night. With this as your base camp, explore the other side gorges and associated Aboriginal paintings. There are several large swimming holes in Carnarvon Creek. As this creek also provides the water for the camping area please treat it with respect.

History

Unfortunately our knowledge of the Aboriginal people who once inhabited Carnarvon is very scanty. From archaeological excavations of the gorge we know.that the gorge was used by man over 19 000 years ago. This usage was not the intensive use that gave rise to the extensive rock art you can see here today. That period of usage only started 4000-5000 years ago. Judging from the style of artwork found in Carnarvon Gorge we can assume that the gorge was used at one time by peoples associated with the Pitjara tribe who were once known to inhabit the headwaters of the Maranoa. The Aborigines had their own economic system based on the exploitation of native foods. We know for instance that their trade routes once stretched as far as Cape York. By far the most important plant food for these Aborigines were the seeds of tile zamia (Macrozamia moorei). The remains of these seeds along with the bones nf rock wallabies have been found throughout archaeological excavations.

Features

The Aboriginal art of the gorge is the focal point of most visits to Carnarvon. There are three \main classes of rock art found in the park—freehand paintings, stencils and engravings. In the freehand style of art, the Aborigines applied\a pigment to the rock surface with either a finger or a brush made from a chewed twig. By far the most common freestyle paintings are a series of red or white criss-crossed lines that form a net pattern. Other freestyle paintings include a goanna and a humanoid figure.

The most common artform is the stencil variety. It was applied by-blowing an ochre pigment, mixed with water from the mouth. The pigment was applied over an object held across the wall. The stencil artform is of particular significance as it can tell us the type of implements the Aborigines were using at that time. As some of the items stencilled were bulbous a certain amount of underspray is evident. This means that there is some distortion on some of the images portrayed. Items stencilled include boomerangs, ‘Lil-lif’ types of clubs and various types of shell coolamons.

The third type of artform are engravings. These were fashioned by two techniques, pecking or rubbing the rock surface or a combination of both. If the engraving was pecked it has a characteristic rough surface. If it was fashioned by rubbing, then the engraving would be smooth. As yet the significance of all these artworks is not known and work is still continuing on them. These artforms have had to stand the ravages of time and many are starting to fade. This process is often aggravated by man as even the slightest touch can do considerable damage.

The vegetation of Carnarvon Gorge is mainly of an open forest type, although there are some semi-rainforest areas in the side gorges. Along the creek you will find tall eucalypts such as the spotted gum (Eucalyptus maculata) and on better sites flooded gum (E. grandis). There are also river oaks (Casuarina cunninghamiana), red bottle brush (Callistemon viminalis) and the native cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis). The native cherry is particularly attractive. It is a parasite and lives by attaching itself to the roots of other trees. The fruit of the native cherry is also unique. During the fruiting season the stem below the native cherries fruit expands and actually grows over the fruit proper. It turns red and is often mistaken for the fruit of the native cherry. In the side gorges, the vegetation becomes thicker and some rainforest species appear. Ferns line the damp, dark side of these gorges. They include the tree ferns (Cyathea australis), birds nest ferns (Asplenium nidus) and elkhorn ferns (Platycerium sp.).

The animals of Carnarvon go about their lives with little concern, largely undisturbed in man’s intrusion. In the summer months, cicadas fill the gorge with their incessant screeches. The reptiles of the park are particularly noticeable at this time of year as they bask in the sun. The blue tongue lizard (Tiliqua scincoides) is one of the common reptiles found in the park and is found on rocks. It feeds on a variety of insects, snails and even plant food. As you are walking down the gorge you may hear a scrambling noise in the tree beside you. This is probably being made by a lace monitor (Varanus varius) as it climbs up a tree to get away from you. These large reptiles are also found in the camping area, scavenging for food scraps. There are also several interesting geckos found in the park. One, a leaf-tailed gecko (Phyllurus salebrosus) was only recently discovered in this area by Jeanette Covacevich, Curator of Reptiles at the Queensland Museum. Geckos have soft skin and will shed their tails in order to escape a predator.

The mammals of Carnarvon are largely nocturnal. The grey kangaroo (Macropus major) and some species of wallaby however may be seen and can be approached fairly readily in the late afternoon, in the camping area. At night the call of possums can be heard. There are several types of possum found in the park including the brush-tailed possum and several gliders. These gliders can be seen with the aid of a strong torch in the crowns of the trees. The greater glider {Schoinobates volans) is the largest found at Carnarvon and along with the sugar glider (Pctaurus brcviceps) and the feather-tailed glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) will make interesting subjects for observation should you decide to venture out at night to explore.

Of course, with the abundant water supply, birdlife is plentiful. It would be difficult to find anything to compare with the magnificent sight of a wedge-tailed eagle in full flight above the gorge. This bird, our largest bird of prey, has been wrongfully accused of killing farm animals and so has been victimised as a consequence. Lorikeet and honeyeater calls dominate the gorge to create an atmosphere of excitement yet at the same time one of tranquillity.