After Roma, we decide to change the direction of our circuit and head to Carnarvon Gorge for some hiking and different scenery and to avoid the influx of people going to Winton for a festival. Apparently the town grows from 800 to 8000 for the 5 days and getting anywhere to stay is problematic.

At Carnarvon Gorge our intention was to stay a Sandstone Park which is a free camping area on a ridge a couple of kilometres short of the gorge but trouble struck.

After pulling into a spot and setting up, we spend two hours fighting with the fridge which refuses to run on LPG. With no other option, we give up our spot and move down to a powered site in the Takarakka Park which is in one of the gorges of the area. While it’s nice and quiet, the view is not anywhere near the same however there are other benefits like the local wildlife hopping up to the doorway of the caravan. Plus it seems that art of stone stacking is not lost in this area of the world.

 

Saturday is a fine and cool morning so Stacey and I decide to tackle a couple of hikes in the area. First up is a climb to the top of the lookout above Takarakka before heading into the gorge itself and making our way to Moss Gardens. Both walks are worthwhile as you walk through a variety of plant life, cross stepping stones over small streams and get to experience some of the breath taking scenery.

 

But the big bonus is Sunday morning when we take a helicopter tour of the area to see the gorge from the air. What a great experience! The tour takes us over areas that are inaccessible from the ground. The pictures tell the story.