Carnarvon Great Walk
Carnarvon National Park
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GPS Tracks
Walk the trails of the Carnarvon Great Wallk to experience a remote and beautiful landscape of towering sandstone cliffs, sweeping tablelands and shaded side-gorges.
The Carnarvon Great Walk links the Carnarvon Gorge and Mount Moffatt sections of Carnarvon National Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty and human history set within the highlands of the Central Queensland Sandstone Belt.
Getting there
The walk starts at the Carnarvon Gorge Visitors Centre, about 246km north of Roma or 241km southeast of Emerald. From Roma, follow the Carnarvon about 160km north to the Gorge turnoff. From Emerald, head to Rolleston and then 61km to the Carnarvon turnoff.
Maps
https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/carnarvon-great-walk/pdf/carnarvongw-topo.pdf
Route/Trail notes
The Walk consists of six sections.
R1 - Carnarvon Visitors Centre to Big Bend - 10km. This section follows the main gorge walking track, where you'll walk with the day hikers. There are several side tracks to Moss Garden, the Amphitheatre, Wards Canyon, the Art Gallery and Cathedral Cave.
R2 - Big Bend to Gadd's Walkers camp - the DESI website lists this at 14.8 km, with a side track to the Battleship Spur Lookout (a must-do); you'll be looking at over 16 km. The climb up is 600m, including a decent 60m scramble from Browinda Gorge up to the rest walk.
R3 - Gadd's to West Branch - 15.8km - the day starts with a steady climb up and old fire, where you'll be greeted with 360° views across the escarpment. The day finishes off with a walk across open grasslands, finishing with a trek down the West Branch of the Maranoa River.
R4 - West Branch to Consuelo Tableland - 17.8km. The climbs on this section are far gentler. The walk up through the open country finishes in the tall woodland of the Consuelo Tableland as you cross from the west to the eastern side of the Great Dividing range, a highlight are tall trees through the Mahogany Forest.
R5 - Consuelo to Cabbage Tree - 13.8km. An easy walk along the Consuelo Tableland as walk through talk eucalypts and cycad underforest.
R6 - Cabbage Tree to Carnarvon Visitors Centre - 15.3km. Add the extra 1.4km to visit the Boolimba Bluff Lookout. As you descend from the Consuelo Tableland, the forest changes again to a drier forest; about 1.5km in, you see the expansive views from the top of the tablelands and sandstone cliffs that seem to go on endlessly. About 13km, you'll meet a well-maintained path and realise civilisation isn't far away. Perhaps some jubilation that you've made it, but perhaps some sadness that you adventure is over.
Permits/Costs
Camping Permits are required they cost $7.25/person/night (Sept 2024) bookings can be made here.
Other References
The DESI website provides excellent information.
Downloadable Maps can be found at the QTopo Website
Carnarvon Gorge Great Walk (GPX)
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