Guide
By Hannah Statham
You could spend a lifetime exploring Queensland's many national parks, but if you're looking for a nature escape you'll remember for the rest of yours, choose Carnarvon National Park.
This national park is an outback oasis punctuated by Carnarvon Gorge's towering sandstone cliffs, prehistoric cycads and more than 2,000 examples of Aboriginal rock art – to name a few of its best assets. Throw in a biosphere home to 173 species of birds, 60 different mammals, 22 kinds of frogs and 90 types of reptiles, and you can see why some 70,000 people visit this 200 million-year-old landscape every year.
Carnarvon National Park is culturally and ecologically significant – and it’s yours to discover just 268km north of Roma.
Here’s everything you need to know about Carnarvon Gorge and Carnarvon National Park to help plan your trip.
One of central Queensland's biggest natural drawcards, the sheer beauty of Carnarvon National Park lures visitors. Its geography of towering sandstone cliffs, deep gorges, and green-fringed freshwater creeks that run through its landscape entices nature lovers and hard-core hikers alike.
Combine this with a rich Indigenous history that makes the 2000-year-old cycads look young, and you can see why it’s one of these must-visit national parks in Queensland. Here, rock art, engravings and free-hand paintings serve as a continuing reminder of Aboriginal people’s ancient connection with this land.
Lace up your bushwalking boots. Carnarvon National Park is home to a Great Walk and half a dozen shorter trails to explore.
If you’re not planning to stay overnight, we’d recommend one of two-day walks:
If you’ve got a full day to spare, tackle The Big Day Out return trek that runs along the Main Gorge track to the base of the gorge to Big Bend. This walk is a highlights reel of the big-ticket attractions like the lush green Moss Gardens, the soaring Amphitheatre and the Art Gallery.
For views of the gorge from the top down, take the 6.4km return trip to Boolimba Bluff. Expect nature’s version of a stair master, which is well worth the incline for the sheer panorama of the landscape and out over the opposing ridge.
If you don’t have time to walk the whole hog, you can easily return at any point following the route you walked in – or make one of these icons your turnaround mark:
There’s plenty of other ways to experience Carnarvon National Park, if you get a local to show you around:
Heli Central Tours: Capture the highlights in just 10 minutes from the comfort of a chopper. You’ll soar above the sandstone cliffs, with views over Twin Sisters, Three Sisters and Wool Pack, all while getting a geography lesson from the pilot.
Guide to the Galaxy: Every star tells a story, and Takarakka Bush Resort's guides share most of them in their guided astronomy tour. A star-studded sky is a perk of staying next to a national park whose nearest town is 100km away. Note: this tour is currently on hold. Check their website for updates.
Night Safari Tour with Australian Nature Guides: You'll spot plenty of wildlife on your day walks, but it’s even better here by night. Over 80% of the fauna in the park is nocturnal. Join Australian Nature Guides to spot gliders, owls and microbats on the walking tour that departs from the Visitor Information Centre. Guided day hikes are also available for those who want to learn from the experts while you trek.
Carnarvon's opportunities for birdwatching are plentiful with over 173 species spotted in the park. If camping overnight, a high-lumen torch becomes essential packing for playing spotlight with nocturnal natives like gliders, possums and curlews. Tip: protect wildlife by covering your torchlight with red cellophane.
The real question is how do you prefer to sleep – camping or comfort?
Want to pitch your tent inside the national park? During the Easter, winter and spring Queensland school holidays you can set up your tent or camper trailer in the Carnarvon Gorge camping area. The Big Bend camping area is open all year, but there’s just one catch. It can only be reached by a 19.4km return walk.
All national park camping requires a camping permit. Book and pay for your camping permit online and in advance.
Slightly outside the park (5km), you’ve got the option of setting up camp, caravan or RV in Sandstone Park (open seasonally). There’s no risk of seeing neighbours on this campsite which doubles as a cattle station with 41 unpowered sites spread over 50 acres - but you will see the incredible views over the gorge. Good news if you're travelling with your dog: Sandstone is pet-friendly, and they even have specially designed pet kennels for hire on a day rate (as you can't take pets into the national park).
There's also or BIG4 Breeze Holiday Parks - Carnarvon Gorge, nestled on 100 acres within Carnarvon National Park
If you like the idea of camping without any of the pack up or pack down, Wallaroo Outback Retreat offers visitors glamping tents with plenty of creature comforts and the sounds of the bush to rock you to sleep. You’ll find it on a 72,000-acre cattle station, an hour outside the main national park.
Just five minutes drive from Carnarvon National Park, Takarakka Bush Resort offers it all: powered and unpowered campsites, permanent tents with and without en-suites, cosy cabins, cottages, and smartly designed studios.
Even if camping, you’ll have access to amenities like bathrooms with sizzling hot showers and a store selling fuel, basic groceries, pre-wrapped sandwiches and souvenirs.
You’ll find this national park between Roma and Emerald on the Queensland map, so you can tackle it from either the north or south.
If you’re coming from Brisbane, spend a few days exploring your way here via Roma. Leaving from Mackay it’s a similar time commitment, passing via Blackwater.
Anyone short on time can also take a commercial flight from Brisbane to Emerald or Roma, and then hire a car for the remainder of the drive to Carnarvon National Park.
Either way, the road is mostly sealed and suitable for conventional cars.
Even though Carnarvon National Park is open 24 hours a day, all national park camping requires booking in advance, so you’ll want to call ahead before you take off.
Most accommodation options open seasonally, as temperatures range widely and summer can send the mercury well into the high 30s. Winter tells a different story with temperatures dropping to the freezing point, making insulated sleeping bags a must-pack item.
When packing, be sure to pack insect repellent, good walking shoes, lots of fuel, and rubbish bags. Remember, leave only footprints in this national park.