Carnarvon Gorge – Day 3 – Part 1

I didn’t have a good night’s rest, but I was excited to explore more.

Our next destinations:

No 1 – [the] Moss Garden

Escape the midday sun in the main gorge to explore a lush ‘garden’ of cascading water, intricate rock formations, and lush plant life.

This was a 7 km return walk from the visitor area. (4.3 mi).

And

No 2 – [the] Amphitheater

Discover an atmosphere like no other when you enter this open-topped cavern—one of Carnarvon’s most dramatic features.

This was an 8.6 km return walk from the visitor area. (5.3 mi).

From where we parked the car, my (Apple) watch measured 12.13 km (7.5 mi) and our walking for day three took us a total of 4 hours and 47 minutes.

Both areas are off the main track and are Grade 3 walking tracks.

One thing I have to say, from the visitor’s centre, there’s only one main walking track that leads ‘up the gorge’ and all areas of interest are reached via walking tracks that lead off that main track. The Moss Garden for example is 1.3 km (0.8 mi) return from the main track and the Amphitheatre is 1.2 km (0.7 mi) return.

–⋅ o ♥ o ⋅–

Ok, so I didn’t sleep so well after tackling Boolimba Bluff, but I was still rested, refreshed, and ready to venture further into the gorge.

Dean thought I’d be able to make the journey all the way to Cathedral Cave – 19.4 km (12 mi) return from the visitor’s centre – but I had my doubts given the last third of the track was Grade 4. I’d had my taste of a Grade 4 track the day before and was looking forward to tackling something easier.

I said, let’s just set our sights on reaching the Moss Garden and then the Amphitheatre and then after that, let’s see where our feet take us next.

Past the turn-off for the Boolimba Bluff, (the first turn-off on the main track), the landscape of the gorge changed into something quite beautiful.

Shelley loved the creek crossings – and we encountered a few.

Once again, we were surrounded by some incredible country.

I believe visiting the gorge in April was a happy happenstance because the weather was perfect, and the temperature very pleasant – cool overnight, and

By the time we arrived at the garden, the day’s temperature was still cool – pleasantly comfortable without needing a warm shirt (although Shelley wore a long-sleeved shirt for sun protection).

I found the garden delightful. It was easy to see why it’s called Moss Garden and within the garden area itself, the temperature was noticeably cooler thanks to nature’s air-conditioning.

There was a small waterfall cascading over the sandstone ledge, collecting in a clear pool. It was a lovely place to take a break, rest our feet for a moment, and soak in the environment.

The sound of the water trickling through the sandstone and into the pool was very relaxing.

Tree ferns were creating dainty shadows on a carpet of lush mosses and other types of ferns including delicate native maidenhair.

We had the area to ourselves for about 15 minutes before a large group of walkers arrived.

–⋅ o ♥ o ⋅–

Back on the main track and heading deeper into the gorge, the Amphitheatre was only a short distance away. I’ll be back later today to talk all about that.