Our few days in Emerald were slow and relaxed. There is not a lot to do in Emerald itself – the Big Easel, historical precinct, botanic gardens, town streets, railway station, art walk and a visit to Lake Maraboon to its southwest. The rest of the brochure suggestions are in the towns around, mainly fossicking. Our planned daytrip to Blackdown Tableland NP was thwarted, it being closed. Fortunately, Wanda saw the sign in the information centre, otherwise we would made a fruitless 250km round trip for nothing!
Our main reasons for visiting were to meet up with some friends again and to get our windscreen replaced. It was great to spend more time with Shane, Clare, AJ and Billie (the puppies), rekindling a friendship and sharing more stories and wine. We had enjoyable dinners together (Shane cooked a delicious chillied salt and pepper calamari) and the local tapas bar served up some tasty plates. We explored what Emerald had to offer together, which was nice.
Windscreen fixed, car fridge refused, laundry bag emptied, freezer restocked, water tank replenished and friendship consolidated, it was time to continue travelling, southwards to our next adventure.
Carnarvon Gorge blew our minds. Our first walks on our arrival day were incredible and set the scene for other jaw-dropping experiences. We set up camp, had lunch then visited Mickey Creek, Warrumbah Bluff Gorge and Rock Pool. These two mini-gorge walks were a great way to acclimatise to the terrain and be impressed by the area’s stunning geology.
The next day was our biggie. We climbed Boolimba Bluff, using steel ladders and many rock steps, getting stunning morning views of the surrounding landscape from on high. On our descent we set out for Big Bend, at the end of the gorge network, which turned out to be, in total, a 35km, 34-river-crossing return hike on reasonably flat and well-formed paths. A highlight of that walk was the Boowinda Gorge, and its narrow chasms, lit gently by sunlight. Another amazing discovery was all the rock art in Art Gallery and Cathedral Cave.
Our last day was another one of wonderful experiences. We planned a shorter hike, as we wanted to conserve some energy for a later event. We struck out for the Amphitheatre and Moss Garden areas of the gorge. Amphitheatre blew us away; the majesty and sheer height of the walls meant you were unintentionally respectful of the space. The acoustics were beautiful, with a 2-3 second echo, tested by Alistair singing. The few people in the space loved the impromptu show! The Moss Garden was pretty, with water pouring out of the sandstone feeding a proliferation of ferns and moss. The day ended with a brilliant night tour of the forest, with an expert guide. Simon from Eco Tours gave us insight into the gorge’s ecosystem, find Yellow Belly Gliders (we saw them glide between trees!) and Great Gliders (munching happily), as well as spotlighting (in red beam) a male platypus in the creek on our way back. We stayed in the park to take in the night sky … so magical.
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