Carnarvon Gorge With Kids
What To Do and Where To Stay
“Look Mum. That ones got a baby in its … um … belly thingy!”, Ripley yells excitedly. I gave the kids the important job of spotting wildlife and so far, we have only walked about 50 metres from the car park.
“How do you know it’s not just fat?”, I hear their dad ask from behind me.
“Cause I can see it’s head!”, came the excited reply
We all turn and look as the beautiful mum looks back at us curiously. I get the feeling if I take another step closer she will quickly turn and bound away, so I quickly get a few photos before the kids get too noisy and scare her off.
As well as being full of cute wildlife, Carnarvon National Park is incredibly picturesque. It deserves to be listed up there with the other great Australian icons such as Uluru and Kings Canyon. Yes, it’s that unique and awesome!
Much like Australia’s other beloved icons, it’s also located smack in the middle of no-where. In this case, Outback Queensland. Road tripping there is half the fun!
Carnarvon Gorge with kids is best explored on foot. The walks range from a short 600m, to a week long ‘great walk’ of 87km. There really is something for everyone! Here are some of our favourite walks that are achievable with young kids at Carnarvon Gorge.
The Nature Trail
At only 1.5km return from the Carnarvon National Park visitor area, this walk is really easy with kids. The surrounds are lovely and there is plenty of wildlife spotting opportunities.
The kids loved it because there were a few shallow creek crossings that involve hopping over boulders. We loved it because it’s the kind of walk kids can manage on their own, so you don’t get stuck carrying an extra load.
Mickey Creek Gorge
Mickey Creek Gorge walk is only 3km return from the Mickey Creek car park and was one of our favourite walks. Partway along the trail the path splits in two. If you take the path to the right, you will find yourself in an off track adventure with some easily managed rock hopping and narrow gorge walls that you can touch with a hand on each side. The rock hopping is a challenge for younger kids and mine absolutely loved it!
If you take the path moving forward, the track stops at a picturesque spot on the creek with plenty of boulders to sit and relax on.
Baloon Cave
The Baloon cave features stencilled Aboriginal rock art and is only 1km return from the Baloon Cave car park. This short walk is really easy and can also be managed in a wheelchair with assistance. The cave is located within a gap in Clematis Ridge and for thousands of years, was used by Aboriginal people as an entry point to the gorge.
Moss Garden
The Moss Garden walk leaves from the Visitor Centre within the Carnarvon National Park and is one of the features off the main walking trail. The walk is 7km return but apart from a few stairs, it’s not particularly physically challenging.
This walk is just beautiful and includes some rock hopping over the shallow creek, and lots of nature and wildlife. The Moss Garden itself is really pretty and serene and feels like a perfect example of nature at it’s best.
Water has been seeping down through the sandstone rock for thousands of years and when it hits the layer of shale, it’s forced sideways and out to create the beautiful moss garden. There is wooden seating to take a break (in our case, a sandwich break) and enjoy the surrounds.
Scroll down a bit further to see our YouTube video of the Moss Garden Walk!
Rock Pool
At only 600m return from the Rock Pool car park, the Rock Pool is the only place at Carnarvon Gorge where you can go swimming. If you choose to walk from the visitor centre, it’s a 3.6km walk.
The kids loved it because of the turtles basking in the sun on the rocks. I enjoyed it due to the serenity of the huge boulder in the water hole casting a reflection in the perfectly calm water.
Other Walks
There are quite a few more longer walks here that sound absolutely amazing. We had every intention of doing them, but I hurt my shoulder and neck carrying Ripley awkwardly and had to stick to shorter walks for a while.
Usually carrying the kids is no problem, we use this awesome Piggy Back Rider Standing Carrier for Ripley and the Kathmandu Carrier for Trillian. Unfortunately, our PiggyBack Rider didn’t get packed into the car so I made do with a wrap carrier designed for a much younger child instead.
Other Walks include the Amphitheatre (8.6km return), Wards Canyon (9.2km return), Art Gallery (10.8km return), Cathedral Cave (18.2km return) and more. Most of these features are located as side walks off the main gorge walking track so you can absolutely tick a few off the bucket list in one day. We passed quite a few families with older kids setting out to see them all.
At the ages of 3 years and 5 years, I personally find anything over 7km in one day a little hard……for us, because we end up carrying them!
Other Things to do Around Carnarvon National Park
Helicopter rides, guided tours, nocturnal animal night tours, star gazing tours.
Check out our Short Video on the Hike Into the Moss Garden at Carnarvon Gorge
Where to Stay at Carnarvon Gorge With Kids
Takarakka Bush Resort is the only accommodation open all year round and is an amazing place to stay with kids. The location itself is spectacular with natural surrounds, plenty of wildlife, and a beautiful creek with platypus.
This place is by far, the best camping/caravan style accommodation we have ever experienced in Australia. The facilities were great with clean toilets, hot showers, and a huge added bonus of free kids activities every afternoon.
There is a huge communal grassy area for kicking a ball around, fire pits, and heaps of nice round river rocks to stack on top of each other. If you are not set up for camping, there are cabins available here also.
Camping in the national park visitor area is available during the easter, winter and spring Queensland school holidays. Although we didn’t camp here, the grounds are really lovely. If we weren’t visiting in winter (I wanted power for our fan heater) I would definitely stay here.
A permit is required to camp within the Carnarvon National Park and more information is available on the Queensland Gov Parks website. To go straight to the Queensland National Parks booking service, click here.
Accommodation is also available seasonally at the Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Lodge and Sandstone Park.
How to get to Carnarvon Gorge
Road Trip
If driving, Carnarvon Gorge is approximately 897km (via the Warrego Highway) from Brisbane, 468km from Rockhampton (via the Capricorn Highway), 467km from Roma (via Carnarvon Highway), and 200km from Emerald (via the Gregory Highway). We visited on an Outback Queensland road trip that included a stop at the gemfields in Sapphire not far from Emerald.
Fly and Drive
Regular flights from Brisbane and other capital cities can be taken to either Roma or Emerald, You can then hire a car and road trip your way to Carnarvon Gorge.
Compare flight prices on either SkyScanner or I want That Flight.
Several car hire companies can supply a vehicle to complete the journey to Carnarvon Gorge. Even though the last section into Carnarvon National Park is not sealed, you do NOT need a 4WD to make the trip in. Please remember that you shouldn’t drive at night in Outback Queensland due to wildlife on the road.
Compare car hire prices here.
Looking for More Awesome Family Holiday Destinations?
For more information on visiting Queensland with kids, head on over to my Queensland page. Head on back to the home page for inspiration on destinations worldwide.
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