Photos of Minerva Hill and Carnarvon National Parks, Australia

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Minerva Hill and Carnarvon National Parks

About 66 kilometres south of Emerald, on the Gregory Highway, is Minerva Hills National Park featuring a rugged landscape with volcanic peaks, sheltered gorges, and sheer cliffs overlooking the small town of Springsure. Carnarvon National Park is reached from here, past Rolleston and a memorial to American and Australian personnel aboard a Douglas C47B Dakota that crashed here on 16 November 1943.

View to Virgin Rock
 
View of Fred's Gorge
 
View from Eclipse Gap Lookout
 
View to Mount Zamia
 
Virgin Rock and Springsure
 
View towards Eclipse Gap
 
Beazley Park, Rolleston
 
Dakota Memorial
 
View from Sandstone Park
 
Mickey Creek
 
Mickey Creek
 
Rock Pool
 
Walking trail, Carnarvon Gorge
 
Walking trail, Carnarvon Gorge
 
Path to Moss Garden
 
Moss Garden
 
Moss Garden
 
Bush path
 
Kangaroo, Carnarvon Gorge
 
Aboriginal paintings, Art Gallery
 
Aboriginal paintings, Art Gallery
 
Aboriginal paintings, Art Gallery
 
Aboriginal paintings, Art Gallery
 
Aboriginal paintings, Art Gallery
 
Rock gallery
 
Palms, Carnarvon Gorge
 
Scenery, Carnarvon Gorge
 
River in Carnarvon Gorge
 
Palm, Carnarvon Gorge
 
Carnarvon Creek
 
Aboriginal paintings, Cathedral Cave
 
Aboriginal paintings, Cathedral Cave
 
Aboriginal paintings, Cathedral Cave
 
Aboriginal paintings, Cathedral Cave
 
Boowinda Gorge
 
Carnarvon Creek at Big Bend
 

Carnarvon National Park features towering sandstone cliffs, prehistoric cycads and more than 2,000 examples of Aboriginal rock art. It is an oasis in the middle of an otherwise arid landscape due to Carnarvon Creek that flows all year. Mickey Creek and the Rock Pool are located near the Visitor Centre, south of Carnarvon Gorge.

Carnarvon Gorge is a deep canyon resulting from erosion in the sandstone plateau on the Great Dividing Range, with palms and ferns on the canyon floor and a profusion of wildlife and galleries of Aboriginal paintings. The walk along the main gorge to Big Bend is almost 20 kilometres return. A highlight along the way is the “Art Gallery”, with wonderfully preserved engravings, rock paintings and hand stencils along a 62-metre long wall of sandstone that were done long ago by the Bidjara and Karingbal people. Further on is the Cathedral Cave, also covered in paintings hand stencils; there are indicators of burial sites here. Stencils of pendants, made from Melo bailer shells, indicate trade with as far away as Charlotte Bay in northern Queensland. Closer to the start of the trail is the “Moss Garden”, with elk horns, tree ferns and a lush carpet of moss.