Saturday, May 26, 2007

Queensland: Carnarvon Gorge, Whitsundays.






Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays: beautiful in the extreme but overloaded with tourists (like us). We went on a boat tour and snorkeled the reef.












On the right: Cape Palmerston Beach, no water, no toilet, no power, no people and no charges-just NOTHING! (only midges, mossies, sharks, crocs, stingers and other life threatening hazards like falling coconuts).






Fruit stalls along the road rely on the honesty of travelers; this one even offers change!


OK, who can work out this text? Reply in "comments" lower down. There is another one coming, a bit harder. Shoko??


Cape Palmerston south of Airlie Beach was only accessible by driving on the beach at low tide. We tried very hard not to get bogged (the difference in high and low water was around 4 meters!) We were just the two of us, apart from mossies and sand fleas...... Fortunately they mostly like Tanneke -:)

















Nature can filter the rain water as seen here in a side gorge, called Moss Garden.






The view from the top is stunning. Carnarvon National Park is more than 100 km long. The gorge is formed by a combination of volcanic action, a huge inland sea, depressions and water erosion.
Dinosaur foot prints have been found in the different layers of rock and sandstone.





An amazing palm that can grow for more than 1000 years is pictured here.
It is a macrozamia, a type of cycad (palm) with woody nuts that are extremely poisonous with cyanide in their natural state. The local Aboriginals know how to deal with it: they cook them and then ask for a volunteer elder to taste them first....






Some joker put up this sign on the way out of the gorge, note the punt about soul.



The Carnarvon Creek early in the morning, we were the first!!









Carnarvon Gorge is famous, but we had not seen it on our trip in 1990. Heavy rains a few months ago had washed away lots of trees and bushes. Here two beautiful "pretty face or whip tail" wallabies, drinking in the early morning.








I have tried to make the pictures smaller so there can be more. Please click on the photos to see a lot more details.
We are off on a special adventure tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 4 am........... if the weather is good. More later.

Comments:
Whoohoo. I get to comment first but I'm in no hurry to answer the quiz question... :)

Always enjoying the blog. Hope all's well and mum didn't feed too many of those mozzies.

- Bas
 
glad to hear from you again. Sounds like a wonderful adventure. leaving your footprints with the all those ancient animals! Have fun! Summer is starting here.
 
INOURRI; heeft het iets te maken met zeewier?
Zeewier kan ook heel wat km's reizen...
 
Still waiting for the right quiz answer.
Renne.
 
Aw...come on Pa. Wasn't I specific enough in my first answer? :)

- Bas
 
Sorry Bas, your answer was rather cryptic, but you are right: you are the winner of the quiz questions and your price will be waiting for you when you get back here!
Pa.
 
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