Thursday we hiked in Carnarvon Gorge. The hike was about 10 miles and included several short side hikes up side canyons. We saw a couple of aboriginal art sites which were pretty amazing.
But I think my favorite side trip was up Wards canyon. It was a narrow canyon, very deep, almost what I would call a slot canyon. The temperature in the shady canyon was at least 10 degrees cooler than on the valley floor. The giant ferns in the canyon are the only giant ferns growing inland in Australia.
The Carnarvon Gorge hike was hot but the trail was great. We used rocks to cross the creek about 15 times.
When we got back to the car we drove to Roma to spend the night. We stayed at a very nice motel room with a bathroom attached. It was the first time with an attached bathroom on the trip. After our big hike a shower felt really good and the great steak dinner at the hotel tasted especially good.
Friday we drove from Roma to Buderim on the coast where we stayed at a friend’s house. Mandy was a classmate at my high school in Brisbane. I hadn’t seen Mandy in more than 40 years. It was great to see her and meet her husband.
All our pictures are on Flickr here.
Marion's Blog 