Essential Carnarvon Gorge camping guide

Carnarvon Gorge is on Bidjara and Karingal Country. I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this special area and their deep connection to Country, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.

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The Carnarvon Gorge section of the much larger Carnarvon National Park offers some incredible day walks with the option to camp overnight in the actual sandstone gorge.

A few years ago when we were first married, we trekked out to Carnarvon Gorge to do our first overnight hike here as a married couple.

But you don’t have to be into lugging your tent and sleeping bag around to be able to explore Carnarvon Gorge. There are plenty of car-based camping options around.

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CAMPING AT CARNARVON GORGE: A QUICK GUIDE

I’m a huge fan of camping in national parks (though I wish that everyone who camped in national parks was into nature, and not loud music).

Camping in national parks, especially in Queensland and New South Wales, is very affordable and you wake up right where you want to be.

But… things are a little different at Carnarvon Gorge.

CAMPING IN CARNARVON NATIONAL PARK

The Carnarvon Gorge section around the visitor area has plenty of camping space available.

CARNARVON GORGE VISITOR AREA

However, Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service only opens the Carnarvon Gorge camping area during the two weeks of school holidays in April, June/July and September/October every year.

That means that you can only camp directly inside the national park, right at the edge of the gorge, for about six weeks of the year.

There are 35 sites available, most of which are set out for 4-6 people, and not surprisingly, camping here is popular. So booking early would be the smart thing to do (or, of course, you could get lucky).

There are flush toilets but no showers, and you can camp here for a maximum of five days.

Outside of school holidays (and that includes the long summer holidays), you cannot camp in the national park. Instead, you will have to splurge a bit and camp outside the boundaries in a commercial caravan park.

BIG BEND CAMPING AREA

If you’re a hiker, a great option is to camp at Big Bend camping area. And this option is open year round!

Big Bend is at the end of the (easily accessible) gorge, and about 9.5km from the visitor area into Carnarvon Gorge. It’s actually the first camping area for those doing the 5-day Carnarvon Great Walk but it also makes for a perfect overnight hike into the gorge.

We did exactly that a few years back. It was brilliant (though freezing) waking up inside the gorge, and having some of the sights all to ourselves as we made our way back to the visitor area.

It’s a basic bush camp here with (unmarked) spots for about 10 people, a couple of picnic tables and a compost toilet.

OTHER CAMPING OPTIONS AT CARNARVON GORGE

For most people who come outside school holiday times, there are two camping options if you want to stay near Carnarvon Gorge. You can either stay at the BIG4 Breeze Holiday Park or camp at Sandstone Park. Both are commercial caravan parks that offer various amenities.

BIG4 BREEZE HOLIDAY PARK (PREVIOUSLY TAKARAKKA BUSH RESORT)

The BIG4 Breeze Holiday Park is located just outside Carnarvon Gorge, just over 3km away.

We’ve camped here a couple of times, back in 2014 for the first time and more recently in 2020 when it was still Takarakka.

The camping area offers plenty of tent and caravan sites. You also have the option to book an ensuite cabin or safari tent. Prices for unpowered (tent) sites start at $43 p/n.

If you want a powered site, the BIG4 park is going to be your best option as Sandstone only provides unpowered spots.

The facilities are fine, pretty clean and all. There are also plenty of kitchen and BBQ shelters available. We enjoyed using them as cooking and cleaning is usually much easier at a shelter than with our minimalist camping setup.

The last time we were there, we had some pretty noisy neighbours and ended up moving to a different site. You will need to ask management but they were very accommodating and let us drag all our (already set up) stuff to a peaceful corner where we actually got some sleep!

BIG4 BREEZE HOLIDAY PARK AT A GLANCE

PROS: Vehicle-based camping; full amenities (including flush toilets, showers, potable water, etc.); small café and shop on site; kitchen & bbq shelters; powered and unpowered sites available for tent, camper trailer and caravan camping

CONS: Expensive option (compared to camping in national parks); poor WiFi; lack of privacy if full and in powered sites (but you are in a caravan park so that’s to be expected)

COSTS: Unpowered sites from $43 per night; powered sites from $50 per night

PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING: 2.5/5

When it was still Takarakka, one of the best thing was the roast dinners they served. You might wonder who would queue up for a $25 roast dinner in the middle of nowhere but the grey nomads were lining up a mile long (well, ok, not quite but the queue was impressively long).

They offer some information talks on Carnarvon Gorge and its many walks, and free wifi. Slow but free…

And… platypuses (yes, that’s the plural) in the creek that runs alongside Takarakka.

It’s a good thing I have a patient husband because I would never ever have seen any platypus if it wasn’t for his patience and insistence to wait just a little bit longer.

SANDSTONE PARK

Sandstone Park didn’t exist when we visited a few years ago but with views of Carnarvon Gorge from every site, it sounds pretty good to me!

They’re a little further than the BIG4 park, around 5km away from Carnarvon Gorge but since they’re on an escarpment, the views could definitely be worth it.

Since they only offer unpowered sites, Sandstone Park is going to be the cheaper option with sites starting at $35 p/n.

What you also don’t get is showers so if you want full amenities, you might want to consider staying at the BIG4 holiday park.

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SUMMING UP

While there are only commercial options available at Carnarvon Gorge outside school holidays, I’m also really thankful to have access to a hot shower after a hike.

If you want views or bring your dog, choose Sandstone Park. If you want a hot shower or power, choose the BIG4 holiday park. If you want to do an overnight hike, choose Big Bend. And if you’re going to be there during the school holidays, choose the cheap national park option (can’t beat the $7.25 pp/pn!).

But no matter where you camp, Carnarvon Gorge won’t disappoint.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on camping in Carnarvon National Park, including a detailed list of the campsites or how to make a booking, check out Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service.

Alternatively, check out BIG4 Breeze Holiday Park or Sandstone Park.

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MORE POSTS ON CARNARVON NATIONAL PARK

If you want to hike into Carnarvon Gorge, whether as a day hike or overnight, here’s what you need to know.

Carnarvon National Park has a few other sections beyond Carnarvon Gorge.

The Mount Moffatt area is one I’m particularly fond of. Here are couple of resources:

• Camping guide to Mount Moffatt
• Guide to exploring the walks, sandstone formations and Aboriginal rock art at Mount Moffatt

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