by bauplenut » Sun 27 May, 2012 7:52 am
I did the walk in August 2010. Since then there have been floods etc, track was closed for a while, so what I know may not be current. It does get cold at the highest points on the plateau, around day 4/5. IIRC we had temps down to 1 degree C at night day 5. Day one is easy, you do the tourist track in the gorge itself. Day two is the hardest, up to Battleship Spur. Finding the track up out of Boowinda Gorge is tricky, look carefully for markers. I know people who have missed them in Boowinda. The climb out of Boowinda Gorge is steep, loose underfoot shale, need to be careful. Then into open woodland for a while on track, then steeper up the ridgeline to the spur. Probably the best part of the walk (out of the gorge itself), that and the last day. After the spur it is a uninteresting walk mainly, open woodland and on well marked tracks and not much great views. You never see Carnarvon Gorge again after the Spur lookout. If it rains, then at the water tanks, the tank sites are clay and it is sticky (unless grass has grown there since). We camped in the grass nearby the tanks, but getting water from the tanks meant a cluggy mass of clay on boots (we had 24 hrs of rain and fog day three). There is a trick to getting water at the tanks, the rangers tell you how - if you just pump away, no water, so need to put finger under tap to block tap, pump (creates vaccum, like siphon), take finger away and water flows as you pump. Has caught walkers out apparently. Day six is a good walk, great views. All told, it is an nice walk, but don't expect to see Carnarvon Gorge or great views all the way, only day one and two and late on day six. Even the western parts of the park you don't get to the good bits there. A lot of our group felt disappointed in the walk due to this, expectations were higher. Easy walk.