Carnarvon Gorge and Aboriginal Art.

The excursions just get better as they go!

For the past four days now, I was at Carnarvon National Park, home of the gorge-ous!

Carnarvon National Park is located in the central part of Queensland. The park consists of sandstone cliffs, gorges, flora and fauna, many species, aboriginal art and creeks.

While at the park, we stayed at Takarraka Bush Resort and had a wonderful travel guide; Simon Ling. Simon Ling began his career in 1998 as an interpretive guide, founding Australian Nature Guides. He is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the landscaping, plants and animals in Carnarvon. Simon led us through several hikes, a lot of them being challenging but extremely educational and mesmerizing.

On the third day there, we went on an all day hike from 8:30am to 5:30pm, and yes my legs felt like spaghetti after. All the hard work was worth it as we got to see the aboriginal “art gallery”, amphitheater, wards canyon and moss gardens.

The art gallery presented some of the art done by the aboriginals about 3,500 years ago during their ceremonies. The art on the rocks all had a purpose- to tell a story to preserve aboriginal culture. Each symbol represented something specific and they were combined to build stories about a significant event, a belief, rituals or associations. The symbols were all either stenciled, engraved, or painted with pigment. This art gallery showcased about 2,000 symbols, some of them being nets, shields, boomerangs, hands, emu tracks, and even vulva’s.

Seeing the art made my imagination wander and I was taken back in time and I could see the artwork being done. I could see the aboriginals place their hands and leaving their story for others, the children running around with excitement, the women singing as they carved the symbols and the firewood crackling from the campfire. It was beautiful. I was so fortunate to witness the art. It made me realize how everything and anything has story, a story you could never once fully imagine but only wish to be in that moment that it was occurring to feel the significance of the history being made. It displayed how the aboriginal wanted to make his or her stories live longer than anyone could imagine. They wanted to show the world the importance of their beliefs in nature.

If you ever get the chance to visit Carnarvon National Park, I would highly recommend it. Check out Simon's touring company: http://www.carnarvongorge.info/#!carnarvon-gorge/mainPage