by Owen - Sat 01/Dec/2001
The light for my diary entry is provided mostly by our small, satisfying campfire, and partially by a rapidly rising full moon. We are quite likely the only two people in the whole of the Mt Moffatt 'section' (bloody huge) of Carnarvon NP.
We departed the coddled surrounds of the Oasis Lodge this morning, after a somewhat more sensible breakfast the need to compensate for excessive energy use over the past 2 days had led to some serious overeating and an upset stomach on my part.
To get to Mt Moffatt you need to drive south to Injune (around 140km) then turn around and head northwest for the same distance along unsealed logging roads. As the main geological feature around here seems to be sandstone, these roads were very sandy and most entertaining. Spurry's controlled skidding techniques were becoming very finely honed by the end of the day.
Tuning into Injune tourist info radio, we learned that the main industries supporting the region were logging (mostly eucalypt and cypress pine) and grazing - though we could have learned that just by looking out the window. These logging routes are quite depressing - nothing but forestry for over 100km, no understory, and cattle wandering all through it.
Upon entering the Mt Moffatt section the landscape changed only subtly - this is dry schlerophyll forest, and there have been recent fires, so once again open canopy, no understory. But the undamaged sections of the park revealed a subtle array of grasses, grass-trees and stubby little shrubs.
This wasn't national park until the late 70's - prior to that, it too was grazing land, and the evidence of this remains: stockyards, fences, old road signs marking creek crossings. We were surprised to find a pair of (presumably wild) horses gently grazing around the old homestead which houses the information hut.
The ranger appears to have been absent for the last couple of days, so we self-registered and drove on to find our campsite. Setting up camp was quick and easy - the only stalling point being how to choose our spot with a total absence of other campers.
We then drove off for a quick pre-dinner squiz at whatever we could find. The closest feature on the map was Marlong Arch - so we headed for that. What we found was an impressive sandstone monolith rising up out of the earth, with a high, natural archway built into one end of it its top forming a narrow sandstone bridge. This rock and even the bridge supported much vegetation including the eucalypts most commonly seen around here and a full understory, undamaged by fire and grazing creatures.
Walking around this rock revealed many natural caves in the sides, and we pondered on how this place was used by the original inhabitants who according to National Parks' literature had "vanished from the area" by 1902. We also found a likely-looking route to the top so up we went. The view from the peak of this rock was quite simply phenomenal a 360 degree vista of this lush part of Central Queensland. I was half-expecting to the heads of giraffes popping out above the trees - somehow very reminiscent of Africa, this country.
We explored as far as the archway-end of the rock and I couldn't resist crossing the narrow bridge. I figured if there were trees growing out of it (albeit small ones) it had to be pretty strong.
Following our strenuous rock-climb we headed back to camp to cool off in the nearby rock pool.
A billy-boiled dinner of miso/noodle soup, followed by billy green tea. (Hmm going bush, asian-style). Spurry was enticed by a raucous chorus of frogs - after a while I followed him and found that laying by the rock pool staring at the stars revealed the presence of tiny micro-bats - you could hear them whirring past at incredible speeds, and sometimes catch a glimpse against the moonlit sky.
Spurry said he was going to sleep out with the frogs... I thought he was serious but he's just returned and set himself up in the tent.
The moon rises, the frogs cheer on, and tomorrow's adventures await us.