Boolimba Bluff Lookout

Our final day of expeditioning (is that a word) through Carnarvon Gorge. We leave early for a 900 step climb up to Boolimba Bluff Lookout.

It’s very steep and hard going in parts but we have the 1,000 steps back in Melbourne so we are psyched up knowing we have 100 steps already in the bank. In parts, the steps become ladders and upon reaching the summit, there’s another 1km to go to reach the bluff.

It’s the best view of the gorge and surrounding plateaus and a great way to take it all in. From above, there is little evidence of bush fires as all we can see is green canopy for miles. Although we missed sunrise, you have to get up at 4.am and do the track, there are clouds on the horizon which give the gorge and surroundings great depth. Any day would be awesome up here, even a storm.

I give my ‘standing on one foot on edge of cliff’ a go and in one shot, myself and Jen are jostling each other, assume to throw each other off the cliff. It ended up 50:50 so both survived.

Hiking In the bush makes one very tired so I was cocooned by 8.00pm. Jen had snuck out with a torch and went to visit the place where they do star gazing. It’s more open and free from canopy so a great place to see The Galaxy, Milky Way, Mars, Star Bar... Jen must have had chocolate on her mind.

Anyhow, on her return, she crossed paths with a 2m python and watched it pass by at a safe distance. Must be similar to my grey bellied python. I was still on another planet when Jen returned so she told me the story of her encounter in the morning and I told her “she’s dreamin” but no... she was Adam Ant.Read more