CARNARVON & SURROUNDING ATTRACTIONS
BEACHES & PARKS
Explore the local parks for relaxing and beaches for swimming,
walking and fishing, all only a short 5 minute drive from Marloo.
FISHING
There are many fishing opportunities in the town of
Carnarvon. You can fish from the One Mile Jetty, 6 Local Beaches,
12 Coastal beaches or take a charter fishing boat out to the deep
blue water for the big ones.
AIR TOURS
Tropic Air - Phone: (08) 9941 2002
A Thrill A Minute - The Sky Is The Limit!
Take time out to encounter the beauty and charm of this lovely region.
See the real splendour of Mt. Augustus and the Kennedy Ranges. See
the real outback, the beautiful coast, customised air tours to suit
your special requirements in the comfort of our modern, 4-8 seater,
multi and single engine aircraft. Travel to Monkey Mia, Ningaloo
Reef, or over the Banana plantations - a trip you'll never forget.
AUSTRALIAN WILDFLOWERS
Travel 5 kilometres up the north west coastal highway
and view the amazing wildflowers Carnarvon has to offer. The town
has all the complete Australian range of national fauna from Kangaroo
Paws, Bottle Brush, Woolly Orange Banksia to the Australian Small
Hibiscus.
AUSTRALIAN NATIVE ANIMALS
Another 5 kilometres out of town you are able to view
the various different species of Australian native animals from
the Kangaroo, Emus and the Thorny Devil Lizards, to many other types
of Australian wild animals.
MOUNT AUGUSTUS
(The biggest ROCK in the world!)
450 kilometres east of Carnarvon lies Mt. Augustus,
named on 31st August 1858 by F T Gregory and brother Augustus who
were then leading an expedition in search of the remains of Dr Leichardt.
Mt. Augustus is 1,150m above sea level and 858m above the surround
plain. The main difference between Ayers Rock and Mt. Augustus is
that the former is a monolith and the later is a monocline. Mt.
Augustus is twice the size of Ayers Rock but is clad in low scrub.
The granite rock which lies beneath the surface is between 1650
to 1750 million years old.
Mt. Augustus is located 37 kilometres from Cobra Station.
Accommodation is only 5 kilometres from the base of the Rock at
the Mt. Augustus Outback Tourist Resort (08) 99430565. Road conditions
vary from season to season and up to date information can be sought
at the Main Roads Department at Carnarvon or the Gascoyne Junction
Shire Office.
KENNEDY RANGES
The Kennedy Ranges is approximately 163 kilometres
east of Carnarvon and running north from Gascoyne Junction. The
ranges are 75 kilometres long and up to 30m wide. A tourist road
leads to a picnic site by the cliffs where fossils can be found.
If you are a gemstone collector Opalite, Mookarite, Chalcedony,
Petrified Wood and fossils can be readily obtained.
Petrol can be purchased from Gascoyne Junction at
the southern end of the ranges and at Minilya at the northern end.
Remember to take plenty of water and make sure that your vehicle
is in good condition.
ONE MILE JETTY
The historical One Mile Jetty was built in 1897. You
can either walk the 1.6 kilometres or take the "Coffee Pot"
train out to the end where you can view mangrove and marine life,
beautiful sunsets or throw in a line and try your luck. The One
Mile Jetty is renowned for Mulloway, Tailor, Bream all year. Blue
Manna crabs can be caught between March and July and mud crabs all
year.
The Kimberley built in Scotland in 1922 has been fully
restored. Train rides from the precinct to the Tramway Bridge during
the tourist season are available.
OTC SATELLITE DISH
The OTC Base situated on Brown's Range ceased to operate
as an earth satellite base on 31st March 1987. Carnarvon was the
site of Australia's first earth station for satellite communications
with a 13m Cassegrainhor Antennae commencing operation in 1966.
Initially established to support the NASA Tracking Station during
the "Gemini" and Apollo" space missions, it was the
station that saw Australians viewing their first satellite TV program
- an exchange between Carnarvon and London - the show being "Down
Under Comes Up Live". The second antennae, a 29.6m Parabolic
Dish was opened in 1969 for international communications via the
Intelsat Pacific Ocean Satellite. Today the Dish Pedestal Base is
used for panoramic views of Carnarvon.
THE CARNARVON BLOWHOLES
The Blowholes is an area, which has attractions for
all tastes and is well worth a visit. Discovered in 1911, the "Blows"
are located 73 kilometres from Carnarvon. The turnoff is 24 kilometres
north via the North West Coastal Highway and then its 49 kilometres
to the coast on all bitumen road. A powerful jet of water is forced
with enormous pressure through holes in the rock, sometimes to a
height of 20m.
One kilometre south of the Blows lays a pristine beach
protected by a coral reef. A small pool adjacent to the island contains
tropical fish and shells. Oysters can be prised from the rocks and
crayfish can be found among the reefs.
THE GASCOYNE RIVER
Carnarvon supplies a large percentage of metropolitan
Perth's fruit and vegetables, which are all watered from a subterranean
river under the dry riverbed of the Gascoyne River. It provides
ample water for the banana plantations and vegetable growers. Visitors
are welcome to visit the plantations and a chocolate-coated banana
is recommended.
These two photos show the rapidly changing state
of the Gascoyne River.
A completely dry riverbed (left) is almost completely filled (right)
following a tropical summer storm. There is a 2 day difference between
the wet and dry states in the two photos.
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