We move from Carnarvon Gorge to Rockhampton via Blackdown Tableland National Park.
We got up and left Carnarvon early, and were on the road by 8:00. The distances in central Queensland can be deceptive--though it may just look like a little bit on the map, it can be an hour of driving.
Rather than backtracking through Emerald, we took the partially sealed road between Rolleston and Blackwater. Along the way, the odometer rolled over to 100,000km. Whoo hoo! Though I might add... with the new 285/75R16 tires, the odometer and speedometer underestimate by about 5%, so 100km on the odometer is really 105km. Hope the speed cameras aren't watching...
As we sped along the road, we could see the mesa of Blackdown Tableland off the right, looking much like an American Southwest image. We hooked around the north end, then ascended up to the 800m high mesa, which is rather large, perhaps 50km long by 30km wide (I don't know exactly). The most interesting part of Blackdown Tableland was the 4WD loop, a 30km track past weird sandstone outcroppings. Many of the outcroppings had ferns growing in the cracks, and on the taller ones that you couldn't climb up there were orchids growing (the park brochure called them 'king orchids'.) Along the track, there were a couple of lookouts we stopped at, where we got one of those "you can see to infinity!" views. I also saw a somewhat rare cycad, Macrozamia platyrachis that grows up there.
After that, we came back down the steep road, and headed into Rockhampton. Curiously, though it's very close to the coast, Rocky isn't a lush city--it's quite dry, unlike any east coast city I've seen here. Since it was 4:00pm and the sun was still up for another hour and a half, we wandered through the old Botanic Garden, still going after 130 years. While there were some interesting things there, it was a bit disappointing, as it was laid out primarily as a pleasure garden, with manicured hedges and lawns. Still, most of the plants were labeled, which was good, and the garden was well kept.
Next to the garden is the zoo, which has the northern hairy-nosed wombat breeding center. There's only about 100 of the species left, in a small patch in north central Queensland, and they're very secretive. I spent awhile reading the information board, and learned that there's only 30 breeding females. Something tells me that this species--a hefty sized mammal at some 40kg when grown--will be extinct in a few years. In some sense, it's a shame. For years, Australian biologists have held this notion that Australia is a land filled with creatures that are "primitive" or "inferior", like the platypus or marsupials (the kangaroo is a marsupial)... and as a result, they haven't been too keen until fairly recently that there are endangered plants and animals worth saving. Here in Queensland, it seems that switchover in thinking took place 15 years or so ago. Almost all the national parks and preserves we've been to here were created since 1985... and it seems like they are starting to get it in this state.
Though you talk to someone from Sydney or Melbourne, and you'd think Queensland is just a bunch of dumbfuck Christian rednecks. I'm sure there are some folks here that fit that description, but there are plenty other people that have it together just as much as their southern counterparts.
Anyways...
After the Botanic Garden, we gave the car a bath for the second time, and headed to the Mexican food place across the street ("Cactus Jack's"). This was actually tasty--my chicken enchiladas were spot on, and the guacamole on the chips wasn't called avocado sauce and was decent. The margaritas, sadly, were made with lemon juice. Pucker up!
And that was our day.