Springsure was the first small town we encountered on our trip to Carnarvon Gorge. The escarpment overlooking the town features a noticeable area called the Virgin Rock because of the weathered likeness of the Virgin Mary holding her child. We then passed through Rolleston before tackling the incredibly rough track into the gorge.
Unfortunately we were unable to stay more than one night as it was school holidays so didn’t get to see much of the area. We spent the afternoon wandering up the Mickey Creek Gorge where we saw the beautiful rock faces, soaring palms, cycads and the slightly trickling stream.
The rock pool/swimming hole was a great place for photos, swimming and the children were having a great time sliding down the rock into the water. Baloon Cave was a short walk from the roadway so with just enough time to venture in there we were able to see some aboriginal art work on the sandstone as well as some interesting rock layers with various coloured ochre. As the park was going to be overflowing the next day with 65 new campers coming in, we decided to make an early start to get out before the rush.
The Rewan Memorial was part way along the track to the Gorge so we stopped to investigate. The memorial honours the lives of Australian and US soldiers who died when a Dakota aircraft crashed in the Carnarvon Creek in 1943. We then made our way to Injune, a quiet little town with a few old buildings and stayed the night in the caravan park.
Roma is a very old township with a prosperous past and present. The area started as a cattle and farming area but with the need for a better water supply, drilling for bore water was commenced. In 1899 the drilling made the town famous when natural gas was discovered. Now days with gas, oil, petroleum and coal in production as well as the huge cattle industry the town is flourishing. Roma’s saleyards have the largest turnover of cattle per year in Australia.
Magnificent old buildings lining the main streets of Roma include the Court House, hotels and churches including St Paul’s Anglican Church with spectacular stained glass windows and a 567 pipe organ. A three dimensional mural depicting the history of the town can be viewed at the Council Chambers.
A “Big Windmill”, a “Bailey Bridge” and a mini-train are also worth a visit. An avenue of bottle trees lines the streets of the town in honour of the fallen soldiers of the district and a huge bottle tree with a girth of 9.13 metres and unknown age is located in the park near the river.
Roma’s “Big Rig” outlines the history of the gas industry with a walk around display with interpretive areas which can be viewed during the day and an evening show is quite spectacular with lighting and a video display.
