The entrance to the Carnarvon National Park, Mount
Moffatt section
Taking in the view at the Rotary Shelter Shed camping area
The Roof of Queensland
At its heart, the 3000sq km Carnarvon National Park comprises seven sections that protect a diverse range of landforms and ecosystems. The best known, and most visited, is the magnificent Carnarvon Gorge, but the largest and highest is the Mount Moffatt section to its west. Mount Moffatt itself is a basalt-capped peak rising to 1097m above sea level. The high country around it is a mosaic of writhing sandstone ridges, monoliths and outcrops rising dramatically from broad, sandy plains and open, grassy woodlands. Fringed by escarpments standing more than 700m high, the Moffatt plateau provides spectacular views over serried ranks of basalt-crested ranges flanked by deep valleys.
“Mount Moffatt's varied landscape and mix of sedimentary and volcanic soils support a rich mosaic of plant communities”
Ancient origins
The defining element of Mount Moffatt geology is the creamy-white sandstone revealed in its many eroded outcrops. It was created from layers of sand deposited by slow-moving rivers on a broad, flat plain about 190 million years ago. Over millions more years, the silica sediments were compressed into deep beds
