I believe the fauna of the Carnarvon landscape does not hold as much interest for the visitor as do the spectacular landforms and vibrant spring flowers. Yes there are kangaroos and several species of wallaby, while possums, gliders and bats may be glimpsed feeding around the eucalypts and palms if you make the effort to venture out night spotting. Echidnas and platypus are not uncommon but are likely to prove elusive. The former hide away camouflaged in the scrub, and the latter swim and forage silently in the deeper pools along with crayfish, eels, and catfish. Of the many reptiles it is the goannas and water dragons that are most likely to be seen. They are often startled by the noise of your approach and scurry away up a tree of into the water.
For keen bird watchers there are certainly many delights throughout the Gorge and ranges. In the mornings and evenings large flocks of parrots and lorikeets fly up and down the creeks in a crescendo of joy. Honeyeaters are not so noisy but no less common, while magpies and crows are ever present around camping areas. Wedge-tailed eagles, whistling kites and hawks may be seen gliding around the clifftops, but down in Carnarvon Gorge the most graceful flyer is the solitary white ibis – a bird that in large flocks has sadly become a pest species in urban areas.
Despite the other attractions I feel I must reiterate that it is the geology that results in the most defining impressions one takes away after tramping through the National Parks of the Queensland Sandstone belt. I refer in particular to the rock spires and arches. My favourite spire has to be Mt. Mooloolong in the KaKa Mundi section, but there is also Lot’s Wife in the Mt. Moffatt area, The Sentinel, the Three Sisters in Salvator Rosa, and The Candlesticks in Lonesome National Park; while every visitor is sure to remember Goothalanda, The Devil’s Signpost, that tall rock statue that salutes you from the cuesta ridge as you enter or leave Carnarvon Gorge on O’Briens Causeway.