Visit the Porcupine Gorge National Park Qld
 Porcupine Gorge National Park with its cool, clear, flowing creek, towering cliffs of vibrantly coloured sandstone and comparatively dense vegetation provides a striking contrast to the sparsely wooded, dry, flat plains which surround it. This impressive canyon reveals strata of sedimentary rocks spanning hundreds of millions of years of geological history.
A thin, hard basalt cap, the product of geologically recent lava flows, has in most places protected the older underlying rock, but where this has been worn away, the scouring action of waterborne particles has excavated a deep chasm into the softer sandstone.
Wind and water have coloured and sculptured the sandstone to form fluted channels, boulders, potholes, and shallow caves. Permanent deep pools, each with its resident tortoises, are lined with casuarinas (she-oaks) and melaleucas (paperbarks) while a variety of eucalypts and acacias grow from precarious positions on the cliffs above.
 Midday in the gorge is usually a time of harsh light, contrasting shadows and an eerie quiet, but as the sun’s rays set the rocks aglow with their afternoon colours, the gorge reverberates with the calls currawongs, parrots and the occasional soaring bird of prey. Closer observation reveals a wide variety of birds including the black duck, crimson-winged parrot, black bittern and numerous honeyeaters.
The gorge becomes a focal point for may animals in the dry season while others like the wallaroo and rock wallaby are permanent residents. In the wider section of the gorge is the Pyramid, an isolated monolith of multicoloured sandstone rising from the floor of the gorge and shaped as its name suggests.
Facilities include Car parking, Picnic Area, Public Toilet, Sheltered Area and a viewing platform and gorge .ookout. Entry is free.
 How to get There
Porcupine Gorge begins about 50 kilometres north of Hughenden. The Gorge Lookout and the Pyramid are several kilometres further north. The unsealed Kennedy Development Road from Hughenden to Lyndhurst runs parallel to the western edge of the gorge and when dry is accessible to all vehicle types with care. After storms, the road may be temporarily closed to conventional vehicles. Local advice should be sought regarding road conditions at these times.
Activities you can engage in include...
Abseiling where you must provide your own equipment.
Animal Viewing and Birdwatching.
Bushwalking: The best entry to the bottom of the gorge is from the Pyramid Lookout camping ground. Here a gently descending foot track leads into the gorge. Once at the bottom of the gorge, extensive flat rocky platforms provide a natural pathway downstream.
Camping: Basic facilities are provided at the Pyramid Lookout camping ground. These include a pit toilet and a shelter shed. Campers should bring their own drinking water, as the water supply is unreliable. Camping permits can be purchased from Charters Towers, Townsville or from the self-registration station at the camping ground.
Caving, Photography & Rock Climbing – Must provide own equipment.
For more information regarding this park, and other Queensland National Parks and reserves go to Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service.
If travelling to Queensland have a look at Queensland Holidays.
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