An old, empty shop in Injune

Injune (including Carnarvon National Park)
Quiet rural town which is the southern entry point to the Carnarvon National Park.
Injune is one of those quaint Central West townships where it seems as though time has stood still. The signpost at the southern end of town announces that the town has an elevation of 1274 (which must be feet - they still think in inches and miles out here), a population of 600, and lots of 'menities' including electricity 1955, water 1956 and sewerage 1962.

It is a tiny settlement with little to interest the visitor. The main interest, according to locals further to the north, is that it is known throughout the area as the home of some of the best cattle duffers in Australia. The Hidden Valley, nearby, was a place of some notoriety for the cattle duffers.

But this is unfair. It was near Injune that the writer Frank Dalby Davison worked from 1919-1923 and the district was the setting for his most famous book Man-Shy, an unusual novel written from the viewpoint of a wild red heifer and describing the life of outback cattle. It won the Australian Literature Society's Gold Medal in 1931.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
The Injune Tourist Information Centre is located in Hutton St, tel: (07) 4626 1053, or email injuneic@tpg.com.au.

Carnarvon National Park
Injune is also the southern entry point to Carnarvon National Park - one of the wonders of Queensland.

There are two main ways into Carnarvon National Park. It is 44 km over a windy dirt road from a point which is 116 km from Injune and 65 km from Rolleston. The other route from Rolleston is 19 km on the main road then 67 km from the turnoff. Whichever route is taken a visit to the Carnarvon National Park is a labour of love but one which is rewarding for those who are interested in unspoilt Australian bushland and some of the finest Aboriginal art in the country.

Both the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service and the RACQ have brochures on the Park (the RACQ brochure is available from Carnarvon Gateway Service Station in Injune).

National Parks and Wildlife have described the area as a 'tangle of peaks, gorges, and sandstone cliffs, it is one of the wildest regions of the central western section of Queensland'.

The area was first explored by Europeans when Major Thomas Mitchell passed through it in 1846 but such was the ruggedness of the terrain that it wasn't until around 1900 that cattlemen moved into the area. The local cattle duffers, the Kenniff brothers, used it as a suitable hideout. Their occupation was brief. In 1932 the bulk of the park (65 000 acres - about 26 300 hectares) was proclaimed with another 1 480 acres being added in 1954. Today the park has been extended to cover 223 000 hectares.

The centre piece of the park is the Carnarvon Gorge itself. Running for over 30 km it varies in width from 40-400 metres. The gorge has vast stands of spotted gum, cabbage palm and cycads as well as ferns, elkhorns, and lichens near the waterfalls.

The caves and cliff walls were a popular place for Aboriginal art and contain some of the finest examples of hands, axes, emu tracks and boomerangs to be seen anywhere in Australia. Using the technique of blowing pigment over a stencil the Aborigines painted on the walls in red ochre and white, black and yellow pigments.

Camping is available and must be arranged in advance with the Park Ranger (07) 4984 4505 or, for those requiring more creature comforts, there is the Carnarvon Gorge Oasis Lodge with camping and cabin-style accommodation and a licensed dining room (07 4984 4503). Other accommodation in the area is provided by Takarakka Bush Resort (tel: 07 4984 4535) and Arcadia Valley Escape, tel: (07) 4626 7197.

There are a rich variety of walks in the area from the Lodge and the Camping Area up the gorge to various amphitheatres, art galleries, caves and narrow side gorges.

	Tourist Information
	Injune Information Centre Hutton St Injune QLD 4454 Telephone: (07) 4626 1053 Facsimile: (07) 4626 1110 Email: injuneic@tpg.com.au
	Motels
	Injune Motel 58 Hutton St Injune QLD 4454 Telephone: (07) 4626 1328 Facsimile: (07) 4626 1168 Rating: **
	Hotels
	Graces Hotel 31 Station St Injune QLD 4454 Telephone: (07) 4626 1205
	Farm & Eco Holidays
	Carnarvon Gorge Oasis Lodge Carnarvon Gorge Injune QLD 4454 Telephone: (07) 4984 4503 Facsimile: (07) 4984 4500
	Lodges & Chalets
	Carnarvon Gorge Oasis Lodge Carnarvon Gorge Injune QLD 4454 Telephone: (07) 4984 4503 Facsimile: (07) 4984 4500
	Caravan Parks
	Injune Caravan Park 3rd Ave Injune QLD 4454 Telephone: (07) 4626 1053 Rating: **
	Camping & Other
	Queensland National Parks & Wildlife Camping Ground (permit required) Carnarvon Gorge Injune QLD 4454 Telephone: (07) 4984 4505
	Restaurants
	Graces Hotel 31 Station St Injune QLD 4454 Telephone: (07) 4626 1205