FAMILY FUN ATTRACTIONS MITCHELL

Mt Moffatt section of Carnarvon National Park is remote and situated Queensland's highest plateau. Rugged ranges sweep down to sandstone cliffs, with open woodlands and sandy valleys below. From any of the four basic campsites, take a long, scenic four wheel drive to the park's features. Short walks to nature's amazing sculptures at Lot's Wife, Marlong Arch and The Chimneys; and to cultural heritage sites. View Aboriginal rock art from the boardwalks at The Tombs and Kookaburra Cave. Picnic at the Top Shelter Shed. From the Consuelo Tableland, enjoy sweeping views over the park. Go birdwatching for honeyeaters, parrots and raptors by day, and spotlighting for feathertail gliders and sugar gliders at night.

Mitchell's war memorial stands out from the crowd for its unusual design and colour, urging recall and fostering remembrance of names which, as its engraving says, 'liveth forever more'. Major General Sir Thomas Glasgow unveiled the memorial, erected in 1927. The one-of-a-kind sandstone and granite memorial had cost Mitchell's farming community £464. A financial subscription for the memorial was initiated by the Chamber of Commerce and the Booringa Shire Council in 1920. Four steps lead to four Doric pillars surrounding recessed plates of red polished granite which bear the engraved names of 51 locals who served in WWI. One panel also bears the AIF badge. A red granite column, capped by a polished orb, sits atop the square monument's base.

The Maranoa Art Gallery is housed in the beautifully transformed old Maranoa Picture Theatre and is the cultural hub of Mitchell. This unique arts precinct includes an impressive gallery area, library, movie projection room display and outdoor artists' workspace and sculpture garden. A dedicated Gallery Committee strives to develop an impressive exhibition calendar of inspiring and creative works from local, regional and metropolitan artists.

Within Carnarvon National Park, Tombs Circuit walking tracks lead from the orientation area to unusual rock pillars and an Aboriginal art site. The track passes the Chimneys, three pillars of rock that have been separated from the narrow end of a small bluff of Precipice Sandstone, where water has eroded down vertical fractures. Beyond the Maranoa River the sandstone bluff known as The Tombs shelters more than 400 stencilled Aboriginal motifs. The Tombs once contained burial chambers for local Aboriginal people. Take a close look at the rock art from a boardwalk with seats. Continue along the circuit to the Looking Glass, where wind has eroded a cave right through an isolated sandstone pillar standing by the Maranoa River. The Park is also noted for its birdwatching opportunities with at least 172 species recorded.