Copperfield Gorge Einasleigh

Copperfield Gorge at Einasleigh, in the Etheridge Shire

We have visited Copperfield Gorge twice, once at the start of September 2022 and again in April 2023. The difference in visits, was amazing. In September the air was hot, the water wasn’t running and swimming was unappealing (and we didn’t). Fast forward to April, the air was still hot, but after a very impressive wet season, the flowing water was cool and clear, perfect for swimming, stand up paddle boarding and relaxing (and we did all of those things). The gorge itself is wide and long, its basalt walls are visually striking with patterns and shapes always changing as you explore its length. It’s very accessible too, being just a short walk from the on-site parking and covered picnic tables. However, please note you are walking over the basalt outcrop, which is uneven in places and the surface can be very hot in the middle of the day. You can wander atop its walls and peer down and along the gorge, or explore more by traversing down a fissure in the rocks to the water below – again we did both, with the stand up paddle boards (SUP) and our adventurous border collie.

“To get the SUPs to the water, we carried them over the headland from the car park and down a fissure to the waiting water. It was about a 5-minute walk from the car to the water. Meantime, to get the dog into the water and find somewhere we could comfortably relax in the shade, we walked further along the headland and scrambled over some rocks to a wide sandy beach below. Here the puppy party and SUP party joined back together, and we took turns exploring the waters and walls of Copperfield Gorge. From the ‘beach’, the water was shallow and good for splashing, with deeper water further out and up the Gorge for swimming and stand up paddle up boarding – the small waterfall was an unexpected surprise.” – Julie Johnston

Copperfield Gorge and Einasleigh

Copperfield Gorge is adjacent to the major building in town, the Einasleigh Hotel which was constructed in 1909. Einasleigh, which was originally named Copperfield – for the river and gorge – ‘was laid out in 1900 by the mining warden on a new township reserve established near the Einasleigh Company’s copper mine’*. This was one of north Queensland’s earliest mineral discoveries and the copper was sent to the Chillagoe Smelters for processing (this is another gem of the Gulf Savannah area, check out our 48 Hours in Chillagoe review). The Einasleigh Hotel is still operating today and you can stop in for a cold drink and meal (call ahead to check opening hours), you can even take your dog with you.

Anyway, back to the gorge. Definitely the most impressive aspect of Copperfield Gorge for me, was its basalt walls with its columns and changing faces. Getting up close to them on the stand up paddle boards was excellent and for me, the perfect way to explore the gorge. Other Copperfield Gorge SUP highlights included gliding through the calm waters and over submerged boulders, watching schools of archer fish and brim dart through the water like shimmering, silver bullets, and making our way right up to the waterfall before letting the current take us back down. Our little ‘beach’ spot was secluded and shaded too and our border collie loved splashing around in the shallows and cooling down in the water. To get to the ‘beach’ was about a 10-minute walk from the car park (which seemed to take longer due to my concern regarding hot rocks and dog paws), you walked on to the headland and then turned left, tracking across the rocks, over a dilapidated barbed wire fence, down some rocks on to the ‘beach’. Access to the gorge is free and as it is not a national park or nature reserve, you can take your pets with you.