Cape York 2009 Trip Report - Part 3

Day 11 – 20/07/09

We had a day off travelling and spent a very restful day walking, swimming and taking photos around Twin Falls and Elliot Falls. This is a beautiful spot and certainly was great to recover from several days of driving. I saw two snakes here one in the water upstream from The Saucepan (this was a great swimming spot)

and one having lunch just beside the track to Twin Falls.

As it got dark I had a play with longer exposures for the photos of the waterfalls so they look a bit more arty.

We had a restful evening and sat around the campfire for awhile, using some of the 2 bags of firewood I had bought from home. It started to rain later on so we all had an early night in bed.

Day 12 – 21/07/09

We packed up and left the camp by 8am and headed north on the OTT. The first three creeks were a bit harder than those on the southern section of the OTT, mainly the entrances and exits.

The log bridge at Cypress creek was a bit scary when you walk across it as it doesn't seem to be enough to take a car, but with a bit of direction we all crossed without any problems.

The next two creeks, including Bridge creek were a bit deeper so we used the water bras on the cars, just to be safe and there were no problems.

Then we were back on the Bamaga Road and crossed the Jardine river on the Ferry ($88). We saw a few of the Endeavour Rally cars go past along the way and they kicked up quite a bit of dust. We drove into Bamaga via some of the back roads and came out near the airport and then had some lunch. We ended up setting up camp at Loyalty beach which turned out to be a very nice place with a good view up and down the coast.

It was pretty humid and we all worked up a decent sweat while setting up camp, but we were able to cool down with a nice shower afterwards.

Drinks at the beach-side bar followed and we watched the sun set over the sea.

Day 13 – 22/07/09

I had a lazy morning and did some washing, so it would dry while we were out driving. We left Loyalty Beach camp about 9 and took some back roads heading north and got to the tip of Cape York by about 10 am. On the way we saw a Hyundai Excel that was stopped and examining the last creek crossing, which wasn't all that deep but it was very uneven and would have provided some clearance problems for the Excel. It ended up making it through as we saw it later in the car park.

We took the walk through the boardwalk, leftover from a failed resort, being careful not to step on the rotten sections. Then it was up and over the hills to the tip for the obligatory photos before coming back around the mangroves to the west of the Cape.

Back at the car park we had a bit of morning tea before heading off for a drive to the Somerset ruins.

After this we went for a drive to Fly Point through some fairly overgrown tracks (I'm sure all the little marks will polish out. I hope). If ever there was a place suited to alternative energy generation then this would be it.

Heaps of nice bright sunshine, lots of bloody wind and the currents running between the mainland and Albany Island were shifting a massive amount of water. As always there was a pile of plastic/rubber thongs in this remote spot that must have been washed up by the tide.

We then went beach and headland hopping on a nice 4wd drive to Nanthau Beach, once again very windy and the track was a bit rough in places but the Pajero handled it all pretty well, but slower than the Cruisers. Then it was back to the main road and a nice 4wd track out to Punsand Bay for a look at the camping facilities there. They had a pool and it looked pretty nice, but someone we ran into later said the rest of the facilities weren't all that crash hot. We had a late lunch here, probably cleaning them out of Mrs. Mac's Pies. On the way back to Loyalty Beach we stopped in at the Croc Tent and there was some truly tacky souvenirs available, but I think we all resisted the urge to purchase anything. Back at camp I retrieved my well and truly dry washing before we headed out for a drive to Bamaga airport to check out some old plane wrecks.

The wrecks closest to Bamaga ended up being the one in the best condition and I think there were some shown on Richard's map that had disappeared altogether. We stopped in at Seisa for supplies on the way back, as their supermarket was much better stocked than the Bamaga one. We all headed off to the Lodge for afternoon drinks and on the way found a Tawny Frog mouthed Owl in a tree.

Richard, Ross and Brett stayed on at the Lodge for a meal of Baked Mackerel, while I went back to camp for a nice home cooked steak. Once again the sunset over the sea was magnificent.

Day 14 – 23/07/09

We had booked a Fishing trip and visit to a Pearl farm for the day so we met the boat at the Seisa wharf at 8:30 am.

It looked like starting well as the tour guide (Glen ?) expertly caught some livies using a cast net from the highest point of the wharf. As the tide was getting close to its lowest point we had to go the long way around the islands. We had a few lures out the back of the boat and one supposedly had a hit on the way but no fish. We got into the lee of one of the islands and drifted through some deep spots fishing with livies but guess what - no fish. As it was getting close to lunch time we headed onto Roku Island where there was a small family owned and run Pearl farm and we had a quick tour of the island, found some photogenic spots and had some lunch.

Then it was off to try our luck at fishing again as the wind was getting stronger and once again no fish. With the wind getting up we got a little wet on the way home but apart from not catching any fish it had been a pretty good day out on the water. That afternoon we spent resting and getting ready to hit the road again tomorrow.

Day 15 - 24/07/09

Bugger – While packing my OzTent in the morning I snapped one of the sliding/folding joints as a gust of wind hit the tent.

I'll have to use my little travel tent from now on. From Bamaga we headed back down the road to Injinoo and then onto the Jardine river ferry – after a lap or two Injinoo due to the lack of sign posts. On the drive back to the ferry we were going to go and have a look at the old Jardine river crossing, but they had done some severe road work and before we realised it we were at the ferry. The GPS's showed us driving through bush.

From here it was back down the Bamaga road until it met the OTT where we made a small detour in to see Fruit Bat Falls as it was sunnier then when we passed it on the way north.

We also had a nice refreshing swim and a bit of morning tea before heading off again to the south to find the road to Captain Billy Landing (CBL). The section of the Bamaga road between Fruit Bat Falls and the turnoff to CBL was probably the roughest we had encountered and then road to CBL was even worse.

We arrived at the camp site about 1:30 pm and found it was bloody windy and as there was only one other Camper trailer there we took over the shelter shed to set up camp and use it as a wind break. Richard and I set up camp in the lee of the shed and then used our cars as secondary wind breaks while Brett and Ross set up camp in the shelter shed with Brett setting his swag up on one of tables.

After camp was set up we went for a leisurely stroll along the beach and around the headland to the south, the scenery was quite pleasant and varied from rock pools, to bat caves and beaches.

Once again there was a snake of some sort in one of the caves but I couldn't get too close to get a decent photo.

The wind didn't really die down at all in the evening but we built a small fire in the fire pit provided and had a pleasant evening around it.

Cape York 2009 Trip Report - Part 2

Day 6 – 15/07/09

Packed up and went in to Cooktown to get some coffee, fuel up and see if Brett's tyre had arrived. It hadn't arrived but was imminent, so Richard, Ross and I drove off to the Endeavour Falls caravan park to have a look at the falls and have a swim. However, there had been a croc sighting a few months previously so the appropriate signs and warnings were in place and we didn't get our swim.

We had some morning tea and then an early lunch before Brett finally caught up. Had a chat to couple who were riding to Cape York on a pair of old Postie bikes – looked like hard work.

We continued on to Old Laura via Battle Camp road, which was pretty rough in places, where we stopped for a few photos.

Then onto Laura where we checked out the options of getting to the Maytown ruins. Also, saw an old restored Austin in Laura.

The route into Maytown from the north was apparently pretty rough so we decided to go to the Palmer River Roadhouse for the evening and watch the State of Origin game. The camping here was very basic in the car park with the diesel generator going just behind us.

Unfortunately Qld lost the football but the $10 dinner was pretty good.

Day 7 – 16/07/09

It got pretty bloody cold over night (7 deg C) and very dewy. The generator started up early but it was too cold to get out of bed. The boys had a cooked breakfast at the Roadhouse and we left at about 8:30 am for the drive into Maytown. The road was pretty good but got rough the closer we got to Maytown.

The ruins were very interesting and you can still see the old paving stones for the street.

The Palmer River crossing was interesting and Brett got some good photos of the Paj going through the very dry sand crossing.

Came back to the Palmer River Roadhouse for afternoon tea and then headed on toward Musgrave Roadhouse. The Hema book said there was nice camping spot at the Mary Valley property, however it seemed to be closed. We ended up stopping at a road side picnic spot next to the Morehead River and Richard and Ross set up their swags in the shelter shed, I put up my small travelling tent and Brett constructed a shelter for his swag that hung off the bullbar of his Cruiser. The toilet here was not the best and was pretty smelly. It was noisy next to the road but there wasn't much traffic so it worked out fine.

Day 8 – 17/07/09

We left Morehead River around 8ish and continued onto the Musgrave Roadhouse where we fuelled up and then continued onto Coen where we had morning tea. We should have waited to fuel up here as it was a bit cheaper. Weipa was the next stop and we got there around lunch time and checked into the caravan park, pretty expensive at $24 for an unpowered site, although it did have a good view and was right on the beach front.

Did a bit of washing and went for a swim in the pool while it dried. Cooked dinner and had an early night to bed.

Day 9 – 18/07/09

After a bit of confusion we fuelled up and left Weipa about 9:30. We took the track across Batavia Downs to the Telegraph Road, where had a bit of morning tea. We carried onto Bramwell Junction where we had lunch and then headed out on the Old Telegraph Track (OTT).

The entrance to the first creek crossing (Palm Creek) was pretty steep and rough but the crossing itself was easy and not too deep.

We continued on and found the OTT was not particularly difficult and ended up camping on the north side of the Dulhunty River crossing. Keeping an eye out for crocs we had a quick swim in the river where the crossing is, just to cool off after setting up camp.

Day 10 - 19/07/09

Left the Dulhunty River about 8 am and headed north. The next two crossings were pretty easy, as there was not a lot of water. Gunshot Creek had a couple of very steep and nasty entry points but we all took the cautious approach and used the Chicken track which was still a bit steep in its own right. There was only a couple of inches of water in the creek.

The next creek was Cockatoo Creek after picking the right line it was really only about ½ wheel height deep.

We stopped at Sheldon Lagoon and had a quick look at the turtles there, then onto the Bamaga Road where we picked up a bit of firewood.

The dozer driver at the road works offered to knock down a tree or two for us to get a bit more wood.

It was then onto the OTT northern section where we turned off for a look at Fruit Bat Falls, which is a beautiful spot, although it was overcast and not that good for taking photos.

We continued onto to Twin/Elliot Falls where we were lucky to get a camping spot big enough for our tents. After setting up camp we had a spot of lunch and went for swim. We had a relaxing afternoon around camp followed by a walk and another swim.

Cape York 2009 Trip Report - Part 1

Day 1 – 10/07/09

Did a final pack up and left home 7ish in the morning and drove to work.

Checked a few things at work and made sure the backups were working properly. Left work about 11:30 and headed to Labradore to fuel up.

I had a good run to Brisbane and across the Gateway, however the road works at Morayfield soon slowed everything down. Had lunch at the pie shop at Wild Horse Mt Mobil service station.

Got to Childers about 4ish but it was too early to stop so I continued onto to Rockhampton and got there about 7:30 pm. Found a cheap caravan park on the north side of Rocky (Parkhurst) and stayed there the night. Unfortunately, it was pretty noisy as it was just off the main road and quite near the railway line and the Rocky Square Dancing Hall was right next door and they were going strong as it was Friday night. Had a nice hot shower and was in bed by 9ish, the dancing finished about 10:30.

Day 2 – 11/07/09

Got up early and left Rocky by 6:45 am and then drove and drove and drove. Filled up at Mackay and had lunch. Then drove and drove and drove. Ended up staying at a caravan park in Cowley Beach, about 30 kms south of Innisfail. Nice little spot, just back from the beach and protected from the sea breeze by trees. Traffic was mostly good although around the bigger towns it got a bit slow.

Day 3 – 12/07/09

Had some light rain overnight so packed up the little travelling tent a bit wet and was on the road by 7 am. Continued onto Cairns where I fuelled up again. Went and had a look at a Hippy market just north of Cairns and then drove into Port Douglas for a look and a walk on the beach.

I met up with Richard and Ross at Mossman Gorge after a pleasant walk through the rainforest. We then drove on and set up camp at the Pinnacle Village Holiday Park which is just north of Wonga Beach. Pretty nice spot for $12 per person for the night. It was pretty humid and easy to work up a sweat while setting up camp. Brett dropped in to say hello and that he was going to be slumming it for the night in the resort at Port Douglas with some friends. Watched a bit of the cricket that night before bed – the test ended up drawn.

Day 4 – 13/07/09

Brett turned up just after 8 am and we left to fuel up at Wonga Beach before heading to the Ferry crossing at the Daintree river. It wasn't too crowded and we got on the ferry almost straight away. There was then a pleasant drive through to the rainforest Cape Tribulation. We stopped along the way at the lookout at the top of the Donovan Range

and had a walk on Thornton Beach

followed by a walk through the Marrdja Boardwalk.

We then hit the Bloomfield track proper after a creek crossing which while not particularly difficult signalled that we were leaving civilisation behind. The Bloomfield track was a pretty easy drive as it was dry and most of the steep sections had been concreted so they weren't a problem. We stopped for lunch at a boat ramp on the Bloomfield river just near Ayton, and the river looked very inviting for a swim but the ever present Crocodile warning sign was a big deterrent.

Continuing on we got to the iconic Lions Den Hotel and set up camp for the evening.

After a pleasant walk around the creek and a swim we went up to the hotel for a few drinks, which was followed by a few more drinks and dinner. Finding our way back to the camp site was a bit of a problem in the dark as the moon wasn't giving us any light, but creative use of the remote unlock feature on the Pajero at least gave us something to aim for.

Day 5 – 14/07/09

We left the Lions Den about 8ish in the morning and got onto the bitumen Mulligan Highway to head for Lakeland and then the Palmer River Goldfields. However, one of Brett's Cooper STT's decided it didn't want to play nice and blew out. We changed the tyre on the road and changed plans to head into Cooktown to seek out a replacement.

The tyre place didn't have one in stock but would have it there the next day on a truck from Cairns, so we decided to stay in Cooktown and have a look around for the afternoon and evening.

We went for a drive out to Quarantine Bay (a local fishing spot) and found a nice place that would serve as a camp site for the evening.

Heading back into Cooktown we did the touristy things like the Grassy Hill Lookout, Museum and wharf area.

In Cooktown I saw another well set up SWB Pajero, however it looked like it may have been an import as the spare wheel on the rear door wasn't in the middle of the door like those sold in Australia.

Heading back to Quarantine Bay via a slightly different route around the back of the Golf Course. We then set up camp and collected some drift wood for an evening camp fire. The previous occupants of the site had left a log burning and we found out why – it was almost impossible to put out.

Ross and Richard tried a bit of fishing using prawns as bait and got nothing, however one of the locals nearby caught what looked like a fairly decent Queen fish.

A pleasant night was had around the camp fire with one log we couldn't extinguish and one we couldn't light.

Cape York 2009 – Trip Summary.

Executive Summary

From the Gold Coast to the tip of Cape York and back the trip took 24 days, of which 4 days were basically consumed by travel. Over that time I travelled almost 7,500 kms and used close to 840 litres of diesel, giving a fuel economy of 11.25 l/100km, which I'm pretty happy with. The worst economy was 12.8 l/100km travelling from Weipa to Seisa and included some pretty rough stuff along the Old Telegraph track and some beach and headland hopping around Somerset near the tip.

The roads on the whole were pretty good, especially the development roads and the bypasses with a lot of road work being done to improve the worst bits. They were however very dusty and made travelling in convoy unpleasant at times. Some of the worst roads were the tracks leading off to interesting places like Captain Billy Landing. The weather was generally fine and dry with only one or two overnight showers, unfortunately it was also overcast a bit of the time, especially when we wanted good light for photos of the various waterfalls.

The cars didn't really have any problems apart from a tyre blowout for Brett. The two Cruisers made very easy work of the rough stuff and the Pajero did everything they did but probably not with the same ease, although I think my fuel economy was probably the best.

Highlights

• The waterfalls at Twin/Elliot Falls and Fruit Bat Falls.

• Actually getting to the tip of Cape York

• Driving the iconic Old Telegraph Track

• The scenery on a beach walk at Captain Billy Landing, although not the wind

• The company, thanks to Richard, Ross and Brett for making the trip so enjoyable

• The Pajero performed beautifully and did all that was asked of it.

Lowlights

• No fish were caught

• dust and corrugations

• No fish were caught

• People who insist on using their Generators 24 hrs a day at a lovely remote camping spot

• No fish were caught

Dramas

The only major drama was Brett having a tyre blow-out and then losing a windscreen on the way home. There was no reason we could see for it as there was no puncture and the valve seemed to be seated OK. This happened on the bitumen road not far out of Cooktown so a quick detour and an unplanned day in Cooktown resulted. The only other minor dramas were that I snapped one of the folding joints on my OzTent when I was packing up in Seisa but I had my little travelling tent as a back up and Richard deleted a folder of photos by mistake but he should be able to reconstruct them from the memory card when he gets home.

Participants

• Richard and Ross – Landcruiser 2005 TurboDiesel, snorkel, locked, raised, etc
• Brett – Landcruiser Sahar V8 Petrol, snorkel, raised
• Me – NS SWB Pajero diesel, snorkel, Auxiliary fuel tank.