Back Down the Cape

After another quiet day at Loyalty Beach it was time for us to head back south down Cape York.

Another Cape York sunset

Heading out of Bamaga we got stuck in a rather big funeral procession before heading back down the Peninsula Development Road. It was a good drive to the ferry ride back over the Jardine River then the road deteriorated to some very uncomfortable corrugations. This portion of the road was much worse than our drive up and I would say it was due to the increase in vehicles heading north. After a while the road improved and we headed onto Moreton Telegraph Station for the night. Moreton Telegraph Station was one of the last outposts built along the Cape York telegraph line from Cooktown to Thursday Island.

A Cape York casualty

Just to prove that you should never take any situation for granted. This camper trailer could obviously take no more and the owners had to just leave it on the side of the road. 

Dinner time at Moreton Telegraph Station

The view from the our little green tent at Moreton Telegraph Station

Today's drive was pretty good, lots of road works which equals pretty smooth roads. There was also quite a few sealed portions. Coen was our destination for the night, once again behind the Exchange Hotel. Tonight is our last night in our little green tent. Even though our Cape York adventure has been totally amazing I will be glad to sleep once again in my comfy bed in Myrtle.

This trip up to the very tip of Australia has been absolutely amazing. The scenery is spectacular, we have met some interesting people, learnt so much of my country Australia's history, I personally have driven on roads that I never thought I could tackle, and we have both accomplished two bush walks that we would never have thought of tackling let alone completing. It is rumoured and I believe that in another 10 years the Peninsular Development Road will be totally sealed. This will be a great advantage for the people and businesses that are situated up there but I think it will take the adventure of the journey.

One very dirty......

...dirty car.

I am living such a fantastic life, I wish everyone could experience the things I have experienced. No matter what dreams you have big or little don't chase your dream - LIVE your dreams. Life is meant for living not thinking or wishing you were doing something. 

 

Cape York Adventure - Day 11

Day 11

WooHoo we did it. Today we walked to the very "TIP" of Australia. We headed off from camp at 8.00am so we could get up there before the day heated up. After walking up and over what seemed like a mountain only mountain goats would travel on we reached the "Tip of Australia" Sign at around 9.15am. The walking track over the ridge was quite rocky both up and down. There were no signs so we just had to follow the tracks and mounds of rocks left by past walkers. As we climbed over the last hill and I spotted the "TIP" sign I became quite emotional and proud that we had done it. After the obligatory photos and Shane having a beer at the "TIP" we headed back. But this time we followed and elderly coach tour group. We figured the tour guide would take them the easier way. Which it certainly was, there were a few rocks before we descended into the beach for an easy stroll back to the car. 

We then headed to Somerset which was the location of the first settlement. There isn't much there now just some ruins and a few very old graves. We had a bit of a fish but kept well away from the water just I case anything with sharp teeth was lurking. After a drive through the dense bush to Fly Point awe headed back to our camp pretty exhausted but very proud of ourselves. 

Cape York Adventure - Days 8 - 10

Day 8

Today we went for a drive to "The Croc Tent" which is a basically a souvenir shop in a tent in the middle of the bush on the way to the tip. I had heard and seen so many recommendations to go here we just had to. Glad we did to as Lea is really helpful and a wealth of information. As we left the tent with souvenirs in hand we headed left for Punsand Bay. This is where we originally thought we would stay but glad we picked Loyalty Beach as the road in was pretty rugged and you would have to keep travelling it every time you waned to go anywhere. Plus Loyalty was cheaper. The resort at Punsand looked nice, has a good restaurant where we had lunch. They are in the process of completing their pool so it would be hard siting there with a pool full of refreshing water and not being able to get in. 

Day 9

We woke bright and early today for our day trip out to Thursday Island in the Torres Strait Islands. First up was a bus transfer to the wharf, then the Peddells Ferry took us on our 1 hour 10 min trip through all the islands to Thursday Island. Once on the island we were met by our tour guide, a local native named Dirk. Dirk is a Torres Strait native being born and breed on the islands, but went to boarding school for 5 years on the mainland. He is married with children and lives on a glorious little secluded inlet on Prince Edward Island. Each day he sails his little boat over the TI for work. We visited a crayfish factory, one of a few on Thursday Island and the other islands. Next was Green Hill Lookout which was originally built as a lookout for what they thought would be invading Russians. The complex is now a war and maritime museum. The views from the hil are absolutely amazing - looking out over the aqua blue water to the many many islands in the region. The Torres Strait Islands have a population of around 700 with Thursday Island have around 300 of that. The population is made up of about 70% natives and 30% non-natives. As the island was first settled due the abundance of pearls a lot of the population were Japanese. Hence the historic cemetery has around 700 of the 900 Japanese pearl divers who died. The scenery on our return ferry was just as beautiful as the day itself. Even though we were very very tired it was a wonderful day. 

Day 10

We decided to have a bit of a quiet day, which was just as well as it is a Sunday and most things are closed - even the Pub. We had to go for a bit of a drive to charge our phones so we decided to go out for a drive to Jackie Jacki Creek and a couple of plane crashes from WW11. The first of the sites was of a Beaufort Bomber that was a little difficult to find but after a drive through the bush we found it. Along the way there were heaps of old rusted 44 gallon drums left by the USA Airforce during WW11. The next wreck was a DC3 Bomber which was a lot easier to find. It was sad to think of the men and woman who lost their lives in these crashes. 

Cape York - Days 6 - 7

Day 6 

From Weipa we headed along the shortcut to Batavia Downs. As we turned onto the road we didn't know what the road was going to be like. But as it turned out we were pleasantly surprised. It was a pretty good road with a few little creek crossings and some road upgrades in process. We decided to spend the night at Bramwell Station and as it turned out it was a great night. The State of Origan rugby was on TV, there's was a guy singing and we could get dinner. Dinner was pretty good but I'm not sure if it was worth the $35 per person. We met four blokes who were on their way back from the cape so I had fun picking their brains for lots of useful information. 

Day 7

After another humid night we set off from Bramwell Station at around 9.30am for our journey further up the pointy bit. First stop was at Bramwell Roadhouse. Luckily we didn't need very much petrol as it was $2.10 per litre and the price below the stubbie holders was $40 and $50 for a shirt!!! Needless to say we didn't buy any - but I thought that would have to be wrong. The road was a bit dodgy most of the way today. Then it was onto the Jardine River where you have to get a ferry across the river at a return cost of $99 for a single car. The Jardine river as narrower than I thought it would be, although it was pretty fast flowing. The road to Bamaga was pretty good with a couple more sealed bits. We then had a beer in the Bamaga Pub before heading to Loyalty Beach where we will spend the next 5 or 6 night. 

Catch up on our Cape York Adventure... Days 3 - 5

We've had a few days without internet reception and power so I haven't been able to any blog updates. But I have both for the moment so I will try and get in as much in as I can. At Laura we locked up Myrtle (camper) safe and sound and started on the 700+km dirt Peninsula Development road. We really had no idea as what to expect as there had been lots of recent rains. We had also been told there were some patches sealed but we had no idea how much or where. Some people said let air out of your tyres and some said don't! There was so much conflicting information we decided to just take it as it comes and see how we go. We also decided to let the tyres down to about 28psi for a smoother ride.

Day 3

First stop was at Hann Roadhouse for Shane to have something for breakie. Then it was my turn to drive and wouldn't you know it, it was the worst surface we drove on all day, there were bumps, potholes all over the place. There were a few sections that were sealed which made the rough bits easier to deal with.  We also crossed lots of creek/river crossing with about eight still having water flowing across the road. Next stop was Musgrove Telegraph Station, where we were going to spend the night. But as it was only 12.30pm we decided to head on further. So we filled up with petrol and headed off. Of course the road was great now because Shane was driving! We reached Coen at about 2.30pm and pitched our tent at the back of the Coen Exchange Hotel for $10 for the night. After cooking ourselves ribs we had an very early night. 

Day 4

We headed off early from Coen, packing up on a very dewy morning. Today our destination where we will lay our head will be the mining town of Weipa on the western side of the cape. The road was pretty good with a few sealed sections but even the unsealed sections were pretty smooth. After crossing the quarantine station we drove onto Archer River Roadhouse. We stopped here to get fuel and even though it was only 10.00am decided to have an early lunch. Before the Weipa turnoff we struck a very long stretch of roadworks where the road became very slippery and slidey. Yes, guess who was driving again - me!! The road to Weipa started out pretty good but became very bumpy and had a lot of potholes. We arrived in Weipa at around 2.00pm and set up our tent in a nice shady spot in the Weipa Caravan Park. We had a lovely spot overlooking the ocean, but no swimming here due to those big things with sharp teeth - crocs!!

Day 5 

Today was a bit of a lazy day, the only thing we did was have a look around. Weipa is the largest town on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast of the Cape York Peninsula with a population of around 3000. The present town was constructed mainly by Comalco ( Rio Tinto Alcan) and is now one of the worlds largest producers of bauxite which is used in the making of aluminium. We went and had a look at some fishing spot but were told by the guy in the fishing tackle shop we needed much bigger gear than what we had! We then drove out to Lake Patricia which was a pretty lake with a lovely picnic area - but no going in the water - CROCS!!! 

Aussie Adventure Part 3

After a few weeks of getting organised we are finally off on another Aussie Adventure for the third time. This time we are heading north to the tip of Australia - Cape York. We have made a loose itinerary but if this trip is anything like our last two our plans could change and any time. Our first night was spent at a free camp in the north east area of Victoria, Bellbird Creek. We camped behind the Bellbird Hotel in a lush green paddock surrounded buy evergreen trees and other trees covered in glorious Autumn colours. All the owners ask is that you spend some money in the pub, which is not a problem for us!! Waking up to kookaburras, various birds and cows mooing was an enjoyable start to our adventure.

We are now having a couple of nights in Batemans Bay with my son Shane, daughter in law Stacey and my two adorable grandsons O'Shea and Finn. Tomorrow we will be heading inland for our 2,643 km journey up to Cairns.