Days 23 – 30: The Top of Australia

29th June, 2015

Despite being camped by the ferry crossing we let the cue go first – less dust if they’ve already gone before we start. Tickets are $99 return – the boys decided it’s the most expensive travel per metre we’ve ever done! The Jardine isn’t a very wide, nor deep river.

Waiting for the Jardine Ferry.

Waiting for the Jardine Ferry.

The first beach you come to is Alau Beach beside the little township of Umagico. When we saw the beach we definitely thought it was ‘magico!’. Anyway the big name camping areas for up here are Seisa, Loyalty and Punsand Bay. Gill had already rung Punsand Bay and they were full, so we went to look at Seisa and Loyalty. Both were crowded, sandy unattractive campsites. We were very happy to return to Alau Beach where we camped on grass at the very edge of the beach. Fantastic site.

Location, location, location.

Location, location, location.

To really make this site the best ever though, one of the local cray fisherman came through with crays for sale. They were fantastic. There’s dinner for tonight sorted.

Fresh crays! Are we in heaven?

Fresh crays! Are we in heaven?

The beach and ocean looked magnificent, and the weather was warm – but not a soul was swimming! Explanation: a crocodile cruises from one end of the beach to the other every afternoon, returning each morning. We saw him several times during our week here, and were never tempted to swim.

30th June, 2015

Today we go to the most northerly point of mainland Australia. We all went in Ric and Gill’s vehicle rather than pack up our rooftop tent. On the way we went in to look at Punsand Bay. I think Alau Beach is better – the advantage these and the other campgrounds have is that they’re either near a pub or they have a bar onsite. Punsand Bay has the Corrugation Bar, which we thought we should try out. We had lunch here too. Pretty good.

Well-earnt drinks at the Corrugation Bar. Punsand Bay

Well-earnt drinks at the Corrugation Bar. Punsand Bay

The road in to Punsand Bay is pretty rough with some quite wide and deep waterholes to cross. It was in one of these that Ric lost his number plate! Another reason to be grateful we didn’t stay here – we’d have to travel that road every time we wanted to go anywhere else.

Next stop was the the tip of Australia. It was low tide, so we were able to walk mostly around the beach from the car park. It’s a fair walk – maybe a kilometer from the carpark and if the tide is in it’s a rough, rocky track up and over the hill and down the steep slope to reach the tip. Nice views though – we came back that way.

Anyway it was very exciting to finally make it to the most northerly part of the Australian mainland. Worth celebrating!

Yay! We made it!!

Yay! We made it!!

On the way back we stopped at The Croc Tent, a souvenir shop. Gill was talking to the owner and mentioned the number plate problem and she volunteered to take her children to the crossing in the afternoon and look for it. They found it and a couple of days later a fellow camper just near us was going past so picked it up for them. Nice people in this world.

1st July 2015

The Baby Austin! Note the oil/fuel leaking underneath it. I think the journey was a bit tougher than the car was prepared for.

The Baby Austin! Note the oil/fuel leaking underneath it. I think the journey was a bit tougher than the car was prepared for.

Quiet day today. Steve and I went for a walk to Seisa and back, along the beach – took about 2 or 3 hours, quite a good walk. At Seisa we came across the 1927 Austin car that was ‘recreating’ the famous journey of the two New Zealanders who drove a Baby Austin from Cairns to the tip in 1928, floating the car across crocodile-infested rivers on a raft. This trip though had it a little easier with roads, bridges and pretty good water crossings.

2nd July 2015

Today we go to Thursday Island. The ferry left about 8.30am, arriving on TI just over an hour later. TI is a small island, only 4 sq km, however it is the administrative centre for all the Torres Strait Islands. We’d booked a tour on a small tour bus. First stop was at the cray fishing shed where a boat was recently in. An old dinghy is towed behind the main boat – this dinghy is submerged and the crays held in it while at sea. The crays are sold mostly overseas – the cray fishermen receiving about $75 per cray.

Cray fishermen displaying a couple of their catch. They sure look like they enjoy their job.

Cray fishermen displaying a couple of their catch. They sure look like they enjoy their job.

In the late 1800’s a fort was built on Green Hill Knob to protect the settlement. It was decommissioned in 1922. Beneath the fort in tunnels is a comprehensive historical display. From the fort the views around the island are magnificent.

The township on Thursday Island.

The township on Thursday Island.

The cemetery, which we only drove through, has a lot of very interesting graves – some 700 young Japanese divers among them. The divers were on TI for the pearl shell industry. In shallow water they would free dive, however as these areas became less productive the divers donned the heavy diving helmets with air lines to the surface. Many divers died of the bends.

Seaman Dan - a delightful retired diver who was very happy to chat to us.

Seaman Dan – a delightful retired diver who was very happy to chat to us.

Sitting outside a store in the township was the famous Seaman Dan. We chatted with him for a while – quite a delightful man. He, and his friend who was a part of the boat crew he used to dive from, talked to us for some time about what it was like diving back then. After one particularly scary dive where he suffered the bends he gave up diving and took up singing. He was awarded 2 Arias for his music.

3rd – 6th July

The rest of our stay at Alau Beach was spent fairly quietly. We spent the last day re-provisioning.

Delightful beach and thoroughly enjoyed our time at the top of Australia.

To see more photos from our week at the top CLICK HERE.

Days 21, 22: Bramwell Station; Jardine River

27th June, 2015

Leaving Chilli Beach today we did a detour back to Lockhart River for fuel, water and a few groceries, stopped off at the airport to have a look. I was particularly interested in seeing this as my father piloted planes to New Guinea during WWII and in all probability landed here on the way up.
The road out was even more muddy and slippery as we’d had a little rain one evening. Wasn’t a problem for us – into 4WD and power on through it.

That's where we're ultimately headed! I like the name Pajinka - nicer than Cape York, or 'the Tip' as most people call it.

That’s where we’re ultimately headed! I like the name Pajinka – nicer than Cape York, or ‘the Tip’ as most people call it.

Tonight we’re staying at Bramwell Station. This is a private property, a 132,00 ha cattle property established in 1930 and now diversified to include tourism. In the early days the cattle had to be walked a very long way to the Mareeba Salesyards, or to Bamaga. With the road being opened up and a bridge over the Wenlock River they’re moved by road trains these days.
There are extensive camping grounds around the homestead, a bar, some cabins and warmish showers. It’s very popular with there being around 50 or more campers here. The tour bus companies also come here. You can order meals at the bar, but it was booked out – probably just as well, it didn’t look that appetizing.

Our campsite beside the cattle yards at Bramwell Station.

Our campsite beside the cattle yards at Bramwell Station.

At ‘sundowners’ around the bar we had live music entertainment (pretty good) and one of the managers told us the history of Bramwell Station. It’s only changed hands twice. The original owner had considerable help from a local aboriginal family and when he died he left a part-share of the property to the family – unusual in those days! The current owner purchased it in 2001. Anyway with the current price of beef being very favourable, the roads making it very accessible for tourists, also owning Bramwell Junction Roadhouse which charges over $2/L for diesel, and a road work team that is kept constantly employed on these roads, the Station should be doing very well for itself.

28th June, 2015

Lost your number plate? Maybe it's here.

Lost your number plate? Maybe it’s here.

The highlight today is going to be Fruit Bat Falls. After leaving the Station we stopped at Bramwell Junction Roadhouse to refuel. This is where the Old Telegraph Track starts. On a tree there are dozens of number plates nailed – lost from cars attempting the unforgiving OTT. Fuel was exorbitant – $2.20/L.

Onward to the Falls. Our friend Bryan was part of the crew that installed the microwave telephone towers up here some 40 years ago. It was one of his crew, a young lad who loved to eat fruit and whose nick-name was Fruit Bat, who ‘discovered’ the falls and after whom they were subsequently named. (My brush with fame!)
Anyway the Falls are just fan-tas-tic! Crystal clear water cascading down a 2 metre drop in the middle of beautiful, lush heathlands. The swimming was heavenly. We had a picnic lunch here before continuing our trip to camp at the Jardine River ferry – ready to cross tomorrow morning.

Really enjoyed our swim and the beauty of these delightful little falls.

Really enjoyed our swim and the beauty of these delightful little falls.

The roads are very corrugated, and dusty – red bulldust! When you pass or are overtaken by a vehicle visibility drops to mere metres. Travelling close behind someone would be very unpleasant, and dangerous. Road trains travel the road taking supplies and fuel to the tip and it’s not fun being stuck behind one.

To see our photos from this part of the adventure CLICK HERE.

Days 18-20: Lockhart R, Chilli Beach

24th June, 2015

Leaving Gills Moon Lagoon we continued on into Lockhart River. The road was … variable. Mostly it was pretty good though there were some very wet, slippery parts, some river crossings and a few bad potholes that nearly swallowed us.

Pascoe River crossing, Portland Roads Rd

Pascoe River crossing, Portland Roads Rd

Iron Range National Park, which is were we are now is unique in that it has stunted heathlands with she-oaks, grevilleas, banksias and sedges around the Mt Tozer area before moving into the largest remnant of lowland rainforest left in Australia. Another truly beautiful drive. We stopped at the Mt Tozer viewing platform to see the heathlands close up, with Mt Tozer in the distance.

Coastal heathland backing on to Mt Tozer

Coastal heathland backing on to Mt Tozer

The studio where the Lockhart River Gang artists work is a home converted for the purpose. The front two rooms are crowded with prints and paintings. Ric and Gill chose 4 pieces they liked and we chose 3 that we liked – one of them is a crab, my star sign – significant with my birthday less than a month away.

Our purchases

Our purchases, with the artistic director.

We also chose a Silas Hobson black and white print, and a  Patrick Butcher lino print hand coloured. We were incredibly lucky to have both of these artists drop in to the studio before we left and posed for a photo with us. Patrick Butcher spent quite a bit of time describing his print and what it all meant. Wow – how good is that!

The artist, Patrick Butcher, explaining the meaning behind his art.

The artist, Patrick Butcher, explaining the meaning behind his art.

We picked up a few extra groceries at the general store in Lockhart River – I feel so sorry for the locals for the price they have to pay for groceries and fuel – and headed to Chilli Beach. This road had lots of ‘dips’ all potentially with little stream crossings or washouts at the bottom of them, and one quite long river crossing which was good – not too deep. The road quality wasn’t too bad – corrugations in patches and some soft sand.

Our campsite here at Chilli Beach is perfect. Here on the eastern coastline of the Peninsula the wind blows constantly, only varying in intensity. Our campsite is a short 20 meters from the beach, but tucked in behind huge mangrove trees which are so thick overhead that even when it rained we were well protected. Campsite 20 for future reference!

Campsite 20! Well protected from the constant SE winds, ocean views just there, between the trees, and well shaded from above. Great campsite.

Campsite 20! Well protected from the constant SE winds, ocean views just there, between the trees, and well shaded from above. Great campsite.

 

25th June, 2015

On our first full day here we did the beach walk to the mouth of Chilli Creek – 10K return. The beach is thickly lined with overhanging coconut palms and has to be the prettiest tropical beach you’ll find. We all loved it – it was just so perfect … except for one thing!

The idyllic Chilli Beach

The idyllic Chilli Beach

This was a very sobering sign to read. What a mess our oceans must be in if that much rubbish gets washed up on just this one little beach.

This was a very sobering sign to read. What a mess our oceans must be in if that much rubbish gets washed up on just this one little beach.

Unfortunately it’s also perfectly located for the ocean to deposit it’s rubbish on it. Just above the high tide line is littered with plastic bottles and rubbish which mostly originates from other countries and ships. More than 5 tonnes of rubbish is removed from the 6.5km beach each year. Most deadly of the rubbish are the ghost nets – fishing nets that are cut adrift to float the oceans ensnaring fish and turtles and condemning them to die a slow death.

Ghost nets tangle fish and turtles, condemning them to a slow death.

Ghost nets tangle fish and turtles, condemning them to a slow death.

A campfire tonight! Not too successful though because those south-easterlies did make it a bit chilly to sit out.

26th June, 2015

The beach at Portland Roads.

The quiet beach at Portland Roads.

After a bit of a wander on the beach we headed to Portland Roads. During WWII an airstrip was established just outside Lockhart River. A road was constructed to Portland Roads where there was already a jetty servicing the local gold mines. The jetty has been swept away, but the original footings are still there. Portland Roads is a very quiet little hamlet with a few homes for fisherman, a bed-and-breakfast accommodation, and a cafe where you can reputedly get the best seafood on the Peninsula. How could we not go there!

A truly delicious meal in a unique little restaurant, Portland Roads

A truly delicious meal in a unique little restaurant, Portland Roads

To see all our photos from our stay at Chilli Beach CLICK HERE.

Day 17: Oyala NP to Wenlock River

23rd June, 2015 – Gill’s birthday.

Lots of fun gifts for a special lady.

Lots of fun gifts for a special lady.

After a lovely breakfast and watching Gill open her pressies we decided to move on, despite being booked here for another night. Ric and Gill have some fabulous aboriginal art painted by the Lockhart River Gang and that’s our next destination, except it’s a fair drive there from here, so we’ll stop at the Wenlock River free camp just short of Iron Range NP.

THIS is the world-famous Archer Burger. Yes Ric, Steve will eat it all himself!

THIS is the world-famous Archer Burger. Yes Ric, Steve will eat it all himself!

However, on the way is the Archer River Roadhouse, renown for its Archer Burgers, a burger with ‘the lot’. Steve had one and voted it to be excellent!

Nearly set up - at what will become Gills Moon Lagoon.

Nearly set up – at what will become Gills Moon Lagoon.

We turned off the PDR onto Portland Roads Road which had a few rough patches and dips, but nothing to worry about. The camp on the Wenlock river was down a very steep bank, but on the other side of the road was a lagoon which was beautiful with water lilies and lovely shade trees and birds. We set up camp here.

This is THE Gill after whom the famous lagoon was named.

This is THE Gill after whom the famous lagoon was named.

And then the fun really began. During the process of an outdoor shower we unexpectedly got to see a bit more of Gill than she anticipated, and because it’s her birthday and this lagoon appears to be unnamed we’ve christened it Gill’s Moon Lagoon. The music and dancing got started early; a yummy dinner of Atlantic salmon, corn on the cob and coleslaw, a great campfire, a vino or two or three and lots more singing and dancing by firelight and under a million stars on a perfect night made it a camp, and birthday, not to be forgotten.
Gill voted it one of her best birthdays.

Enjoying Gills Moon Lagoon - what a special place, for many reasons.

Enjoying Gills Moon Lagoon – what a special place, for many reasons.

To see more photos from Gills Moon Lagoon CLICK HERE.

Days 15, 16 Coen to Oyala NP

Day 15 – 21st June
Coen today. Ric and Gill are having hassles with their fridge and an overnight on 240 volt might just be the cure so we’re heading for the roadhouse and a powered site for them. We’ve been told that the free camp down by the river is lovely, but I must admit that camping on grass behind the pub with a clean toilet and lovely hot showers was a bigger draw card for me.

Day 16 – 22nd June
We’ve booked the Mango 1 campsite in Oyala Thumotang (pronounced oy-a-la toom-o-tongue) National Park for two nights. We’re lucky in that they’ve only just opened it this week after being closed for the wet season, however that’s made us a bit concerned about what state  the road would be in. We needn’t have worried – they  were grading and repairing it as we drove in and the majority of it was very good. A few sandy patches and muddy ‘dips’ benefited from 4WD. The road leading from the Roylen Rd into the park was two wheel tracks for about 12K, but still quite good.

Really lovely drive in to the National Park.

Really lovely drive in to the National Park.

Here we started to see more termite mounds. There was one vividly white, very tall and narrow mound that was stunning and I regret not stopping to photograph it. The Archer and Coen Rivers form part of this park with the majority of the vegetation being dry open eucalypt woodlands and melaleuca swamps.
Mango Lagoon turned out to be not that nice – dirt and stubbly grass recovering from a recent burn off and the lagoon was pretty ordinary. We decided to take a look at Coen 2 campsite and it was lovely so we set up there for the night. It had steep sides down to the river with fallen trees giving it interest and we could see the water flowing – and we were on grass.

Set-up complete - just need to fill the chairs and the glasses.

Set-up complete – just need to fill the chairs and the glasses.

This afternoon we walked to Chong Swamp, another campsite within Oyala NP which was very pretty – covered in water lilies. It would have been a lovely spot to camp too.

To see more photos from our trip today CLICK HERE.

Days 13, 14: Quinkan Rock Art and Laura Dance Festival

19th, 20th June, 2015

After brekkie we packed up and headed into Laura for our lunchtime Quinkan Rock Art Tour. That was amazing! Our guide, Johnny, took us in his Landcruiser through Crocodile Station to aboriginal lands. For the past 35,000 years the people would spend the dry season at the coast fishing, then shelter here in the hundreds of caves that honeycomb the sandstone escarpment during the rainy season. This occupation constitutes the longest continuous art and culture in the history of mankind.  It was awe inspiring! Johnny also related customs and ways of life he’d been taught as a child, referencing the artwork frequently as this, and the songs and ceremonies of the group, is how their life was recorded and passed on to the next generation.

quinkan tour8

Altogether an enjoyable and informative experience not to be missed.

To see more photos of from our Quinkan Rock Art tour please CLICK HERE.

From there we headed out to the Festival grounds, about 10K south of Laura. The camping is on the grounds over an extensive area. Despite it being open for camping for a couple of days and there being hundreds of campers there over a very large area we managed to find the perfect site a short walk from the action!

The Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival is held every second year and highlights the songs and dances of the many Cape York Peninsula communities.  We all loved the dancing and I’ll let the photos tell their story. We stayed Friday and Saturday nights.

To see the many fantastic photos from the Dance Festival CLICK HERE.

ldf51

Day 12: Cooktown to Old Laura

18th June, 2015

Took a drive up Grassy Knoll for fantastic views over Cooktown and surrounds, then re provisioned, refuelled and we headed towards Laura. We’re planning on attending the Laura dance Festival on Friday afternoon and Saturday.

Panorama of Cooktown from Cooks Lookout. Cooktown is to the left, Mt Cook in the distance. Click on this photo to see it full size - it's worth it.

Panorama of Cooktown from Cooks Lookout. Cooktown is to the left, Mt Cook in the distance.
Click on this photo to see it full size – it’s worth it.

The small aboriginal township of Laura is in Quinkan Country which is nationally and internationally significant for its ancient rock art, particularly their depiction of “Quinkans”. Quinkans are spirits from aboriginal legend. There are two types of quinkan, the Imjim (bad) and the Timara (good). The Imjin were small and fat-bellied, with large ugly heads, long teeth and claws. They stole children and took them to their caves. They travel in giant leaps across the land. The Timara were amusing, unusual spirits who like to play tricks on people. The Timara were very tall with big ears and so skinny they could live in the cracks in the rocks.  At Split Rock we did a self-guided tour of the rock before before going to the Quinkan Centre in Laura to book our tour for tomorrow.

Rock art at Split Rock depicting Quinkans

Rock art at Split Rock depicting Quinkans

The Quinkan Centre is an information centre illustrating the area, its geographical, aboriginal and white history. A great educational resource which we really enjoyed wandering around and learning so much.
Then it was off to Old Laura to camp at the old Homestead. The Homestead had been pivotal in the pastoral industry supplying meat for the goldfields.  There were other campers there but we couldn’t see them or hear them. Our campsite was huge, amongst shady trees – no facilities. Ahh peaceful bliss.

Ric and Gill were a bit worried their vehicle might not make it to the Cape and back. They may have had a point!

Ric and Gill were a bit worried their vehicle might not make it to the Cape and back. They may have had a point! At Old Laura Homestead.

For more photos from our adventure today CLICK HERE.

Day 11: Cooktown

17th June, 2015

The weather is finally clearing. Strong gusts of wind at night that sound like a freight train inside the tent, but no rain.
James Cook came ashore here in June 1770 (245 years ago this month!), spending 7 weeks repairing his ship, the Endeavour after it was holed running into the Great Barrier Reef. It was where he saw his first gangurru, which he misinterpreted as kangaroo.

The man himself!

The man himself!

Cooktown was a small settlement until gold was discovered in the Palmer River in 1872. Cooktown was established as the port for the goldfields and became the second largest town in Queensland. The legacy of that was many beautiful old buildings.

Tourist Information Centre, Cooktown.

Tourist Information Centre, Cooktown.

A walk around town has lots of interesting history points and the botanical gardens are a lovely cool retreat.

Loved our lunch on the Verandah Cafe. What a great spot!

Loved our lunch on the Verandah Cafe. What a great spot!

The boys went to the Cooktown Pub to watch the football State of Origin and Gill and I read our books.

To see photos from Cooktown CLICK HERE.

Day 10: Lions Den to Cooktown

16th June, 2015

Rained again last night!
Today’s destination is Cooktown where we’ll spend a couple of nights.
On the way we stopped to view Black Mountain (Kalkajaka). This very intimidating mountain of huge black granite boulders, some the size of a car, is  geologically unique, formed as the soil covering of a lava deposit eroded. The absence of soil between the boulders has created a maze of gaps, passages and chasms. Black Mountain has a creepy reputation due to people and animals, sometimes whole mobs of cattle, going missing in the mountain, never to be seen again. It’s thought they probably fell through chasms. It’s also a place of Dreamtime stories for the local aboriginal people. Algae give it its black colour.

BlackMtn
A trip up to Archer Point Lighthouse, an active lighthouse, gave a fantastic view of the coast in all directions – spotted some lovely beachside campsites – next time.

Great location for posing. Steve at Archers Point Lighthouse.

Great location for posing. Steve at Archer Point Lighthouse.

Just short of Cooktown is Mulbabidgee Keatings Lagoon which is fringed with paperbarks and mangroves and covered in waterlilies – very beautiful. A boardwalk and good walking track lead to a picnic spot at the far end which was inviting, but we had to move on. A bird hide has been incorporated, however though it’s reputed to be a haven for many birds, we were here at the wrong time of the year to see them.

KeatingsLagoon_sign

Keatings Lagoon

Keatings Lagoon

At Cooktown we set up camp in the caravan park in town (beside the free camp – for self-contained vehicles – next time).

For more photos from our journey today CLICK HERE.

Day 9: Noahs Beach to The Lions Den

15th June, 2015

It rained last night, at times quite heavily. We were snug and dry in the rooftop tent, but it meant we had a wet tent to pack up – and the ground was muddy! Anyway after brekkie we packed up, went for another walk along the beach, then drove back a couple of K to do the Marrja Botanical walk.

When you're up this way be sure you do this excellent walk.

When you’re up this way be sure you do this excellent walk.

Sheltered from above by the fan palm. Excellent boardwalk with lots of informational signage.

Sheltered from above by the fan palm. Excellent boardwalk with lots of informational signage.

This was truly fascinating as it took us from rainforest, across Oliver Creek and immediately we were in mangroves. I didn’t realise there were so many different types of mangrove. The explanatory signs along the boardwalk made it a very interesting walk. Well done National Parks!

On to Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the sea – stunning scenery.
The Bloomfield Track begins just north of Cape Trib. The road follows an ancient aboriginal walking track and has quite a chequered history as environmentalists fought to have its construction stopped for fear of the effect it would have on the coral reef just off the coast. Nevertheless it went ahead and became infamous as a slippery dirt road with very steep ascents, descents and creek crossings – a challenge for 4WD enthusiasts. So it was with some trepidation that we began this section.

The beginning of the Bloomfield Track is the beginning of many kilometers of dirt roads over the next few weeks.

The beginning of the Bloomfield Track is the beginning of many kilometers of dirt roads over the next few weeks.

It wasn’t long before the tyre pressures were reduced and the car put into low lock. We’d timed the creek crossing for low tide when the creek would be lowest but with a firm rocky bottom it wasn’t too much of a challenge. No argument, the ascents and descents were very steep, but the worst ones had been concreted which helped. It took some expertise to drive it, but I reckon we’ve been on worse.

It wasn't long before we came to our first river crossing; the first of many.

It wasn’t long before we came to our first river crossing; the first of many.

The bitumen began at Wujal Wujal where we stopped to look in the community art gallery and to have some lunch. A diversion to the Bloomfield Falls was well worth it – thunderous falls into a big, wide river – very picturesque.

The Bloomfield Falls - breathtaking! I can't imagine what they'd be like in the wet season.

The Bloomfield Falls – breathtaking! I can’t imagine what they’d be like in the wet season.

Not much further on we arrived at our destination for the night – The Lions Den Hotel – an historic and quite quirky hotel that has camping behind it. Dinner of barramundi and chips in the pub tonight.

Enjoying a well-earnt drink at The Lions Den bar.

Enjoying a well-earnt drink at The Lions Den bar.

To see other photos from our lovely drive today CLICK HERE.