Since last writing we have been in Brisbane and to the Sunshine Coast for a visit. The main purpose of the visit was to help Freeman pack up his things and say goodbye to him as he has headed overseas. Mixed emotions of sadness and joy were felt by both Ken and I at his going, however knowing first hand what a great learning and growing experience is ahead of him with overseas travel, we let go or should I say I let go with a heavy heart.
Thank you to all our wonderful friends who were so kind and allowed us to stay in their homes and enjoy their company. We actually had a great time, unfortunately the time went by very quickly and we were not able to catch up with everyone. I guess there will always be next time. It was also an opportunity to catch up with Geordie and to hear about his trip to Japan and view some wonderful photos that were taken.
We flew out of Brisbane and back to Cairns the same day Freeman flew over seas. Tuesday 7th July. Our friends Paul and Marion were at the airport to meet us and take us back to Walkamin where we had left the van. The next few days went in a blur of organization, shopping, packing, washing and sorting through what we thought we might need for our trip to Cape York. Paul and Marion who are joining us on this trip left us on Friday 10th to sightsee at Daintree, which allowed us a wee bit more time to plan our journey.
Heading out on Sunday 12th we were loaded to the gills so to speak. Every food item in our fridge had to come with us as we were leaving the van in storage without power, so ended up putting food in buckets with ice around them as our Ever Kool and Esky proved not to be adequate to hold the items deemed necessary for my dear self to survive in the wilderness. We met up with Paul and Marion at a place called Cow Bay, just north of the Daintree River where they were enjoying some time out on a friends property, about 3 acres of beautiful rainforest. Some of the land was cleared and it proved to be just enough for 2 tents, 2 cars, and an area to cook and relax. The view from the rec area was spectacular and caused me to ponder with the notion of living with such glorious vegetation. Ken came to my rescue by reminding me of just how hot and humid the summers are in this part of the world. Monday at about 10am the heat was so severe we were all dripping with perspiration. We decided to head down to Cow Bay beach which proved to be a great decision. It is a glorious peace of coastline typical of this part of the country, with its beautiful calm azure water and rich green jungle backdrop.
Tuesday 14th took us about 2 hours to pack the car. Then we headed up the coast road to Cape Tribulation. Ken and I had enjoyed this area and scenic vistas about 2 years ago, so decided because of the time factor not to stop and revisit. Immediately after leaving Cape Tribulation we found ourselves on what is known as The Bloomfield Track recommended for 4WD only. For those who know the track, skip the next few lines, but for those of you who don’t, well it’s defiantly a male experience opposed to a female experience unless of course you are a female rally car driver or have a death wish. Very rough and windy track that is extremely steep and challenging, Ken and Paul had a ball while Marion and I found it pretty stressful. We were all glad to have such great vehicles (Land Rover & Range Rover) that performed extremely well in the treacherous conditions. A much-needed drink was enjoyed at The Lions Den Hotel, Helenvale, a historic establishment built in 1875. It certainly is a pub steeped in character. Memorabilia of past travelers. On we trekked to find a campsite at Archer Point. We found a glorious spot right on the beach. A lovely meal and a wine or two later we enjoyed a sky full of bright stars that came out for our enjoyment.
Wednesday 15th, a mutual decision to stay another day was welcomed as it has allowed me to have some time out by myself and to catch up with my diary. Paul and Marion decided to sightsee by themselves in Cook Town and as Ken and I have visited the town before decided to stay put on our beach. Ken decided to walk to the lighthouse while I have enjoyed myself writing this newsletter.
Thursday 16th found us packing up again, however it is still taking us too long (about two hours) very frustrating for all concerned. The wind blew so hard it was difficult to hold the tent down and then to control it once it was minus its pegs. Once packed up we headed to Cooktown and found a laundry-a-mat for the washing and the beautiful Sovereign Resort Hotel for lunch where we all enjoyed a BLT sandwich. Excellent value at $8.50 On the road again we took the McIver River Road out of town and headed for Lakefield National Park, fairly quickly the road which was bitumen turns to gravel and then dirt and this was our introduction to the road conditions we are now so familiar with ROUGH COURAGATIONS. With the sun dipping toward the horizon we found Lake Emma and made our first bush camp.
Friday 17th with the knowledge we had a long way to go, Ken and I did our best to be up to Marion and Paul’s efficiency in packing up but alas we were at least an hour behind them (of course we have more to pack up I am sure). Today the dirt road was becoming oh so familiar and so to was the dust that accompanies each car. We passed through some interesting historical places such as the deserted Old Laura Station that was “taken up” as the information says in 1874 and abandoned 1979; it’s a very interesting old desolate homestead with its slaughterhouse, cool room, workers cottage, stockyards, etc. Our camp for that evening was on the North Kennedy River at a spot called Hann Crossing again we made a very civilized camp complete with shower tent and solar showers. One of the things that has struck all four of us is how messy some campers can be, leaving garbage behind with toilet paper being a particular favorite, they obviously don’t consider how long it takes to disintegrate.
Saturday 18th on the road again and out of Lakefield National Park we found bitumen again and oh what a smooth ride, but not for long. We were now on The Development Road which is much wider than we had been used to so far and what a relief not having to pull over for on coming traffic. Our next stop was Musgrave Roadhouse where we took on fuel, water and a sandwich for lunch. A bit of a shock at the isolation of the place for me, but only a taste of what was to come. On we tracked to Coen; a town I will not dwell on suffice to say we quickly decided not to stay. Archer River Roadhouse offered a nice camp spot with hot showers and flush toilets and taps that had drinkable water from them, luxury unlimited. What bliss a hot shower can be with all the red dust that now covers everything, not to mention a toilet that flushes, heaven.
Sunday 19th by lunchtime we were in Bramwell which is where The Old Telegraph Road begins as an alternate route to the Development Road. We however had made the decision not to take this track but to stick with the Development Road; we actually want to still be able to drive our cars when we get back to civilization. The first 20 or so kilometers the road is really quite good, nice and wide for passing etc. however just as I was remarking on this fact to the driver, Kenny, conditions changed dramatically and we found ourselves down to crawling pace with the bejesus being shaken out of us. These conditions continued for what seemed forever and then out of nowhere bingo the road smoothed out again and a wee rest bite from the shaking. The Development Road joins the Telegraph Track some 110klm down the road and they become one for 6klm then divide again for the final 70klm to the Jardine River. Our next camp was Twin and Eliot Falls located in the Jardine River National Park, so we had no choice but to divert to the Telegraph Track for some 7klm to reach the falls, unfortunately this meant we had to back track the next day. This proved to be a beautiful spot with adequate room for our two tents and tables, cooking etc. on one site. The next morning we were to discover one of the most beautiful spots this country has to offer, two or more magnificent waterfalls with the most glorious pool to swim in. The falls were too intricate to describe however we were lucky enough to take some photos and hopefully will attach with this newsletter.
Monday 20th reluctantly we had to move on and before long found ourselves at the ferry crossing on the Jardine River. This is a short crossing but a costly one to the tune of $88.00 per car; fortunately this covers the return trip as well. Bamaga is 36klm north of the crossing and is reached by a long drive over huge corrugations that seem unbearable at the time, its difficult to believe that anything could shake so much without being destroyed, that includes both us and the car. Punsand Bay Lodge had come highly recommended; it’s a beautiful location some 26klm north of Bamaga again over very rough track. Our camp site has a lean-too which offered us protection and where we were able to put all our cooking gear, table and chairs etc and it also had power which is unusual so we were able to run our refrigerators and charge our battery lights without turning on our generators.
Tuesday 21st we have all decided to have a rest day as basically we are exhausted, so I am spending time catching up on this journal, reorganizing our things and being lazy.
Wednesday 22nd today we reached Cape York proper a drive of some 30klm from our campground. The 30klm took us 1 hour to do, yes that’s 30klm an hour and good going for these conditions. Once at the end of the track its quite a hike up the steep rocky outcrop and then down the other side to reach the final rocky platform that holds the plaque informing you that this is the tip of Cape York. It truly is an awesome place, as one is humbled by the magnitude of nature and the knowledge of a presence far stronger than ours. Directly opposite the Cape is York Island and Eborac Island light house, with a relatively narrow passage of water separating the main land and the islands, the force of water between these two land masses is awesome. Both sides of the peninsular are opposite to one another with the east side presenting a high rocky cliff face while the west presenting idyllic white sand, aqua water surrounded by palm trees, truly paradise. We then headed for Somerset on the east coast of Cape York, situated in a lovely secluded bay, which is the site of Cape York’s first white settlement. All that remains are the burial sights of the early inhabitance i.e. Mr A Jardine. The rest of the day we spent sightseeing which included viewing the remains of a WW2 DC-3, which unfortunately took the lives of 7 people. We ventured to the Supermarket at Seisia which sells everything from washing machines and TVs to who knows what else and then on to the PUB where Ken and I picked up supplies, a six pack of beer costing $22, and a 2 litre cast of wine $21. Outside the bottle shop there is a sign stating the house rules for what is loosely called a tavern. The Rules stated no vomiting or spitting, no sleeping, no pushing in the queue, no drunkenness, no fighting, and no queue jumping. We did take a photo of it for further reference.
Thursday 23rd I find myself at the keyboard again today enjoying the time to tell our story in words. Today is another rest day before taking off tomorrow to face the corrugations on our way back to Walkiman, our van but most important of all to pick up our little man Wendal. The weather is beautifully warm just right for a swim maybe, it has been mentioned amongst my fellow travelers. Ken is doing a wee spot of fishing from the beach but I don’t think I will hold my breath for a Barramundi dinner.
Friday 24th A quick good buy to Cape York and back on the corrugations, at least we knew what was ahead this time. We had planned on another visit to Twin Falls for our camp however we were making such good time that we proceeded on to Moreton Telegraph Station which is the site of the original Telegraph station and was opened in 1887. The original building was demolished back in 1960 however there still remains one of the original telegraph poles to tell its story. It was very windy when we arrived however we found shelter under one of the huge mango trees on the station and set up our camp early.
Saturday 25th we set out for Weipa a drive of some 150klm. The road we took cut through Batavia Downs a large station that was taken up by James Burne back in 1882. The road surprisingly was a good one and before long we were in Weipa. There is only one caravan park and you must stay there because camping is forbidden within a 12klm radius of the town. At a cost of $28 a couple you are told to camp where ever you can find a spot and it’s all about first in best dressed as we were to discover. We had heard there was a Thai Restaurant in town and within walking distance of our camp site so a big night out for Ken and myself and thank god we didn’t have to cook dinner again.
Sunday 26th Ken went on a guided tour of the Rio Tinto bauxite strip mining operations and found it very informative. Weipa is situated in a very pretty spot surrounded by water on three sides however it’s like all the other places we saw on the Cape, exceptionally dry and parched. Heading south again we passed through Archer River where we had camped for a night on our way up, about 20klm or so out of town we came across two young men that we had spotted on our trip north, walking this road pulling V like trekking trolleys with a single wheel. On the trolleys were their packs and other gear etc. We couldn’t resist so we stopped to ask how they were and just what they were doing. It turned out they were French and my guess mid twenties walking from the tip of Cape York to Tasmania. They ask us could they buy food from us as they were out because they did not realize that Roadhouses were not stores where you could buy supplies. Well I seized the opportunity to unload my normal large supply of can goods, pasta, bread, crackers, bottle of pasta sauce, and water. They were so sweet and kept trying to pay us and we were just happy to help out. I really admire their effort and wish them well, hope they make it. That night we made camp at Musgrave Roadhouse campground. However I must say I could not help being thankful that those boys were not mine as I would be worried sick about them and wonder if their parents know just how big the task is they have undertaken.
Monday 27th. Our next stop was the town of Laura, do not blink or you may miss it. It does however boast of a police station, a community health centre, a post office, general store that is roughly 150 years old and the Quinkan hotel that has a very jovial publican who served Kenny and I a very nice Barramundi burger for lunch. About 12 klm south of Laura is Split Rock Gallery; this is a place that contains Aboriginal primitive art. There are three different sites that are open to the general public and it’s quite a hike up to see the work but is well worth the effort when you realize the age of the pieces and how difficult it is to preserve them. There are many tours available if you have the time and the money (very expensive) and a lot more work that can only be seen if you do the tours. Back to the cars with the idea we would stay at Palmer River Roadhouse for the night. Fortunately we got there at about 3pm, which gave us enough time to change our minds and head on back to Walkiman and the caravans. Home Sweet Home.
Tuesday 28th Today we picked up Wendal and it is lovely to have him back.
It’s nice to be back and planning our next adventure to Normanton and then on to Darwin. We are hoping to leave on Monday as we are running out of time with the wet season always looming. Meanwhile there is the car to wash the red dirt off, the cloths to wash, not to mention fresh supplies to be bought.
I hope all of you that read this are well and taking care of yourselves and those you care about. Regards Elizabeth
