Cape York
Leaving our van in Atherton, we headed north with our two man tent.
Some useful information –
- We didn’t do the “Old Telegraph Track” – that’s more for the 4WD enthusiasts.
- Fuel is available throughout the Cape.
- Coen, Bamaga and Weipa are the only three places that have dump points and potable water to fill large containers e.g. jerry cans or caravans. Seisea did too but the town is effectively closed to tourists.
- We had a hardcopy of the HEMA “Atlas and Guide to Cape York”; a soft copy of “Explore Cape York” and the “Cape York Peninsula National Parks” booklet and various other brochures and maps. Between them all we worked things out but we found the HEMA book the most useful as their maps were extremely detailed.
- It’s interesting to note that there are various council areas on Cape York, including at the very top which is run by the Torres Shire. Thus rules can vary in the different shires, eg the rules on alcohol.
Peninsula Development Road
The Peninsula Development Road (PDR) starts at Lakeland and ends at Weipa. (We saw some references to other roads further north as the “PDR” so there is some confusion about what exactly the PDR is).
- It alternates between dirt and bitumen, but more dirt than bitumen.
- Some sections go for only a couple of kilometres, others up to 20 km.
- Each year road works begin after the wet season to repair the dirt sections.
- Some of the dirt sections were as smooth as bitumen, others were very corrugated with large pot holes.
- Lots of water crossings, not big, more like puddles, but the water has been flowing across all wet seasons, and carved deep ruts and potholes.
- Lots of cattle on the side of the road, lots of road trains and motor bikes (they have guided tours).
A snap shot of the PDR:
Lakeland – The Gateway To Cape York
Lakeland is where you turn off the Mulligan Highway and head north to Cape York instead of continuing east toward Cooktown, hence its claim to being The Gateway to Cape York.
Laura
There is a new publican, Stuart Wiggins, at the Peninsula Hotel at Laura. Sadly, the publican we met in 2021 (Kev “Stumpy” Darmody) was taken by a crocodile while fishing. Check out our 2021 blog post here.
Hann River Roadhouse
Our first overnight stop was at Hann River Roadhouse. Toilets, showers, meals, pool, lots of farm animals, and a surprising amount of road noise at night, which sounded like road trains, a lot of them.
Musgrave Roadhouse
We called in just to have a look at Musgrave Roadhouse.
Coen
Called into the Exchange Hotel at Coen. Apparently some of the more creative locals added an ‘S’ on the signs; the publican removed it several times before giving up. It’s now branded as the Sexchange Hotel.
Archer River Roadhouse
Our second night was spent at Archer River Roadhouse. Large grassy camping area.
Weipa
Lots of signs from the mining company on the way into Weipa. We stayed for two nights, arrived on a Sunday, the next day was the Cairns Show Day holiday. So most things were closed, including the arts centre. The annual Weipa Fishing Classic was in progress and the mine tour was booked out.
Moreton Telegraph Station
After Weipa, we retraced the PDR to the start of the Telegraph Road (not to be confused with the Old Telegraph Track) and headed north. Called in to Moreton Telegraph Station for a coffee. Camping, toilets, food, coffee.
Bramwell Station Tourist Park
Our next overnight stop was Bramwell Station Tourist Park. It features a large dining area with live entertainment in the evenings. Popular with bus tours, it is about 6km off the main drag.
Bramwell Junction Roadhouse
Bramwell Junction is where the northern end of the Telegraph Road ends and forks into the Old Telegraph Track and the Bypass Road. Also known as Bamaga Road, the Bypass Road was built in 1987 as an alternative to the OTT when the first microwave towers were being installed to replace the original telegraph line.
Towards the end of our trip, we stayed at the Bramwell Junction Roadhouse and found it suited us better than the tourist park. More grass, new amenities with more being built, cheaper than the tourist park but without the live evening entertainment. Apparently, both are owned by the same family.
Captain Billy Landing
My favourite place was Captain Billy Landing, so beautiful. On the east coast, there is a great track in, a little challenging but not too bad. At low tide we walked along the rocks on the beach and checked out the caves. Some rangers visited the next day; they are looking to make a boat launching ramp there.
The Water Falls
From the Bypass Road, the turn off to the various waterfalls is via the Old Telegraph Track (OTT). This was the only part of the OTT that we travelled on. For those wanting to go in to the falls for a day visit, there is a parking area for caravans at the junction of the Bypass Road and the OTT.
Fruit Bat Falls
Fruit Bat Falls is great for swimming and can be accessed via a fairly easy track from the junction. No camping.
Eliot Falls
From Fruit Bat Falls, to Eliot Falls, Twin Falls and The Saucepan, the OTT became quite challenging. The water level was quite low when we went through the river crossings but one crossing in particular (Scrubby Creek) is steep and rutted.
We camped at Eliot Falls, which is in the Apudthama National Park: toilets, non potable water, and fire pits. The weather was so hot, we didn’t put the fly on our tent, and the stars were amazing through our roof.
The board walk joins the three falls here, Eliot Falls, Twin Falls and The Saucepan. Eliot Falls and The Saucepan are not suitable for swimming, but are quite stunning to see. Someone was actually swimming at The Saucepan, but the current was extremely strong and they had to exit downstream and walk back.
Twin Falls
Lovely place to swim.
Jardine River Ferry
We booked our tickets online, but had to stop at the office for a paper ticket. On the way north, there was no queue, but on the way south, two weeks later, we waited for nearly two hours. The ferry can only take either one car with van, or two cars, at a time. During the wet season the ferry is taken away, so it is worth checking if there are delays in getting it back up and running if you are there when the dry season starts. Some people camp by the ferry on the south side for a few days waiting to get through at the start of the dry season.
The Croc Tent
A great place to find out information on the Cape. Lea’s parents started The Croc Tent in 2004 and Lea has since taken it over. Having spent most of her life on the cape and raising her children there, she is a wealth of information. Also lots of great souvenirs.
Punsand Bay
The road into Punsand Bay had a number of water crossings, crazy motor bike tour groups and wild horses at regular intervals. The horses were well behaved but the bikes tended to overtake on both sides and blind corners.
Loved staying at Punsand Bay. Great atmosphere, large camp sites, fires were allowed, delicious food, big undercover area to get away from the rain, a very popular laundry. We stayed for seven nights. From here we were able to visit a number of places at the top end. We particularly appreciated the undercover area when the rain set in. Our little tent was mostly dry inside, except our mattress was up against the sides and got quite wet each time it rained. The crazy wind which roared through the camp site was amazing. So loud, like a freight train going past. Kept us awake for a few nights.
Pajinka – The Northern Tip of Australia
The walk from the car park to Pajinka (The Tip) is about 2km round trip. If you go at low tide you can walk over the rocks and return via the beach (or vice versa). The car park was full the day we went, and we queued for our photo at the sign. But lots of fun, with everyone helping each other with photos.
Loyalty Beach
We called in to have a look at Loyalty Beach. This is another popular place to camp north of the Jardine River, cheaper than Punsand Bay and closer to the shops at Bamaga but further from Pajinka (The Tip of Australia)
Bamaga
Bamaga was the nearest town to Punsand Bay. It has a grocery store, pharmacy, hardware store (including camping gear, automotive and household appliances), pub and post office. Also a bakery, which never seemed to have many baked goods, mostly deep fried food. We inquired after pies but were told that if you wanted one you would need to get there before 10am. (We refrained from asking the obvious question.) Lots of wild horses roaming around.
World War II History
Cape York played a significant role during WW2.“The Iron Range area of Cape York Peninsula was a staging post for at least 50,000 American and Australian troops.”
There are two accessible plane wrecks near Northern Peninsula Airport (then called Higgins Field) – a USAAF Douglas C-49H (DC-3) and a Beaufort (A9-190) Bomber. The remains of multiple fuel dumps are evident as you drive the track to these wrecks. There are no sign posts so take a suitable map and first have a look at ANA/ADAT Douglas C-49/VH-CXD Transport Wreckage and Beaufort A9-190 Wreckage, which include some location details.
Thursday Island from Seisia
Our day trip and bus tour of Thursday Island left from Seisia (the town was closed to tourist but the ferry left from its harbour). We are told that Seisia had gone bankrupt and was waiting for another shire to take it over. The bus tour was very informative: we visited the Japanese pearl divers’ memorial, Green Hill Fort, and the Gab Titui Cultural Centre. Missed out on going to the lobster factory. We found out too late that a taxi driver named “Muddy”will take you on a private tour including the lobster factory, where you can buy fresh lobster tails.
Albany Island from Somerset Beach
On the way to Somerset Beach to take the boat to Albany Island, we had to move a tree off the road. This was the only action that our new winch saw.
We had a fabulous day at Albany Island. Leaving from the Somerset Beach Camp area, we waded out into knee-deep murky water (yes there are croc’s there) onto a small boat, which took us to deeper water where we jumped across onto a larger boat.
We disembarked onto a floating jetty which was very unsteady, and quite terrifying to walk along.
The cafe is like a scene out of Death In Paradise. So lovely, and the food was fantastic, as were the cocktails. Seven year old Jye, who lives on the island, took us for a walking tour up to a look out, then down to see some indigenous art.
Chili Beach & Portland Roads Cafe
Leaving Punsand Bay camp, we headed to Chilli Beach, intending to camp for one or two nights. A 3.5 hour drive along some challenging dirt road, although we came across significant road works in one spot.
Once we arrived at our camp site we decided not to stay. With rain and 40km/h winds from the south east, we were worried our little tent would end up blowing away.
The “CAFE” sign was inviting so we headed to Portland Roads Cafe with the promise of coffee and local seafood. Sadly when we got there the sign read “Cafe Closed (this) weekend, Cook Very Crook”.
Archer River Roadhouse
Turning around at Portland Roads Township, we made the return 3.5 hour drive back to the main road and then to Archer River Roadhouse, the next closest accommodation on the way south. Arriving late in the afternoon and with the rain and wind continuing, this time we decided to stay in a cabin for our last night, before heading back to Atherton the next day, an 8 hour drive.
Atherton
So much more traffic on the road heading south, probably because school holidays in NT had started and Qld holidays were about to start. So glad to be off the dirt roads, our caravan will feel like a palace after our little tent.
Cheers til next time, Helen & Tim