Well this is the last post based on our Cape York trip; with being out of service (no power) for a time it has been almost impossible to update the site. We are now back in the land of the living (power, water and phone service) so time to get the last bit done.
Hope you enjoy our last leg of Cape York and beyond.
Arriving at Moreton Telegraph Station was like walking back in time; this was one of our overnight stops. The place runs on a huge generator. During the wet season anything of value is dragged on skids to high ground as most of the property goes underwater. The homestead is on stilts which sits just above the highest flood ever recorded.
Above are the bush showers; you have to hang on to the curtain at the same time as washing otherwise your private bits are not so private to other campers. The high flood mark is approximately where the base of the tank stand is.
Above is Bertiehough Homestead (Steve Irwin’s wildlife sanctuary).
The above photo was taken at Bramwell Station; this would have to be one of the biggest I have seen.
The sign at Bramwell Station advises you not to be late leaving otherwise you will miss the last Jardine River ferry and have to camp there.
Anyone want to buy a cheap caravan that needs some serious TLC; the story behind this is that it only made it part way on these roads so was dumped by the owners; the council has since pushed it off into the bush with a grader (out of sight out of mind). Most vans will not make it up to the top on these roads.
One of our overnight stops was at Fruit Bat & Twin Falls; really clean and tidy loo’s here but no shower facilities. The water in the falls is natural spring water from limestone and is crystal clear and beautiful to drink; also makes for a great shower to clean off the dust, we could have stayed for a few days here, the same water is also fed to taps in the camping area.
Some of the roads are not so good; minimum requirement is at least 4 wheel drive.
One of several river crossings on our way north.
The famous Jardine River ferry; cost for a 4 wheel drive with passengers is $88; although this seems expensive the ferry money also pays for a lot of the road upgrades for the council as the revenue from other sources is minimal. You can opt to cross in your own vehicle further downstream but beware because if you get stuck the river is heavily infested with crocodiles and the price for vehicle retrieval is very high (best pay the $88).
The above is the last 1500mt walk after a 1hr drive out of Bamaga to reach the top of Australia; the views from the point are amazing.
What we all at the end of the day came for was to reach the most northerly point on Australia's mainland; the sign that was here a few years ago was more interesting than the one shown but unfortunately someone decided to take it home (stole it).
The ones from our group that made it over the mountain track (moderately difficult) to the point for a picture.
Our last night of camping (wont be missed by me) was at Loyalty Beach, Bamaga. The next morning was our boat trip over to Thursday Island.
Whilst at the Bamaga Jetty waiting for our boat to TI this bloke caught this Barramundi on a hand line; no shortage of free feeds in this neck of the woods.
Above is us arriving at Thursday Island after the 1.5hr boat ride; it was a great trip with lots of commentary on the surrounding islands and the history of the region.
The view is from Green Hill Fort on Thursday Island
One of the 6’ guns at Green Hill Fort; they were placed in case of attack from foreign shores. The gun and mounts weigh 10 tonne and fired a 45kg projectile up to 8.5km; they were used in practice but never fired in anger.
The above is Australia's top pub; it is the furthermost north drinking hole that comes under Australia's rule. You cannot go any further north in Australia for a beer.
This little boat was a beauty; the timbers and furnishing was magnificent to see. This took us on the last leg of our journey (45 minutes) from Thursday Island to Horn Island for our plane trip back to Cairns.
The crystal clear waters of Thursday Island.
Our plane arriving at Horn Island; we departed at 3.20pm and arrived back in Cairns at 5.25pm.
We had a fantastic time and would highly recommend this to anyone who is thinking of doing Cape York; there are a number of companies that do these trips and Oz Tours that we went with were very good.
Linda & I would like to do this again but in our own vehicle maybe with others that are interested in doing a similar trip; by doing it on your own you are not restricted to set places for a set amount of time. There were places we would have liked to stay longer and see more of but being on a time-line tour you are restricted; on the other side of the coin if you don’t have the right vehicle or are worried about how you navigate the are then a tour would be a good option. Also remember if you drive up in your own car and did not like it you still have to turn around and get back (worth thinking about).
Hope you enjoyed our Cape York adventure and for us it was well worth the money and time invested.
I will be doing some further web updates as we headed west to Mount Isa and the Boulia camel races; the first I am hoping to get done this week.
Until then we do hope you are all well and those that are on the road are travelling safe.
Love and regards – David & Linda – The DavLin Rig
