Cairns to Cape York

Hello all
It has been a while since my last post but that doesn't mean I have been idle. After meeting up with my nephew in Cairns, we headed off towards Cape York.

 So it was back up the hill to Mareeba and beyond, it was an easy run up the sealed Mulligan Highway through scenic mountains to the start of the dirt roads.

 After a fairly big day we all arrived at Musgrave Roadhouse for the night.

Musgrave Roadhouse

Musgrave Roadhouse

A cool night was spent at the campground listening to the all night traffic heading up and down the Development Road. I could not believe the amount of night traffic, but I suppose it is an alternative to the crazy, dangerous, breakneck speeds of the daytime traffic. 

Stella, my nephew's daughter on the Wenlock river crossing

 The game plan was to head straight up to the top, while my nephew and the other two vehicles drove the old telegraph track.

The Roads were fairly rough up to Coen after the rain over the last few weeks, chopped up by the traffic using the roads while still wet and soft.

Next stop was Bramwell Roadhouse, before we split, the others heading up the old telegraph track and me up the Peninsular Development Road (PDR)

Bramwell Roadhouse track split

 On my way to my next stop, the Jardine River ferry, I did a stop at Fruit Bat Falls.

Fruit Bat Falls

Fruit Bat Falls were stunning, although a little chilly to go for a swim, the short walk in was through numerous Venus Fly Traps, something I had never seen before and found facinating.

Venus Fly Traps

Fruit Bat Falls

After paying my $129 fee to cross the ferry, I headed to Siesia (pronounced say-she-ya) to wait for the others.

Jardine River Ferry

 I must admit, it was good to see the ocean again after days of dust, and more dust.

Siesia beach

To top it off the view above was a mere few steps from camp. The next day I headed off to Punsand Bay, where we had pre booked a couple of nights, to wait for the others to arrive from the old tele track adventures.

camp at Punsand Bay

I left my rig parked up for a couple of days at Punsand Day and hitched a ride in my nephew's Hilux while we explored some tracks around the Tip.

The Croc Tent Souveneir Stall

The resident Boxer Dog pestered eveyone to play fetch with a cocnut, I could think of numerous things easier to fetch than a coconut but he was enjoying himself.

After the Croc Tent we headed to the most Northerly point on the Australian mainland, and the obligatory photo at the Tip.

the beach walk to the tip

then the scramble over the rocks

we made it....the crew at the Tip

500 Metre before the car park at the tip is an abandoned Resort, Pajinka, apparently build by TAA/Qantas, complete with in ground pool.

Pajinka

Pajinka

Pajinka

I was told by one local, so I can't verify this, that it was handed back to the traditional land owners, who couldn't make a go of it and just walked away............leaving industrial clothes driers, split system air conditioners and furnishings to the rainforrest and looters.

the covered over in ground pool

Apparently, a few years ago, a salt water crocodile was found in the pool, so iron was used to cover it over. It was interesting exploring this place until my nephew spotted a small snake, which made everyone scurry for the vehicles.
We headed on to Somerset Ruins, where the Jardine Family once lived.

junk tree at Somerset

it was here that we found "Wilson"

Somerset Beach

Next we headed off to do the 5 beaches track along the East of the Cape, it was here we copped the full force of the unrelenting Trade Winds.

3/4 of the convoy on the beach-mine was back at camp

wild winds and pandanus

To commemorate the trip, my nephew had stubby coolers made, complete with art work by his 10 yo daughter.

If you, like me, need to ask what carrot sack means, I will explain. After many boys weekends into the Victorian High Country and having a few too many drinks, no matter when you last ate carrots, when that time comes, when it all has to come up again.............along come carrots in the mix. So carrot sack is stomach.
Anyway the 5 beaches track ended up at 6 or 7 so a bit of back tracking was needed to continue back to camp.
Next morning we all headed into Seisia for the night.

the kids fishing on Seisia Jetty

Yesterday morning the rest packed up and headed for Vrilya Point, while I spent a lazy couple of nights at Umagico, catching up on laundry.

But before that I headed out to the plane wrecks.

DC3 wreck crashed in 1945

DC3 wreck

Seven Defence Force personnel died when the DC3 crashed on the fifth of May 1945 on its way from Brisbane to Papua New Guinea.

DC3 wreck

A bit further along is the wreck of a Beaufort Bomber, along the way numerous fuel dump sites left over from the war years.

old fuel dump

Beaufort Bomber

Beaufort Bomber

Tomorrow I start heading South again, I hope to meet up with the others again at either the Bramwell Station Carnival this weekend or in Weipa. They have headed off to Vrilya Point and the Frenchmans Track, before getting to Cooktown and the Daintree area.
In summary, I had never considered doing the Cape before, and i am glad i did BUT in all my travels all over Australia (including cities) I have never experienced so many idiot inconsiderate drivers. Most travellers up here consider it Ok to roar past you in blinding dust, showering you in rocks and dust at over 100kph.
The carnage I have seen and heard of is unbelievable.............2 roll overs on the PDR while we were coming up alone, too fast, too much up on the roof............under prepared vehicles trying to travel the old tele track.....last year 80 "write offs" in Nolans Brook crossing alone, and this year looks like beating that.
Slow down people, why kill yourself trying to fulfill your dream, slow down and enjoy it.
Bye for now..............