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 Smiley
A.k.a.: Daniel Stephens
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| posted on August 30th, 2015 at 01:29 AM |
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Cape York Trip July 2015
I thought it was time that I post some pictures up from the recent Cape York trip I did with Dave in his Baja and his parents John and Pam in their 60
series.
We had a fantastic trip and went both up and down the famous Old Telegraph Track on the trip, perhaps the most well known offroad destination in
Australia.
I met up with Dave and his parents in Cairns and then we cruised further north to Cooktown where I left my car with family of my brother's
girlfriend. We stayed at a local caravan park who, despite not actually having room for us, managed to squeeze us in under a massive Fig tree.
Dave was sleeping in the rooftop tent on the bug and I was in the swag on the ground. His parents Cruiser sports the same rooftop tent.
The next morning all parked up ready to go. We had the table and camp chairs in the bag on top of the bug and my swag went on the rook of the
Cruiser.
From here we headed west to the Old Laura homestead.
The old Blitz has seen better days.
Some pictures of the homestead and old meat packing and butchering sheds.
Next stop was the Breeza Homestead. Which was little more than a tin shack.
That night we made camp at the Musgrave Roadhouse. Here is a shot of Pam and John's accommodation for the trip.
I also managed to perfect the cheese and bacon chicken parmi on the BBQ on this trip. They were delish!
The next day we continued north with the goal being to reach the start of the Old Tele Track by the end of the day. We stopped in at Coen to top of
the fuel and on the other side of the road is the "Exchange Hotel". Apparently the sign was doctored a few decades prior by some locals and has been
that way ever since 
Just thought that I would mention the roads had been dirt since leaving Cooktown and remain as such all the way to the point of the continent. They
are corrugated badly most of the way and horrifically in some spots. But you could barely feel it with a little pressure out of the tyres and the lush
torsion suspension (coil assisted on the front, airbag on the back) making light work of the roads that seemed to be shaking the passing 4WDs to
pieces.
A little further north now and just shy of our destination for the day we stopped at Moreton Telegraph Station for a quick look around and stretch of
the legs. They had plenty of photos on display but a few really made me chuckle so I snapped a picture of them.
Kind of shows how much it rains up here during the wet season!
A touch further north and we arrive at the Bramwell Junction Roadhouse. The last camp and final fuel stop before the real fun begins and we hit the
Old Telegraph Tack. The tree out the front is covered in years worth of number plates found on the track. We booked camping for the night and managed
to score a spot with a shelter and tables.
The next morning dawned and today was the day! The excitement grew as we packed up camp and filled the fuel tanks. The Old Tele Track awaited!
The track is famous for its creek crossings, of which there are 14 named and a few unnamed fords to contend with. The first stop was Palm Creek. The
main crossing sported a steep drop in with a hole on the right side that would trip you towards the bank. Dave lined it up and crawled down the steps,
his rear guards just centimetres from the bank.
Then it was time to tackle the exit, which wasn't as steep as the entry but about twice as long. Dave managed to make it look easy and made it to the
top with a little right foot and no locker!
John wasn't too keen on the drop in with the wider Cruiser, so opted for the track a little downstream that was an easier sandy entry and more
gradual exit.
Next up was Ducie Creek, which actually had a reasonable amount of water in it. Palm was only about ankle deep!
Along the Tele Track there are the remains of the telegraph line. Though not much is left of them these days. A lot have been bent down so people can
steal the insulators and cross bars off the top. Some still stand proudly as a reminder of a bygone era.
One of the next creeks was Bertie. And I have to say it was very picturesque. You drive down to the creek, along the bank and then turn and cross on
the firm rocky bottom. A number of people were having a swim, and when we came back south later on there was a couple sitting in the creek in their
camp chairs watching vehicles cruise through.
Stay tuned folks. Coming up next is Gunshot Creek!!
Smiley 
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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landfall
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| posted on August 30th, 2015 at 07:01 AM |
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Thanks for posting the photos, more please.
Now I want to build a Baja, although it might be cheaper to go a buy a secondhand SWB 4wd.
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oldskoolguy
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| posted on August 30th, 2015 at 08:59 AM |
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Fantastic story and pictures, please post more when you can. Thanks, Rob.
"The best trophies are stone chips"
1969 1500 Beetle "Otis"
2008 Golf GTI
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modnrod
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| posted on August 30th, 2015 at 09:56 AM |
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Holy crap Smiley, that's serious stuff! 
Cool pics man!
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Willie
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| posted on August 30th, 2015 at 06:51 PM |
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Great part of the world. We did it just over 12 months ago, but not quite as adventurous - we have a more modern Pajero and took a lot of the
"chicken tracks". The Frenchmans track was probably the toughest for us, as there were none of those easier options along that one. Had water up to
the windscreen along there. Thankfully I have a snorkel and underbody protection - no damage suffered but well shaken thanks to those corrugations you
mentioned.
1975 L-Bug
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 Bizarre
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| posted on August 30th, 2015 at 09:07 PM |
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Brilliant pics!
Would have been a blast of a trip.
Will provide many stories for years to come!
Futue te ipsum!!!
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Smiley
A.k.a.: Daniel Stephens
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| posted on August 30th, 2015 at 10:15 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally
posted by landfall
Thanks for posting the photos, more please.
Now I want to build a Baja, although it might be cheaper to go a buy a secondhand SWB 4wd.
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Bah! That would be no where near as fun or offroad capable!!
Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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Smiley
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| posted on August 30th, 2015 at 11:49 PM |
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Gunshot is probably the most well know creek crossing on the Old Telegraph Track. If you type "Gunshot Creek" into Youtube you are met with
countless videos of damage and failures as well as successes. To say it gave us cause for pause was an understatement. The original line while heading
north is a vertical drop about 4 metres into peasoup mud. Just looking at it you instantly dismiss it as an impossibility. Fortunately over the years
we are not the only ones who have come to this conclusion and numerous tracks have been cut either side of it. There are 3 upstream and at least 7
downstream. Of them. Two of the ones upsteam were steep and completely washed out, the one immediately beside Gunshot was a very steep drop, rutted
and muddy. The next one down stream had had the side fall out of it on one side. Driving it meant the car would likely slide and fall sideways into
the original. The next one down was waist deep mud (ask me how I know :shock: ), the one after that was steep into the mud, not very deep but people
had put logs in the bottom that were sticking out everywhere and I couldn't shift. And the rest of the downsteam ones were thick mud and impossible
entrys.
Am I painting an exciting enough picture for you all yet?
With the motto of the trip "No Piking!" being strictly enforced by yours truly it was decided that Dave was going down the steep on right next to
Gunshot. But we would send John down first in case Dave needed recovery. John chose to put the Cruiser down the easiest muddy track, confident that
there was room around the logs.
This is the scene that greeted us when we arrived. You always seem to have an audience goading you on. Once we worked out where we were going there
was more than a dozen people standing by with cameras.
The Gunshot. It really is just a vertical drop.
John coming down around the muddy side. He got around the logs just fine but had both lockers in to get through the mud.
This is the one that Dave came down. Pictures never seem to do the craziness justice. Once I spotted him into place, he edged his front wheel over and
pretty much just slid down into the mud.
Once in this is about as far as he got. Despite awesome ground clearance he ended up stuck on the centre hump of the ruts. He backed up and had
another crack but couldn't get any further. A tiny tug from the 60 was all that was needed to get out. That arvo we put a little more air in the
bags to lift the back up a bit more
On the trees at Gunshot there are numerous broken car parts and bit of memorabilia that people have left behind. From T-shirts to side steps, broken
snatch straps to cracked rims and busted radiators. Gunshot has certainly claimed a lot of victims over the years.
One last look back up. You can see the original track on the right side of this picture.
On to easier things. Next is Cockatoo Ck. It had a rock bottom and knee deep holes scattered through it. Not hard with the right line. It just pays to
walk it first.
We decided to make camp here for the evening so Dave and I walked back down to the water later and sat around having a soak eating chips and sucking a
few cold drinks. It was the perfect way to end an exciting day.
We found a camp spot with a large covered area that had tables under it that the tours often use as a stop. The thing with the shelter was people had
signed all over the legs and beams with all sorts of messages and pictures. The shelter was fairly new and the earliest date we could find was 2012.
Not one to shy away from exercising my (questionable) artistic talent. I climbed onto the one of the tables and though I could only just reach one of
the highest beams I managed to leave our mark. It was more than just a signing, it was a premonition that we had to finish that track!! Though we did
end up using the ocker on one or two of the deepest water crossings :oops: I'm sure it would ruffle the feathers of some 4WDers, and would give us
something to come back to in years to come.
After a not so good night's sleep (I decided to sleep in my hammock, turned out to be a mistake) we headed north and soon joined back onto the main
development road that leads to the north end of Australia. It crosses over the Tele track from the east to the west before continuing north and they
share the same road for a few kms before you turn back off into the extreme stuff. Once off the main road road it is only a few hundred metres and you
turn off on a track that leads to Fruit Bat Falls. Being so close to the main road means that pretty much anyone can come and see these magnificent
falls. We were lucky to have the place almost completely to ourselves with only a few others present. It is crazy to think that during the wet season
the water flows through here level, with no drop over the falls and they are completely underwater. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Was
truly a magic little spot to spend an hour or two.
More soon everyone. Next up we see how well a Baja goes in waist deep water crossings!
Thanks for reading and the kind comments.
Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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Morts
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| posted on August 31st, 2015 at 06:28 PM |
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Great story of an epic road trip and great pics too.
As a southerner I am curious if you have to worry at all about crocs when you are walking/swimming up there?
Looking forward to the next instalment...
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Bizarre
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| posted on August 31st, 2015 at 07:32 PM |
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This just gets better'er and better'er
Futue te ipsum!!!
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REDKG
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| posted on September 1st, 2015 at 06:41 PM |
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thanks for sharing your adventure. plenty of stories around of beetles and kombis making it to the cape without the need for 4 x 4 gear.
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65standard
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| posted on September 1st, 2015 at 07:05 PM |
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Fantastic trip to be on. Excellent photos. Keep them coming.
[size=4]If it ain't broke, fix it till it is![/size]
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Bizarre
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| posted on September 1st, 2015 at 07:13 PM |
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Have you seen any crocs while swimming yet?
Futue te ipsum!!!
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hulbyw
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| posted on September 1st, 2015 at 08:56 PM |
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This post is awesome. We did the Cape in a fully prepared modern 4wd towing a Tvan, but we didn't do much of the Tele Track, mostly the Development
Rd. A couple of mates who weren't towing did gunshot but not us.
You should be extremely proud of yourselves as this is a huge achievement!.
Cheers..Wayne
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Smiley
A.k.a.: Daniel Stephens
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| posted on September 1st, 2015 at 11:13 PM |
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You don't have to worry about cros in the creeks on the Tele Track. The water is fresh and way far inland for salties. There could be fresh water
crocs in there but they aren't really going to hurt you much. And we didn't see any of those either. Only on the Jardine River you find them which
is the end of the track. And you catch a ferry over it so not a big deal. We camped at the Jardine but didn't see any despite looking. Though there
were a few croc slides in the sand on the opposite side from us.
We did see one way off in the distance while camped at the mouth of the Pennefather River just north of Weipa. We only glimpsed it for a second before
it slipped away underwater. Was probably at least 200m away though. We spoke to other people that saw them while finishing off the jetty at Seisia.
And the locals told him they often come up at high tide and knock the bins over and go through them.
| Quote: | Originally
posted by hulbyw
This post is awesome. We did the Cape in a fully prepared modern 4wd towing a Tvan, but we didn't do much of the Tele Track, mostly the Development
Rd. A couple of mates who weren't towing did gunshot but not us.
You should be extremely proud of yourselves as this is a huge achievement!.
Cheers..Wayne
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Thanks mate. We had a blast. It was certainly a fun trip. I have been invited along for a trip up next year. Now I just need to get my bug finished
and start waterproofing 
Smiley
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Smiley
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| posted on September 7th, 2015 at 10:15 PM |
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Sorry to keep you all waiting.
Not even 15 minutes north up the track from Fruit Bat Falls there is another series of larger falls. Called Twin Falls and Elliot Falls. These are
larger and far more extensive. Perfect excuse to stop for another swim. My boardies hadn't dried anyway
I'm not sure how deep the water is in the bottom. I tried diving down to touch it but ran out of air before I did. So pretty washed out down
there!!
A little further up and we come to Sam Ck. They are starting to get a little deeper now. This one had a bit of a hole in the left side as you were
dropping in too.
The entry into Cannibal Ck. Bit of a steep one. No photos of this as I took a video of the cars coming down. I will try and post up my videos
later.
Next up is Cypress Ck and the famous log bridge. Every season the first people through pile a few more logs on top as they get washed away or collapse
during the wet season. It is about a 3 metre drop to the water and the space below the bridge is filled with crisscrossed bits of timber! It is a good
idea to get a spot as you are crossing to make sure your wheels are on the logs.
A little further down the track and we found the prefect little rut to get some pictures on. We had been driving through this sort of thing the whole
trip but I thought it would be cool to get a picture with the suspension all flexed out. It was sitting on the upper or lower stops on all corners
Just after this we came up on the two worst creek crossings of the entire trip. Unfortunately I was so focused on getting the car through that I took
no pictures. I will give you a brief rundown. I got some videos when we came back south so I will get them up too.
Logan's ck, we came up to a ford on the map that was unnamed but marked as very deep (we later found out that it is called Logan's). Logan's was
the deepest crossing that we tackled on the trip and easily the longest too. It was waist deep on me (I'm 185cm) and at least 50m across with about
20-30m of deep stuff. After much deliberation about wether we should drive it or tow the bug through with the engine off with the Cruiser, Dave
eventually said stuff it lets try. We sent the Cruiser through first, being a mechanically injected diesel it took it all in it's stride. Upon
getting into the deep bit the bonnet dipped into the water slightly. We left it on the other side, off to one side in the shallow water, ready to
spring into action should Dave need recovery. We fitted the strap to the front of the baja and passed it in through the window so it was hooked up and
ready to go at a moments notice. With me standing in the middle of the creek in the deepest spot as an 'avoid here' pylon. "Here goes nothing",
Dave says over the radio. His front wheels edged into the water as he built up a little momentum and held the revs steady. Front wheels are under now
and the water is climbing the curve of the bonnet, is he going to stop going down? The car levels off in the deep water pushing a nice little bow
wave. The water is not quite to the windscreen and most of the way up the doors. The sound of the engine's throaty burble is stifled now, turning
into a gurgle as the water wraps around the back of the car and rushes the engine. He's not far from me now and still moving steadily. The front of
the car has started to float a little, I'm sure the suspension is hanging on the stops, whereas the rear seems to be digging down further pushing the
car. The engine is completely underwater now and halfway up the Porsche shroud, the fan is sucking water into and throwing it around the back of the
car, some is spraying onto the rear window. Just pasted me the front wheels touch down as the depth begins to decrease. The car is climbing now and
drags itself from the water out the gentle slope and onto the bank. Water sluices from the engine bay and rains from the underside of the car. I take
my first breath in what seems like 10 minutes, the engine is still running, a tiny bit grumpy but still turning over happily. Dave steps from the car
as I trundle out of the creek behind him. "I guess I did a good job of waterproofing that engine", he offers with a wry smile
A few more cars had come along by this point and we watched them come through. But then decided it would be best to keep moving to get keep some heat
in the car and dry things out. About half an hour later we come up to Nolan's Brook crossing. If Gunshot is known for being the craziest creek
crossing on the Tele track, Nolan's is heralded is the deepest and most difficult water crossing. After Logan's we were worried about what the depth
would be like. Pulling to a stop on the southern bank we climbed from the car and began checking the various lines offered. It was getting a little
late in the day by this point and the campsite was filling up on the northern side of the crossing. There were people lining the bank in their camp
chairs and a number of drinks were already well and truly flowing. Stepping down into the main line that leads straight across I was a little alarmed
when it came up to my nipples! Have to give that one a miss! In the end it came down to two choices, a gentle entry that had a little corner to entry
and then a steady drive, depth was about halfway up my thighs. Or on the opposite side of the main line there was a sharp drop straight into the water
which aimed straight to the other side. It was also thigh deep but a sharp dip was what gave it the depth, the length of the crossing was only a third
of the other, around 3-4 car lengths. John opted for the long gentle one, motoring through with no worries. Though he moved is car further out of the
creek because some young squeezers jumped the queue while Dave was getting into position and John had to move out of the way. Dave chose the short
sharp crossing with the dip in it. We had the strap ready to go and he eased down the sharp drop into the water. Everything went was fine until he
dropped into the deep hole, the front wheels were out the other side but when the back wheels dropped down they spun and the car started to dig into
the bottom. What I haven't mentioned about Nolan's is that is has a very sandy bottom, which contributes a great deal to its notoriety. When one
vehicle goes through it is not uncommon for all the sand to shift around in the wash and create completely different conditions for the very next car.
At Nolan's it is a good idea to walk the line again after each vehicle, this allows you to check for changes and gives the sand time to resettle on
the bottom. I was on the other side filming with John's digital cam when Dave stopped moving, the engine was still running be he was going nowhere. I
quickly tossed the camera to Pam and ran in to help while John scrambled to go and grab is car, parked far up the exit to the creek. I grabbed the
strap from Dave and while this was happening about half a dozen others had waded into the water and were attempting to lift/push Dave out, he still
was not moving. A ran the strap out of the water and still the Cruiser was no where in sight. With the strap tight I figured I would lend my strength
to the effort and pulled on the strap with all I could muster. Slowly the Baja was inching forward, I guess I was the straw that broke the lack of
moment. The car was climbing out of the hole, aided by the altruistic spectators the back wheels were pushing he forward once more. It took bugger all
but once the back wheels were free from the sandy grasp of the hole the car shot forward, I ran along in front to stop him running over the strap. A
cheer rang out along the riverbank as the Baja drove forward from the water's embrace. All I can say is I'm glad everyone ran to lend a hand cause
I'm not sure how much longer it was going to stay running before John got back into position to enact a recovery. This was turning into a very
exciting trip!!
With Nolan's sporting a lot of people and Dave wanting to drive the car a bit to dry it out we pushed on a further half an hour to the Jardine River.
Though the Tele track does continue on the opposite bank for a very short distance the Jardine for the most part is impassable. It is very deep and
know to have crocs in it. A short drive back south down the track and a detour along a side tack to the west leads back to the main development road.
This leads up to the Jardine River ferry which is how you get across. We camped on the Jardine at the end of the Tele Track and, despite the amount of
traffic we had seen that arvo, had the place to ourselves. I guess everyone else squeezed in at Nolan's. Our site was perched on top of high banks
the dropped straight into the water, no need to worry about crocs getting up to our camp unless they learn to fly. We didn't see any crocs, be did
spot a few slides in the sand on the opposite bank from our camp.
A small amount of water had snuck its was into the bug. The carpets were slightly wet and my bag had copped a little water through the door seal,
probably shouldn't have had it on the back floor anyway. I hung them out to dry after we set up camp for the evening.
I got some pictures of the Jardine the next morning. Apparently people do still cross it sometimes, but you would have to be super well prepared and
have favourable conditions. I'm not sure I would be wanting to depth check with the possibility of crocs being around.
We set off and within an hour had made out way to the ferry. Tickets purchased we were squeezed onto the small watercraft with a large offroad
caravan, on one else would fit beside it!
We had conquered the Old Telegraph Track and all the obstacles it had thrown at us! All in a 2WD Baja with a rooftop tent on the roof!
Coming next, relics from WWII and the northernmost point of the Australian mainland
Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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Yogie
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| posted on September 8th, 2015 at 04:49 PM |
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That is truly awe inspiring. Thanks for sharing with us all.
Yogie
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Smiley
A.k.a.: Daniel Stephens
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| posted on September 9th, 2015 at 04:36 AM |
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Due to Cape York's close proximity to the rest of the world being right at the top of the country it has always been used as a stepping stone to base
military activities from. The area is rich with history from a bygone time. And not far up the road from the ferry is a side track marked on the map
that we take with earnest. It is here that we find the first of the plane wrecks that are in Cape York. A DC3 aircraft that lays scattered among the
trees like discarded scrap. It is sobering to think what happened here that night over 70 years ago. And surprising that the remains still exist in
the condition that they are. Rust and neglect still have a long way to go before they claim this prize.
A short drive further down the road and we pass across the very end of the airport runway. That is still used to this day, not just by the nearby
township of Bamaga, but the entire northern tip of Australia is serviced by this vital lifeline.
We plunge once again into the bush, the trees reaching above us to dim the sunlight. The tracks twists through the trees and on either side of the
track back as far as the eye can see are the rusting remains of 44 gallon fuel drums. There must be thousands of them discarded into the bush at the
edge of the airport. And then we come to another small clearing and the grave of another craft from the past. This time the parts that once comprised
a Bristol Beaufort are laid out inside the fenced area. We spend some time trying to figure out which bits connect where, some are simply not present
at all.
A short stop into Bamaga heralded the most inadequate bakery I have ever visited (we purchased the last 4 pies at midday, one of which was "seafood"
flavoured). We topped up on food supplies and filled the fuel tanks before lazily making our way further north. Not far from the tip now but we
planned to stop at Punsand Bay caravan park and make camp for the evening. We will hit the top first thing in the morning! On the way to Punsand there
is a small souvenir shop called The Croc Tent. We stopped, and I must admit I bought overpriced trinkets for my family.
This pair were loitering about around the front of the croc tent.
Loaded up with gift we continued the short drive the Punsand and booked in for the night. Though we didn't get a very good spot, ending up in the
back corner next to a swampy creek. It was only a 50m walk to the beach. And what better way to spend the dwindling afternoon light then sitting on
one of the most northern beaches of your continent enjoying the view? We even had phone service (well I did), so Dave checked in with his
girlfriend.
That evening we hit up the Corrugation Bar (the northernmost bar on the Aus mainland) and ate delicious wood fired pizza.
The next morning we took an offroad track from Punsand back through to the main road and aimed the Baja north. We came to a small carparking area just
in front of a beach. The trek to the tip was only a short walk. You can walk over the rocky headland and down to the tip, or if the tide is low sneak
around the headland on the western side up the beach. The tides were favourable so we hit the beach.
A quick scramble over the last section of rocks and we were finally here! We had made it to the northernmost point of the Australian mainland!! Right
from the start it was a hell of an adventure. And I can easily say that this trip will remain ripe in my memories for many years to come. Now I just
need to get Alyce done so she doesn't miss the next one!!!
Thanks so much to everyone for reading and the positive comments.
Smiley
If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
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NUG637
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| posted on September 10th, 2015 at 08:57 PM |
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what a fantastic story, thanks for sharing a badass adventure
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modnrod
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| posted on September 11th, 2015 at 06:50 AM |
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Thanks man! Great read.
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ancientbugger
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| posted on September 11th, 2015 at 09:27 AM |
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Wow! That was epic. Well done Smiley
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Bizarre
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The artist formerly known as blue74l
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| posted on September 14th, 2015 at 07:34 PM |
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So jealous!
Well done - you have a life time of stories there
Futue te ipsum!!!
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