The magic of Cape York....

The most magical place so far, abundant with beauty but also adventure.

I know this statement is quite premature since we still have not been to the west but if you have not seen Cape York you still haven’t fully seen and experienced Australia.

The day before leaving we managed to find a dog sitter in Mareeba, it really came as a surprise as I had been looking for weeks and the only place I found was just ridiculously expensive, we had accepted the fact that we were going to take the dogs and compromise space and staying at National Parks but I had to try one more contact. During our ritual walks in the morning we walked past a place that did grooming, anyway to cut a long story short, although she did not dog sit she knew of someone who did and that is how we came across Leslie. A retired 70+ woman,10 minutes from where we were staying, not only experienced in looking after dogs but also really and I mean really affordable.

So we set off on this adventure, first stop Cooktown and yes, of course we had to drive pass Mt Molloy and of course Carlos had to have another massive burger, this time, Noah joined him with a vegetarian version.

We arrived at Cooktown just to catch the sunset and I have to say, although unexpected, it was extraordinary and one of the best sunsets we have seen.

We stayed at a caravan park in town which after having a good chat gave us a really good discount. We set up our tent and tried our new modifications, extra support poles and tarpauline but because it was not raining we put the tarp on the ground. In Cooktown we met with Deb and Daz, the couple from Panorella Park, they were doing the same trip up Cape York and we had kept in touch. Knowing Cape York’s reputation we were relieved to go with someone as you hear many stories about people having breakdowns due to the conditions of the road. Deb with a personality bigger than life and a prosthetic leg was an unlikely character to forget, they, just like us were excited to go up to the Cape, the only difference though, they were towing a heavy caravan and we just had our car.

In Cooktown we also met a very interesting character named Linda Rowe, we were at the “croc shop” asking her for advice when I noticed two ladies coming in and asking her to sign her book. I looked at the cover and saw a picture of a really young Linda, same hair though as she has an afro, but it definitely was her. I grabbed a copy myself as I thought it would be very interesting to read about Cape York while driving through Cape York, her book was called “Paradise Found”.

The next morning we left Cooktown, this time entering 4WD territory going through Battlecamp road to Lakefield National Park, Cape York peninsula. Red earth and corrugations welcomed us, we were on the edge of our seats with excitement. When we got to our site we set up camp and started a fire, tried some fishing…nothing and had a good chat with our travelling friends and got to know them better. As we went to sleep we left the front of the tent open, just the fly screen on and it felt surreal. It was like sleeping under the stars, literally. It was nearly full moon so it was not dark outside and with the smell of what was left of the fire we went to sleep.

Our next stop was still in the National Park, this site was highly recommended as one of the best fishing spots but the was only a little problem… you had to fish from inside the car in the middle of causeway which I may add, had a 9m croc resident which of course happened to be spotted two days prior…nothing major really….yeah right, so, talk about extreme fishing, but Carlos was determined, so off we went, first obstacle was just to get through the causeway and not having experienced many river crossings yet the current just seemed a little strong for our liking and because you could not see the causeway until you were driving through it, just felt like you needed to do a leap of faith and trust that your car was not going to get dragged by the current. We (adults) were nervous but got through it, then got back and parked right in the middle of the causeway, next thing how to get a fishing line through the window, personally I don’t like fishing, I find it very stressful especially when you catch a fish that is too small and you have to pull the hook out of its mouth to let it go free and live! Anyway because there was no way I was going to drive the car through the river Carlos asked me to “throw a line”…well it took me a while to realise how to do it and when I did (over the car mind you) of course I got a bite. Now, to paint a good picture, I am trying to hold on to a fishing rod which is pulling me while half of my body is out of o car window trying to balance my weight so I don t fall into the river where the croc is……HEEEELP!!! So Carlos had to leave the driver seat and somehow manage to take over, and me, move out of the way. We lost the fish and the experience did nothing but confirm my dislike of fishing. Back at camp, we lit the fire again, ate and went to sleep, under the stars till the morning when Josh woke me to show me a kangaroo just outside the tent, bliss.

We drove past Musgrave Cattle station and decided to camp at a free camp 5 minutes pass Cohen. Getting there close to 5 pm meant that most of the good spots had been taken, we still managed to squeeze in since it was a lot easier without the caravan. Unfortunately our friends Deb and Daz did not find a spot on the top level so decided to venture out to the bottom level by a beautiful creek with sandy banks unfortunately they got bogged. We left our spot as we went over to help them, recovery gear out and deflating tyres. It was a long day that day, we did mange to get them out, we set up and had 2 minute noodles for dinner and crashed. Night time had become my favourite part of the day, although we slept like sardines in the tent, we had million dollar views outside the main entry to the tent, simply beautiful, are we really here…

We kept going the next day and said goodbye to Deb and Daz as they wanted to spend another night there. We decided to continue as we were more limited with time especially with the dog sitting. Our next stop Chilli Beach, on the East part of the Cape, many had recommended this spot so were really looking forward to it. The road up was just starting to get a little tricky, more river crossings (which were always exciting for the boys) but a few dips here and there as well. When we got there, our site was perfect, it was a clearance in the middle of tall trees, about 20 meters off the beach. It had an old swing, a picnic table and close to toilets.

We set up camp and went for a walk, as we walked through the trees (mostly coconut trees) we stopped as the wind suddenly hit us, gale force open sea saying hello.

The beach was beautiful and different, palm trees had been shaped by wind and water and were leaning, roots are sticking out and rubbish, interesting rubbish actually as it comes from the nearby islands, so people have even found canoes from Indonesia, Chilli beach is also where we found the biggest shell, definitely a keeper.

On our second and last night we met a lovely couple, Rob and Julianne as well as, to our surprise, Deb and Daz who were exhausted as they once again, got bogged on the way up, towing a caravan had definitely made it more challenging. During the night, unlike previous sites, Chilli beach had a night song, the wind blew so hard that it made a soothing whistling sound. I have to add that I was exhausted since I had a really upset stomach, diagnosis: coconut overload, my fault as I did not know it was a laxative, never again.

Next stop, Bramwell Station, which is right at the base of where the Old Telegraph Route (OTR) begins, this is what a lot of 4WD enthusiasts drive to Cape York for and so far the roads have been manageable. Anyway we got to the station, paid for a site and to our surprise they offered buffet all you can eat. We normally would not pay for things like this but we had been free camping for days, personally I had not had a shower for 3 days and our diet of crackers and cheese was becoming daunting. When we told them we were mostly vegetarians they gave us a really good discount so without hesitation we paid and anxiously waited for dinner. When dinner time came, lets just say I am glad there was no one we knew because we ate like we have never seen food before, I am ashamed to say it, but we ate like animals and definitely got our moneys worth. We enjoyed the station and revisited it on our way down.

OTR

We arrived, the summit, the road to 4WD ultimate experience and we were ready ….yeah so much so that when we came to our first big river crossing we decided not to go through, we weren’t sure. Off we went driving in and out, we encountered parts where the road was so uneven and cracked that some of the wheels would be off the ground, up in the air. As always, I’m panicking, if we get stuck, who is going to tow us and how are we going to call them without reception? Smoke signals? We got to a place they call gun shot, its a 5 metres vertical drop into a river crossing, famously known for destroying cars, we took a photo and left, no way we were even going to consider doing such a brainless, foolish stunt! We kept going and came across Cockatoo river, again we got the mouth of the dip before the river and it was full of mud, the river itself was running strong and although the water went only up to Carlos' thigh, we were by ourselves and could not risk it.

We came out to Fruitbat falls and stood there admiring such beauty in such a ragged place. Fortunately as well we could swim, so off we went and loved it.

We loved it too much because by the time we came out it was 4:30pm and the barge across Jardine river closed at 5pm, we had 30 minutes to do 60 km, impossible…or not. I have always praised Carlos’s driving and this drive had to be one of the best he has ever done. Although highly corrugated and dusted we made it at 4:57pm, we were FLYING, in a way, the fact that we were going so fast maybe explained why we did not feel the corrugations as much, we were going on top of them. Needless to say, once again, my left arm cramped after holding to the support handle for dear life, and once again, the kids loved it.

On the other side of the Jardine river, we stayed at Seisia for two nights, the scenery was very different as it is an indigenous community, many dogs and horses roaming, not as clean as it can be but still nice people. We stayed two nights so we could catch the ferry to Thursday Island (TI), our “ international trip” so as to speak. We left first thing in the morning and the boat ride was perfect, sun rising, calm water, clean and serene.

TI was interesting, beautiful turquoise water on the beach but because of crocs you still can’t swim, so it looked deserted. We walked to the museum and learnt about the history of the island specially during the war. Not much to do after that so we just chilled and enjoyed walking around and waiting for the boat.

Our final stop before coming back down, of course was Pajinka, the “TIP” and as if the place knows of its importance it greets you with magical forrest and red Earth.

As the sun filters through the trees you realise there is not another place you would rather be. We got there first thing in the morning and as we parked the car we noticed the number plate of another car already there “DR WHO2”, we smiled as Carlos has been a little bit of a fan of the series. As we climbed through rocks just by the sea we finally arrived to our destination; a small sign that confirms you have reached the most northern point of Australia.

The whole experience was quite surreal as we had a perfect blue sky, slight wind and crushing waves surrounding us, and for us a sense of achievement as it has taken us four months to reach the top and to some extent (because you need years to do Australia) finish the East coast of Australia. We have truly loved every single day and the variety that the East coast has offered, now having experienced a feeling of winning the lottery we were ready to move towards the West. As we got there we met Toni and Graham, luckily for us as they were able to take a photo of the whole family. We started chatting and got along really well, to this day I think of Toni’s sense of humour and it just makes me laugh. Funny enough our camp site in Punsand Bay was just opposite their site and they are also going towards the West and yes they were the car with Dr Who plates.

On the way back down from the tip we stopped at Sams Creek and Twin Falls. Sam’s creek we had been told about as it is a place you can free camp and after going through some very testing 4WD road we came across it. I can say that it was my favourite swimming spot as it was so hard to get there in the first place that it was really private and just as stunning. A small waterfall running into a river was a hidden paradise in the desert.

Twin falls/Elliot falls also impressive but with people and even a drone which I wasn’t very impressed about.

And just like that we finished our adventure of Cape York, a place so unique that can look so different between the wet and dry seasons, a place guarded by its crocs warriors, full of rock pools, rivers, tidal wetlands and indigenous history . A place of Magnetic termite mounds, fauna and flora that can only be found in the Cape, mature forest of the Iron range, paperbark forests, swamp lakes and jungles of mangrove forest, a place like no where else. Paradise found!