More Cape York adventures.....

Waking up the next morning it was all go as we packed a picnic and then set off to join Liz and Carl on a 4WD adventutre.  We were going with them to drive the 5 beaches track, something we had never done before.  The extent of our off road experience has been rough but fairly easy roads.

We met at the Croc Tent and from there drove out to Somerset Beach.  From this small beach you look across the strait to Albany Island and you can see the few holiday shacks there.

A short drive away we stopped at the settlement ruins where there is some old machinery, cannons and some graves. This was once the place of the earliest permanent white settlement on the Cape York Peninsula and the only one for quite some time.

Back in the car we drove around to Fly Point where we really had to hang on to our hats or they would have been blown away.  The rough seas below were like a washing machine gone mad.

This is the start of the 5 beaches trail and with Liz and Carl leading and sending instructions by radio, we followed.

The 5 beaches are all beautiful small bays joined by the rather rough track.  We stopped at the first beach, Freshwater Bay, and all went for a trek to the top of the large sand dune.  I went halfway and took photos.  Seems Bill got this one of me first.  Remember the wind, it was still blowing and both Liz and Bill lost their hats here. Lucky they both had spares in the car.

One feature of all these beaches up here is the amount of flotsam, read rubbish, that is washed up each day.  We had a walk along Nanthau Beach and found many thongs, plastic containers of all sorts, car and boat parts, ropes, bouys and fishing gear.  It all washes in from the seas above Australia.

We stopped and had our picnic at Narau beach and Brock loved splashing around in the shallow creek while I kept a wary eye out for crocs. No one else seemed worried.

We finished our great adventure at the next beach, which I must say I thorougly enjoyed.  A little more extreme than we are used too but with Liz and Carl in front and guiding we loved the drive and the experience.  Still not ready to tackle it alone but would be happy to tag along again.

From here we drove back inland to have a look at the DC3 plane wreck before saying farewell to Liz and Carl.  This Plane Wreckage is preserved as a war memorial that commemorates the crash of VH-CXD in 1945 which claimed six lives.

We decided that Saturday should be a quiet day just right for shopping.  We found the supermarket at Bamaga, a little more expensive than at home, but there was a fair variety and the fruit and vegetables were fresh.  After we completed that task we headed back to relax for the afternoon.

Later that evening we returned to the wharf to watch the fishing endeavours of Liz, Carl and the locals. Lots of Queen Fish being caught with live bait but once again only the locals who had any luck.  We met another couple who told us about the great fish and chips at the Seisia Fishing Club. They had been the night before so the four of us decided that would be good.  Not so, fish and chips are only on Friday but Crumbed Crayfish and salad tonight.  Sounded good and tasted even better.  We sat and talked for a couple of hours before saying goodbye.  Liz and Carl were leaving on Monday and us on Tuesday.  Perhaps we’ll meet up again somewhere on our travels.  We really have enjoyed their company and hope they enjoy their travels around Australia.

We woke the next morning to a very overcast day and before we knew it we had a fine drizzle that seemed to hang around for most of the day.  We decided that we would have another go at trying to find the Magnificent Rifle Bird and so headed back to the rainforest.  Once again no luck, just butterflies today and we left with our car covered in mud from the drive in.

With a half day still ahead of us we decided that we may as well explore the west side of the NPA and so drove out to Muttee Head where there is the remains of a WWII Radar and the mouth of the Jardine River.  We didn’t venture there as everyone had told us people were getting bogged.

We met a lovely couple camping at the small beach there before getting back in our mud pack on wheels and returning home.  A fun but thoroughly messy day.

I don’t know how to describe it here at Cape York in the NPA.  Very remote yet suburban in the town areas.  Just like anywhere each community’s a little different.  With a population of around 2000 over 7 or 8 communities the local people are lovely and friendly and the roaming dogs and horses just add to the character of the place.   Like Norfolk Island where the cows roam free, here it is the horses. Apparently all are owned but it is cheaper to let them roam than to agist them.  They all seem to be in good condition and very at ease with the traffic.

Another thing we discovered here was the many different ways you can visit this amazing place. We met many people who like us drove all the way up with caravans, campers or tents.  For those who are not quite so adventurous, or some would say mad, there are easier ways to get here.  We met quiet a few folk who had joined tours and travelled up on small 4WD buses.  Also met many others on tag along tours which included mountain bikes, motor cycles, 4WD and Caravans.  And then there was the really easy way.  Flights from Cairns to Horn Island bring people up and then they catch the ferry across to Seisia.  

Probably the most unique way is to travel up by sea on board the cargo ship MV Trinity Bay. This is an 81 metre working cargo vessel built to carry freight between Cairns and Seisia via Horn and Thursday Islands.  It is the only working cargo vessel in Australia that also carries passengers with a total of 48 berths over 15 cabins.  It travels inside the reef with land in sight for most of the way.  It didn’t matter how they came but everyone we met, young and old, were all enjoying their time at this northern most point of Australia.

For us it was also time to think about leaving our beautiful beach front location and see about exploring more of the Cape York Peninsula on our way back south.  We took some time on Monday to get ready to travel again.  Shopping, washing, making the van ready and just chilling out for the afternoon and watching a ship unload freight across at the Seisia Pier.

The next morning we hooked up, had a final breakfast by the beach and soon after headed out of Umagico to begin our journey south.  We intend to take our time and explore lots on our way down.

Until next time ........