Weipa and Mapoon.......

We headed North once more heading for Weipa where we would spend a few days looking around. This is a mining town around 200 km from ‘the tip, and a great place to relax beside the Golf of Carpenteria.

The road from the Bamaga turnoff is still mainly unsealed but with large areas being worked on it won’t be long until the PDR is sealed all the way to Weipa.  We were told that there is only about 250 km left to go.  Our first surprise was the traffic light as we approached the town.  It was a Haultruck Crossing and boy were they big vehicles.

The Weipa area was the first stretch of the Australian coastline ever explored by Europeans.  It was the Dutch explorer Willem Janz, sailing in the Duyfken, who first sighted the coast near here in 1606.

Matthew Flinders was the first person to note the possible mineral potential in the area in 1802 but it was almost 100 years later, when a geologist noted the presence of Bauxite.  The nearby gold discoveries were of far more interest at the time!

Around 1955 another geologist realised that Matthew Flinders ‘reddish cliffs’ were in fact virtually pure bauxite and so the potential of the area began to be exploited.  The result is that Weipa is now the largest Bauxite mine in the world.  The port of Weipa was officially opened in 1962 and the first commercial shipment of bauxite from there was made in 1963.

We stayed in the caravan park here as that is the best option.  Right on the beach it was very big, tidy and welcoming with the most amazing sunsets over the Gulf each night.  Just outside was the shopping centre and for the first time in weeks we did our shopping in a Woolies.  Apparently the most expensive one in the country we were told.  Still it was nice to be able to do a ‘proper’ shop after so long.

Later that afternoon we took a drive around to Fishermans Wharf and then round to Rocky Point where the sun was setting.

The next day we decided to drive out and have a look at Mapoon, a very small and remote township around 90 km north of Weipa.  The road to Mapoon is a large red road mostly in good condition and it is a fairly easy drive to get there.

Just out of Weipa you must cross the Mission River and Andoom River bridges.  Both of these are one lane bridges with a railway line beside them.  You are required to travel with your lights on so as to be seen by the oncoming traffic.  They then have to wait on the other side until you have cleared the bridge before they can then go.  It seemed to work well on a quiet Saturday but I would hate to see it in operation at a busy peak time.

Arriving in Mapoon we found a very tiny, quiet little town centre, one shop, before making our way around to Cullen Point.  Another beautiful beach with a little campground beside it.  A haven for fishermen apparently.

We drove around to the site marked Old Mapoon.  Once the site of the town, residents were moved out to all parts of Qld in 1963 after the government signed the Colmalco Agreement with the federal govt.  Small family groups started to move back to Mapoon in 1974 and it’s now a thriving community.

Nearby is a small park where a memorial stands to commemorate the visit by the Dutch in 1606. Known locally as ‘first contact country’ this very interesting memorial tells you many stories about times gone by.

Back at home that evening we decided to treat ourselves and enjoyed fish and chips at the park cafe, Barramunchies.

The next morning Bill went for an early morning wander along the beach/mangroves and found this beautiful White Bellied Sea Eagle busy with his morning activities.  Such beautiful birds and happy to have his picture taken.

Later that day we drove around to Lake Patricia, back to the wharf, the sewage ponds and then found some delightful Sacred Kingfishers playing near Port Weipa.  

A nice way to finish our stay here.  We enjoyed our time here in Weipa and found the West Coast very different from the East Coast where we had just come from.  I know that a thriving mining town is very different from a National Park but it was much more than that.  Different weather, some different trees and birds and of course stunning sunsets on the West Coast.

It was time to hit the road and start making our way south again.  Lots more to see along the way so stay tuned.

until next time......