Cape York–Jardine River & Seisia–4 August 2011

We left Elliot Falls and rejoined the Bypass Track and continuing to travel North we crossed the Jardine River on a ferry.

Seisia was recommended to us by campers down the track as a good base to explore the tip. It has a nice Caravan Park and is near the tip of Australia.
Seisia is an Islander community meaning that Torres Strait Islanders have settled here. Torres Strait is part of Australia but the ethnic grouping of the straits people is Melanesian.

We had a lovely site under a tree, with good facilities,  a kiosk where one can get meals and the very good Seisia Supermarket nearby.  The beach is beautiful and although you can't swim it is lovely to sit on the sand and watch the sunset.

Seisia is supplied by boat from Cairns twice a week. It is a popular pastime here to watch the boat loading and unloading. If your car breaks down irrevocably, beyond the mechanical skills of Top End motors, it can be shipped back to Cairns to be repaired and you can go home by boat too. We saw quite a few 4WD's going home on flat bed trucks so this is an alternate option. 

Cape York - Bramwell Junction, Eliot Falls–3 August 2011

We took the bypass track past Bramwell Junction, where the Telegraph Track and the Bypass Track diverge.  Bramwell Junction is immaculately clean and sells ice creams, pies and cool drinks. We found a lovely spot for lunch in the Heathlands National Park.

Just below Eliot Falls the Bypass track and the Telegraph Track intersect again, and we took the Telegraph Track into Eliot Falls.  Having navigated the water crossing and the Telegraph Track, John was a little too relaxed on the camping ground loop road and did not realize the turn was made too tight for our van, so that a branch took out the external light – fortunately we rarely use the one on the driver side and it did not damage the van.  The loop road in the camp ground is badly designed, as on the way out even with careful positioning [courtesy of Trish with the UHF radio], the van only made it through when Trish and some fellow campers held trees back from the van while John squeezed through.

We spent the night at Elliot Falls.  The park is not well maintained, unlike those in Western Australia, the promised showers don’t exist and the composting toilets were not functioning properly.

The falls themselves offer great swimming.  We watched some campers jump into Eliot Falls and sat and watched the water at twin falls.  The best swimming is at the Saucepan.

Trish used parts of the Saucepan Falls as a spa bath, for her early morning dip before we departed.

Cape York - Moreton Telegraph Station–2 August 2011

From Weipa we drove to Morton Telegraph Station, planning a short lunch stop. On our way we were passed by a number of road trains heading north. We gave them an easy way to get past.

At Moreton Telegraph a loud squeak from the van convinced us to stay the night in order to replace the pivot block in the suspension. This is the part that supports the entire weight of the van, and is made of a synthetic rubber. It is designed to wear and be replaced from time to time. Having seen other Bushtrackers having to wait weeks to get spare pivot blocks sent to remote locations we carry spares and all the tools needed to do the changeover.

There are pleasant well cared for grounds and we had a nice shady camp under a mango tree.

The old Telegraph Station House is long gone. There is a very nice walk to Cave Creek, a natural rock bridge, and on past the lagoon. There is also a nice path into the Wenlock River.

The site offers limited facilities, cool drinks, meat pies and pasties. It is really set up for bus groups.

Weipa – 31 July to 2 August 2011

We went to Weipa to visit our friend and one time plumber Peter, his wife Pauline and daughter Annette.

Peter was on a trip around Australia when he was offered a job in Weipa. He said he would if they could give him a house for the coming wet. They had a house for him at 7.00 a.m. the next morning and he has been there ever since.

 

Weipa is like all mining towns. It has very good facilities including a nice camping park with a swimming pool and a good supermarket and Pharmacy. It is a good place to purchase things you might have forgotten. It offers a very good range of sports and the big thing up here and through all the Cape is fishing, which is excellent.  The caravan park is right on the beach, but as this is the start of crocodile country no matter how tempting the water one cannot swim.  It seems terrible until one remembers that the coast could be covered in resorts if not for the crocodiles.

Bauxite for Aluminium is mined here. It is sent away washed but unrefined. We did a tour through the Bauxite mine, following the process from the mine site to the loader for the rail cars to the port for shipping to processing plants.

It was also Tricias Birthday and John very ingeniously managed to fit her Birthday candles on the end of a zucchini.

Cape York–Coen & Archer River Roadhouse–28 July 2011

Coen River was named after the Governor of Batavia. The town was founded as a fort on the River and grew with the Gold Rushes. One of the original Repeater Stations from the Old Telegraph Line is preserved as Cape York Heritage House which is a museum.
 

Coen has a nice really clean little coffee shop and is a good spot for a break.

Outside Coen is the Quarantine Station. This is where one is given the brochures for travelling North. Not people to waste paper they wait to see if you are serious before you are given the information guides.
They are very serious about Quarantine up here as there are a lot of diseases that can come in from New Guinea.

We camped at Archer River Roadhouse. They supply meals and have good facilities. There is limited water. They have the most innovative use for Oppenheimer Poles, even using the insulators as part of the washing line.

We had a swim in the Archer River. We were worried about crocodiles but others had been before us. It was very refreshing.

 

This German Tourist didn't know how to change a tyre. Tricia didn't know whether to be appalled at his naiveté or impressed by his bravery.

John used it as a teaching moment, showing him how to use the manual to find the correct location for the jack and then helping to change the tyre.  As they said on the lid of Cabot paint tins in our youth: 'When all else fails read the directions."  Like most outback stations Archer River Station can repair tyres.

Cape York -Hann River Roadhouse, Musgrave Station – 27 July 2011

The Hann River Roadhouse is a good place to stop for morning tea or lunch. This is a lovely clean place with two German girls working so they can extend their visas and important to Trish they have German Magnum ice-creams. They have a tame emu which will follow you anywhere if you give it some cashews. There was a film crew visiting while we were there so we are looking forward to seeing it on Television at some time. There are other nice stopping places for lunch along the road.

We camped the night in Musgrave Station. Camping is on a first come first served basis so it is good to get there early. We are back to circling the wagons and people all want to camp close together.  If you are up the back you can be fairly alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Overland Telegraph Line to the tip of Cape York was built between 1883 and 1887.

Musgrave Station was a Telegraph Station, built as a fort, and you can still see the corner gun points so rifle fire could shoot down either wall.

We have enjoyed tracking the uses Oppenheimer poles can be put too, here as a fence.

Camping is in a nice green paddock. There is limited water but no power. There are showers and flush toilets and a meal can be purchased.

We like to do that as we like to hear people’s stories and support the local eateries. This is a very happy place, people are happy at their achievement and pleased to go back with their vehicles intact or they are excited to be traveling to the far North and the challenges in front of them. We will not drive the Old Telegraph Track although our caravan is strong enough we don’t have the myriad support vehicles and winches we would need to negotiate the track. People mostly have roof top tents if they are trying to do the OTT.