Cape York - June 2012

[Mark from Brisbane Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark from Brisbane]

I head off from Brissie 14th July, and will meet two other Prado's and a Triton in Cairns 17th July.

We are then doing 1 night Cape Trib, 3 nights Cooktown and off to Kalpower 22nd July.

We have booked Kalpower / Chilli Beach but the rest we'll "wing it"...would have preferred to wing it all the way but yes I read that bookings are needed and so don't want to miss out.

So if you see 2 x Silver 120's and 1 x Silver 150....and a Dark Blue Triton, piloted by a bunch of grey haired old farts, that'll be us.

Hope most of the water is gone by the time we get there, I imagine as we won't hit the OTT to 28th / 29th / 30th July we should be right, otherwise SWMBO will be shitting herself!!

Hope to see a few PP members on the track

[gxl_d4d Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close gxl_d4d]

Is it possible to go from SE Qld to Cape and back in 2 weeks and still see the main attractions? I'd be hauling it to cairns over 2 days. Cairns to Cooktown via Bloomfield Track then onto the Cape. I'd mostly be sticking to PDR. Can anyone with prior experience suggest an itinerary.

Thanks,

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

I'd have to say no, unless you bypassed the Cooktown/Bloomfield leg, and only stuck to the Peninsula Development Rd and not the OTT which would defeat the purpose in IMO. It'd be so rushed it'd take the enjoyment out of it. If I was in your shoes I'd be happy to postpone the trip by 12 months to allocate an extra week or two so I'm not left with the feeling of missing out on so much of the trip and "needing" to do it again just to see things I didn't previously. You mentioned you wanted to still see the main attractions, but you'll miss so many of them with the route you want to take, not to mention the most important one of all, the Telegraph Track itself. Someone else may say you can still do it and suggest an itinerary, but the beginning of my itinerary (although at the end of the week differs from what you'll be doing) to give you an idea is:
Day 1: Toowoomba to Rockhampton – 650km, 8hrs. Leave for Rockhampton by 9am.
Day 2: Rockhampton to Cairns – 1070km, 13hrs min. Leave for Cairns by 6:30am.
Day 3: Cairns to Archer River Roadhouse c’grounds - 639km, 9-10hrs (Has awesome burgers)
Day 4: Archer River RH to Bramwell Junction c’grounds – 165km (Start of OTT).
Day 5: Bramwell Junction to Cockatoo Ck – 52km, 4hrs (Various camp spots along banks)
Day 6/7: Cockatoo Ck to Twin/Elliot Falls – 33km, 3-4hrs (Nice swimming holes – 2 days stay).

[Parso Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Parso]

Hey all. New to the forum. The wife and I are leaving Tamworth on the 15th July with two other couples for a month of exploring to the tip. Keep a look out for a white 120, a 100 series cruiser, and a Navara ute with two camper trailers, and a tinny in tow. We should design a PRADOPOINT windscreen decal so we can spot each other on the tracks and give a wave. This will be the first big trek for all concerned and quite daunting in the planning stages. I must say I am far more concerned about the new campsite booking requirements and the rangers than I am about any poor old rogue croc'. Shame the guided tours are all so expensive, I reckon they would be the go for actually learning the history of the areas you pass through.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

I'm booking the camping sites now online for Cape York this year for the Jardine River National Park & Heathlands Resources Reserve areas and in the drop down list on the DERM website it only offers:
South Jardine River Camping Area
North Jardine River Camping Area
Eliot Falls Camping Area
Captain Billy Landing Camping Area
Ussher Point Camping Area

So if I camp on any rivers or creeks within the Jardine River National Park & Heathlands Resources Reserve outside of the above specific listed camping areas then I take it I don't have to book, which is how I understand it. Phew, that's a relief. It'll be easy in that case.

[GraemeJ Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close GraemeJ]

We are heading up 7th July for 5 weeks from Redbank Plains,brisbane

[derek11 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close derek11]

Happy now, Cape York opened today at 10.30am, just in time, we are there from sunday onwards for 3 weeks.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

I wish you the best of luck with the trip and look forward to seeing your pics/videos and trip report. You'll have to let us know what condition the Palm Creek entry is in too as from I've noticed it's been getting worse every year with a big rock in the middle of the downward entry getting more and more exposed.

[derek11 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close derek11]

I wish you the best of luck with the trip and look forward to seeing your pics/videos and trip report. You'll have to let us know what condition the Palm Creek entry is in too as from I've noticed it's been getting worse every year with a big rock in the middle of the downward entry getting more and more exposed.

Thanks Brett, will probaly need luck, I'll try to get a good trip report with footage/photos down here with some advice on condition of OTT and some side tracks.

[teamdevo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close teamdevo]

Hey guys i will be heading up from the gold coast leaving here on the 15th july going by ourselves but i am sure i will run into somebody up there (i think i will be in kalpowar the same day as mark from brisbane) any way i just wanted to let everyone know i was talking to a customer yesterday who just came back from up there and he mentioned to me that the roads between mackay and cairns are terrible with a lot of roadworks happening each leg where it was normally take say 5 hrs was taking 6.5-7 hrs just because of roadworks and he got 2 smashed windscreens from trucks going to fast through roadworks and spraying rocks all over the car so please drive carefully and allow extra travel time may change in the next few weeks but he said its really bad and couldnt see it being fixed in a hurry hope to catch up with for a beer somewhere on the track

Craig

[Mark from Brisbane Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark from Brisbane]

Hey guys i will be heading up from the gold coast leaving here on the 15th july going by ourselves but i am sure i will run into somebody up there (i think i will be in kalpowar the same day as mark from brisbane) any way i just wanted to let everyone know i was talking to a customer yesterday who just came back from up there and he mentioned to me that the roads between mackay and cairns are terrible with a lot of roadworks happening each leg where it was normally take say 5 hrs was taking 6.5-7 hrs just because of roadworks and he got 2 smashed windscreens from trucks going to fast through roadworks and spraying rocks all over the car so please drive carefully and allow extra travel time may change in the next few weeks but he said its really bad and couldnt see it being fixed in a hurry hope to catch up with for a beer somewhere on the track

Craig

Hi Craig....mine is a Silver Prado, Rego 233MVD....will be with 2 other Prados (120's) mine is a 150, and a Triton, if you see me at Kalpower come over and say hi mate!!

From Kalpower up to Archer River, then over to Chilli Beach for 2 nights.

Hope to catch you on the tracks somewhere

[teamdevo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close teamdevo]

Hey mark i wont be getting there until the 23rd and from there hopefully to weipa see how road conditions go. On the other note i made another customer came in this morning from bowen and confirmed the roads are shit between bowen and rocky major delays from road works took an extra 1 on one leg where it should take 2 hours took him a little over 3 hours so again i ask everyone heading up there to take care on the roads and allow a bit extra for this.

Craig

[rally1 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rally1]

I'am heading to the cape leaving the central coast on the 14 july for 6 weeks sounds like everyone will be up at the same time.
There will be 2 120's 1 colarado and Landcruiser in our group.We managed to get every campsite that we wanted on the new
prebooking system .

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

I'am heading to the cape leaving the central coast on the 14 july for 6 weeks sounds like everyone will be up at the same time.
There will be 2 120's 1 colarado and Landcruiser in our group.We managed to get every campsite that we wanted on the new
prebooking system .

Hey, rally1, Were the camp sites you could pre-book only from the list below?
South Jardine River Camping Area
North Jardine River Camping Area
Eliot Falls Camping Area
Captain Billy Landing Camping Area
Ussher Point Camping Area

These were the only ones on the DERM site that showed up. And because of this I only had to pre-book 3 nights of camping. I just hope I haven't missed something with the pre-booking system.

[GraemeJ Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close GraemeJ]

We changed our plans a little We are still heading up July. Wife will be flying to Townsville on 7th July. I'll be driving from Blackwater meeting her there. Then it's off to Mareeba. Spending 5 weeks. Anyone else heading up there around this time?