Cape York et al. - August

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Great pics Keeper. Looks like you had quite an adventure. Now you can say you've done it!

[Nema Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Nema]

Great photos Keeper. Ill be finally home tomorrow night and ill start to get all my photos ready to post up also.

It was a great trip my only disappointment was not seeing any of you PPers up there.

Dave

[Boomslang Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Boomslang]

Great write-up and pics.

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

Your comment of the quick history lesson in Cooktown reminded me of when I was there in 2009 and had the good fortune to be taken on a night tour of the local cemetery.
3 hours plus and I was keen for more, the stories told by the graves both those with head stones and those hidden in the bush was amazing.
Cooktown really is a great place to start the cape adventure.
Sounds like you had a awsome trip

Lee

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ntp / Boomslang / Nema & Leethal

Thanks for the comments - still a bit to go and share - but getting there. The trip was great - it is a shame it has to end!

[Keeper Member Find all posts View Profile Close Keeper]

Day 9 - 8 August

Wenlock River to Chili Beach / Iron Range NP

Up at sparrows, fed, fire wood collection and on the track. The change of scenery toward Lockhart River and into Iron Range is great, pretty decent track and great country with hills, creeks and the rainforest hitting the beach at Chili and topped off with the coconut bearing trees.



The campsites here were really nice, we timed it well with some departures and scored a smaller one on the northern side.







Heaps of folk coming in between 2 and 4, the place filled up quick and some were disappointed that they had missed out. Arrival time at these places is everything – they are in demand and smaller so try and get in a little early. There is beach access on the north side, so if you get stuck and you are kitted up you can get on the beach and camp (just watch the high tide)

[Keeper Member Find all posts View Profile Close Keeper]

The beach is fantastic, really gentle sloping shoreline and great for kids particularly at and near low tides. The water was a bit deep at high tide for playtime, and way too easy for concealment for uninvited handbags.



Lots of rubbish getting washed in from either the current from the Asian stream or the myriad of merchant navy lumbering passed not too far out. I woke up in the night around 3am and could here this generator sound, it seemed to go forever. Was someone running a genie somewhere, was it the light on the little island off shore getting powered by some type of diesel number? It took me a while to work out it was the container ships travelling off the coast – one after the other.



People say this place is windy – a little, but nice. Once you are set back in your camp area you don’t even notice it. This is one place you could set up for a few days, kick back and really soak in the ambience.



A few bush turkeys wander around which always keeps the little ones amused.



There is a toilet here, make sure you have plenty of fresh water if you stay for a few days – and there is a rubbish tip about 4kms away toward Portland Road. I was starting to accumulate a bit now.

If you do plan on having a dip have a bottle of vinegar and a break and freeze compress nearby (just in case)

[Keeper Member Find all posts View Profile Close Keeper]

Day 10 - 9 August

Chili Beach to Bramwell Junction VIA The Frenchmans

Up nice and early - what a great spot! Absolutely beautiful. Excited about getting on the Frenchmans.







There was a sign for a café at Portland Road and quite excited about the possibility of a coffee made by another – got there and the good old closed today RDO sign was out!

On the road and pull over at Mt Tozer viewing area for a coffee and snack and a chat with others heading into Chili. These conversations are priceless, you get up to date conditions on what the tracks are like and find out what is going on. This crew were travelling from the tip heading south, unfortunately they did not do the Frenchmans as they were told the Pascoe was still running at well over a metre. They also advised that a large number of cars had met their makers on the OTT by drowning. Our return information was better than theirs! We told them Chili was great and get in early to get a spot.

Off again for the Frenchman turnoff (is this after Narcisse Pelletier)? I love the signage around here!

[Keeper Member Find all posts View Profile Close Keeper]

Not sure what time we started, but a great journey through some excellent terrain, I dropped the pressure to 22psi at the start all round. Nice and steady pace. Caution to be used on this track with oncoming vehicles - some limited visibility in some places. You can usually get a bit of a heads up with the 2 way chatter.



48kms and 5 hours to the end, did stop for coffee and offer assistance along the way as well though. Came across good old Clem, support vehicle for some bikes, hung up on an unassuming puddle. The ruts were about knee deep and he was hung up on the diffs. Just goes to show the importance of walking through. I think he was pretty glad to see us! We played tag with Clem and his team to the top always catching up for a chat.



Great country with interesting formations along the way. Not sure if this is the ants attempt at the 3 sisters, giving the travellers the bird, or something a little more phallic.



This was a pretty impressive wash out and would be great to see in the peak of the wet.

[Keeper Member Find all posts View Profile Close Keeper]

The highlight was the Pascoe of course and chucked the bra on the car. Some info was getting around that a few cars had their fans pulled into the radiator and immobilised them (thinking more Nolans) but chucked it on anyway. I thought is was unlucky that the other party we met at Mt Tozer heard the Pascoe was deep and missed the opportunity to travel this track. Always worth having a look I reckon.

Had a walk through a few times (with a spotter) and felt comfortable. A nice large rock right in the middle that would pull you up pretty quick! (marked with a stick) The bottom is a nice firm rocky base - no traction problems here.



The Prado was nothing short of bloody fantastic getting up this bad boy.





Like Kav mentioned in his trip report the photos really are hard to show the actual challenge that presents.

[Keeper Member Find all posts View Profile Close Keeper]

The 100 series was next to punish through - no probs.





Onto the Wenlock (quite liked this river). An easy crossing with a good ascent out. Again the Prado just lapped this stuff up.



Final leg to hook up with the Telegraph Road. Again changing environment that you cannot become tired with.

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The end of the Frenchmans (or the start!)



A quick 66 kms to punch out to Bramwell Junction.



A good host with Jamie and his wife and again local knowledge of the OTT. Great burgers here, the Junction Burger is bloody huge! But I was as hungry (and parched) like 10 men and devoured the burger with much lubrication thanks to Tooheys. I'm buggered, early night I reckon.

Good open camping here, no powered sites. Fresh water to refill supplies. hot showers, toilets and clothes washing facilities. Unfortunately a heavy dew came down through the night and we carried some wet clothes to the tip!

Jamie informed us that Palm Creek was the bad boy here, many people evidently drove the 4kms of the OTT, turned around and went the Bamaga Road. He explained there was a carton turn around fine if you were to proceed back past his establishment! Whilst I would love to buy him a beer, there was no chance this was going to happen! Make sure you check out the photos on his tables - priceless!

Mandatory team photo and ready for the next challenge!

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Day 11 - 10 August

OTT - Bramwell to a quarry just out of Fruit Bat Falls

Depart Bramwell and of course a photo of the legendary sign!



Palm Creek and yeah, this is a bad boy, needed new side steps anyway! There was no way I was giving up my fire wood here for a bit of height!





A little bit of love to the side steps (they are bent, bit a good kick and all the plugs seem to reunite OK) and to the LHS front of the trailer, nothing a hammer couldn't fix. Just after Palm a very slight smell of a 'train station' started to creep into our environment now and my mate was blaming the 100's clutch with slippage.

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

nice work love the hammer . that looks like a marine hammer ie. a big bugger. looks like you got a drop in the breeze at chilli beach . apparently there was something like 50 - 60 peugeots doing the cape . i first saw them in lakefield and thought gees these guys are game . looked like they were having some fun .keep them pics comin .

[Keeper Member Find all posts View Profile Close Keeper]

Gunshot! The name means so many things to so many people!

This vehicle will be here for a while, it is not budging! Trying to lighten the load by drinking the beverages doesn't seem to be helping either. Would't hurt to grab a shovel maybe?



An old entry and one still used, but gentler on the tailpipe.





The crowd gathers to watch the entertainment in the effort to free the truck from its grip on gunshot!