SEQ/CQ/NQ/FNQ - CAPE YORK 2013 (Brains, Richo, LFaR & other vehicles)

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

WELL THE SHOW MUST GO ON

I am sorry but had a very busy last half of 2013 and I made my first New Years Resolution to finish this report for Richo, Hazza, Gumboot, JoshF, Mark from Brisbane and winniliss as well as anyone else on the previous pages.

I left you last time as we had crossed the North ALice and continued along the OTT seeing some remnants of the Telegraph Poles. we made a few stops along the way to get some photos of the Telegraph Poles and the vehicles on the OTT. You'll probably notice a common theme with the front three vehicles. Yes the Nissan drivers were too scared to go first after the break downs, bogs and winching. So they left it up to the three Prado's to lay the pavers for them to follow.





It obviously instils confidence for the Nissan drivers to know that there are three (3) extremely capable and superior vehicles in front of them should they or should I say when they need to be recovered.

It's amazing when you stop along the track and you look at the map you realise how far away from home you are it really makes you start to think about the workers that built this Line and the fact that they didn't have nice air-conditioned Prado's to travel in. Our children on the trip really got a sense of the hardship that would have been experienced by explorers, settlers and workers in these type of remote areas.

Anyway we continued north into the Heathlands Reserve towards our days destination of Eliot Falls. When travelling up in the Cape there is planning that you must do as if you wish to camp at camping spots like Eliot Falls you have to book a camping through the Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. I would be doing this as soon as you set your itinerary as some locations you may not get the dates you want or as many days as you want and is especially dependant on the number in your party as they only have certain numbers available. Luckily for us we had our sites booked at Eliot Falls in advance for the two night we had planned.



The next crossing we came to was Dalhunty River and if only we had had more time as I would have planned a night camping at the Dalhunty.



We turned up around lunch time so firstly we all headed down to the river for a swim and took in the beautiful River that the Dalhunty is. There is a little rock shelf that you can get in behind the little waterfall and look back out through the water. This really would have been a great overnighter which would have given us the afternoon to spend in the river and exploring the area. If you are heading up that way definitely put it down as a camp site to break up the OTT.







So after our refreshing swim we went back to the vehicles as we still had a bit of a drive to get to Eliot Falls and we wanted to stop off at Fruit Bat Falls for a swim. We all had a quick lunch feast and then got back into the vehicles departing Dalhunty River and continued north on the OTT.

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

Brains, it's been so long since your last post depression set in. But now you've saved me like many others buddy so keep them coming

Hazza

[DSS150 Find all posts View Profile Close DSS150]

I'm also thoroughly enjoying your report, keep it going!!

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

So we continued north from the Dalhunty on the OTT. Throughout the track there are a number of Fords to cross which during the dry season are simply a trickle of water across the track. It is with anticipation that you continue to the next crossing to experience it first hand and see if it lives up to your expectations.

From all the videos and Youtube Footage available there's nothing like doing this track yourself and experiencing all the crossings in person. Everything is so much more than the pictures and motion that I had seen. If this report inspires you to go out and do this trip or makes you relive the memories you made when you did this trip then I feel like I have achieve what I have wanted from compiling these words and photos and some more video to come.

So after the Dalhunty you arrive at Bertie Creek, now Bertie is still a creek you want to get out and walk and take it all in, checking out where all the holes in the rocky base are and picking your path across. Everytime I stand in one of these creek crossing I imagine where the water level would be in the wet season, looking around the banks and seeing if theres any sign of where the level got to. Getting back to Bertie it is a fairly easy crossing with the rocky base and there is a couple of ways across to miss the potholes. We all made it across, once again the three Prado's crossed over while the scared Nissan drivers watched picking up tips from these awesome machines and their drivers.





It seemed that while both Richo and myself had removed our front plates, to make sure we had them for the return journey, LFaR had managed to install a new Cape York Adventure themed plate.



After waiting quite some time for the Nissan drivers to choose their path across they finally gained enough courage to make it across, it was touch and go as they inched with 1000mm of a pothole with worried looks on their faces. I've included a photo of these Nissans precariously making their way across the might Bertie Creek.



After Bertie Creek we continued ahead on the track until we reached another Junction…which way should we continue..were we able to get through the legendary Gunshot Creek Crossing with the Nissan's in our crew (we knew that the Prado's would have no issues).



I don't know about the others but 8 km of track looks way better than 20 odd k's of development road.

Onwards to GUNSHOT!!!!

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

Great report Brains, keep it comin'

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

Just to let you all know, I'm off to Moreton Island tomorrow so will attend to this when I get back after a week.

[Goodwinfamily Member Find all posts View Profile Close Goodwinfamily]

Cool looks like the new Transformers 4 logo.........

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

Paul,
Time for the "gunshot" episode.
Please Sir, can we have some more....

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

Great call gumboot!

To leave the story at this point would be a crime against PPer humanity.

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

Rob,

We did Gunshot saw the tip then drove home!

I will get it done before you leave for your trip.

Paul

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

Okay believe it or not I'm back to finish this trip report before I head back up to Cape Melville in June.

So lets pick it up at the Gunshot Bypass intersection. Onwards to Gunshot Creek!!! Well the Prado drivers had no second thoughts but once again some gentle persuasion to convince the Nissan Drivers their were 3 capable recovery vehicles with them to assist should they need some assistance.

As we drove in towards the Gunshot crossing we were met with a few other vehicle which were stopped prior to entering the different tracks that lead to the multiple entries into the infamous Gunshot Creek. On the Hema Cape York Tip map there is a caution which states:Gunshot Creek is often extremely Steep and hazardous. I was a bit perplexed Hazardous as in the water was toxic or that the steep decent into the creek could be Hazardous if you decided to drive down a vertical face into the floor of the creek. We parked the vehicles and walked down towards the not toxic creek but the different entries which had been made over time.

Of course one has to check out this well known vertical entry that has appeared in many videos and Fail compilations on Youtube. As we stood at the top and looked down, then if you have an understanding of gravity and the fact of no matter what tyres you have or vehicle you drive the gravitational forces of the earth will win if you take that route.



The only way to attempt this actual entry would be to get pre approval from your insurance company that they would repair the damage or attach your vehicle via a strap to a vehicle behind you and be gently lowered in. Matt LFaR up for any challenge jumped in first.



And assessed that there was some mud in the base of the entry and it was quite steep.

A quick look around and there are two reasonable entries into the Creek. To the left there was a track that led down to slope over a reasonable distance that offered an easy entry into the crossing. To the right along the track that led down to the vertical entry there is a track that leads further to the right to a not vertical entry that was more challenging than the left track but not destined to damage our vehicles. As we enjoy the challenge rather than a simple drive down to the creek we all opted for the Right track (yes even the weak Nissan drivers, well it was 3 vs 2, balance of power as I call it)

Anyway we made our way down and LFaR was the first Prado to cross, then Brains then Richo. We shan't discuss the Nissan's successful crossing because that would be like saying that NSW have won a State of Origin, once, a long time ago. It's funny no one has ever tweeted or posted on Facebook with the news that NSW has won a State of Origin. And lets hope they never will. Anyway back to the story.

LFaR drops in.


Followed by Brains


And then Richo


Once we dropped into the creek we had to drive up the creek about 10 metres to the exit.









We all made it through without a drama and ticked another of the OTT crossings off the list. While we were there most of the other people attempted the crossing using the much easier left hand track.

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

Hooray!

Thanks Brains - keep it going.

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

Brains, we need MORE!!

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

Anyhow, we continue along the Old Telegraph Track and for Matt LFar we continued to break new northern ground as NOW was the furtherest he had travelled toward the northern most point of the Australian Continent. As we drove further North we kept breaking this furthermost point with a new one, Again and again.

The track is fairly reasonable going going with some slow sections for water affected parts of the track. We continued towards our final destination for the day which was to be Eliot Falls and after Gunshot we only had Cockatoo Creek to get across.

As we got to Cockatoo Creek it was well signed unlike some of the other crossings.



So we drove down to the entry... to have a look. We all jumped out and walked down the entry and into the creek. Once again I looked around and you try and imagine these creeks in the wet season, how high is the water and what sort of volume of water is moving through here.

The entry had a bit of a drop in to a section that ramped down to the creek. Videos I remember of vehicles crossing had them turning hard right and driving into the flow of the water for a distance before making a left turn and crossing the creek. The bed of Cockatoo Creek was full of rocks and large holes, but there seemed to be a path straight across.





Richo guided us down the drop down section and we made our way across Cockatoo Creek without any real problems at all.

LFaR





Brains





Richo





And the other 2 Nissan made it across (for those of you that are interested at all)

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

So from Cockatoo Creek we continued north towards our camping spot for the next two nights, Eliot Creek. I notice that the track is somewhat wider and appears to have been recently graded. We continue the 14 or so kilometres to Sailor Creek which now has changed from a small eroded gully to a short bridge crossing prior to where the OTT joins back up with the Bypass Road. I was somewhat surprised to see that this section of the OTT was graded as I understood that the Bypass and development Roads would have been but there was an expectation that the OTT would be left alone for those that wanted the larger experience that the OTT has to offer. The track still offers the continual change of the colour and type of track surfaces we had encountered on the trip, different shades of dirt and sand ranging from a dirty white colour through to a gravelly dark browning red iron ore like track. As I watch the time lapse of the track it is easy to see the continual changing of the surface of the track.

As we joined the Bypass Track the road has is now wide enough to take the two way traffic we would encounter on these development Roads. We continued along the Bypass Road to Fruit Bat Falls. Fruit Bat Falls is only a Day use area and offers no camping. It is easily accessible with parking at the end of the track into the falls. Fruit Bat Falls is situated on the Eliot Creek about 7 kilometres south of Eliot Falls. It is a definite must to go down and hop in for a swim.

We parked the vehicles in the carpark and exited them to make our way down to the Falls via the walkway to the Rock Shelf to the North of the Falls. As you walk down you start to here the sound of the water cascading over a rock shelf and as you step into sight, you see one of the most amazing accessible falls we as 4WDers get to visit.



To the left of the photo below is where the walkway down leads to where you can leave your towels and access Fruit Bat Falls.



As you get to this rock shelf you look straight down the creek to the south and are looking at the front of the falls to see this great width of water moving over the falls. The amount of water and the force of this water is only understood by getting in and experiencing the force that it travels at.



After getting in and swimming around and sitting under the falls to get a rather vigourous massage some of us climbed up on top of the shelf to look around. Up top there is solid rock base that extends south up the creek, which is here the water gathers its force to go over the top. As some of us were exploring Matt LFar was using the opportunity of this moving water to get in some swimming training. It is at this spot where he started and became the first member of the FNCYSC (Far Northern Cape York Swimming Club). These next two days at areas where Matt could get in the water without the risk of any large, breath holding, swimming lizards was like watching a kid crack open a PS4 for Christmas.



Finally after our swim and little bit of exploring, well more to the point that Matt had got in an extensive swimming training session he allowed us to dry off and go back to the vehicle to continue through to Eliot Falls to set up Camp. On grabbing all our gear we stood there to take in this amazing natural exhibition of colour, texture and tactile's taking one more shot to help remind us of where we had been.