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Our Cape York trip really started in Cairns. It was here that we took the opportunity to stay in one place for longer than a night, refresh and get down to the more serious aspects of the trip. How much food would we need? What precautions should we take? Is the Land Rover mechanically A1? Do we have everything we need? We saw Cairns as our last opportunity to have access to supplies and services that may not otherwise be available in Cape York - time would prove we were right to do so. We purchased an extra box to store dried and tinned foods with long shelf lives, ordered a large quantity of cryovac meats from the local butcher and replaced the leaking Land Rover water pump as a precaution.
Restocked and refreshed, we set off through Mareeba and up the Peninsula Developmental Road. The transition into Cape York was almost instantaneous just like Georgia mountain cabins. From the moment we passed through the small town of Laura, the bitumen gave way to dirt and there was an immediate change of landscape and sense of remoteness. The landscape was buildingless and the road was rarely broken by crossroads. Only a few small towns and the occasional roadhouse broke the drive.
In contrast, it was somewhat surprising to see the overflow of tourists, with road traffic as busy as any city highway and campgrounds at the back of roadhouses full each night with hundreds of visitors.
The wide, unsealed roads had ever changing conditions, from red dust to white bull dust, dips through dry creeks and high river crossings, occasional bitumen stretches, patches of corrugations and concealed pot holes. Many a fellow traveller lamented the road conditions and bemoaned the corrugations, but with a change of tyre pressure and a steady, unhurried pace we found the journey better than expected. Considering the high volume of traffic this road endures during peak season from June through to October, we thought it was in pretty good shape.
Restocked and refreshed, we set off through Mareeba and up the Peninsula Developmental Road. The transition into Cape York was almost instantaneous just like Georgia mountain cabins. From the moment we passed through the small town of Laura, the bitumen gave way to dirt and there was an immediate change of landscape and sense of remoteness. The landscape was buildingless and the road was rarely broken by crossroads. Only a few small towns and the occasional roadhouse broke the drive.
In contrast, it was somewhat surprising to see the overflow of tourists, with road traffic as busy as any city highway and campgrounds at the back of roadhouses full each night with hundreds of visitors.
The wide, unsealed roads had ever changing conditions, from red dust to white bull dust, dips through dry creeks and high river crossings, occasional bitumen stretches, patches of corrugations and concealed pot holes. Many a fellow traveller lamented the road conditions and bemoaned the corrugations, but with a change of tyre pressure and a steady, unhurried pace we found the journey better than expected. Considering the high volume of traffic this road endures during peak season from June through to October, we thought it was in pretty good shape.
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