CAPERS around "THE TIP"

... in which we finally reach our geographical goal ...

Our route (roughly) from Hobart to Cape York

Back to Loyalty Beach

We arrived back at Loyalty Beach to the news that we were going to have to shift our camp as Patsy, the owner of the campground, had allocated our site to some folks that were due to arrive later that day. The worse news was that they had nowhere for us to go to. However, Neil, the camp handyman and troubleshooter suggested we just sit tight and wait to see if the others showed. (Neil and his wife - who was running the kiosk - had only arrived seven weeks beforehand and were doing a great job of trying to make things work for campers.) As it turned out the folks who had been allocated our site didn't arrive so we didn't have to shift. Waiting around to find out what as going to happen was all a bit annoying, and we'd had hassles before going to the islands because Patsy - who'd taken Max's booking over a month previously - hadn't assigned us to a site and seemingly overbooked the campground. Max tried to have a bit of a chat with her about our situation, but she just palmed him off to Neil.

Oh, and did I mention that the chef and his wife had quit just before we arrived? We'd thought about having a meal at the restaurant, but there was no menu up or someone to talk to about food when we wandered around to a couple of hours before dinner to see what was cooking. We had a bit of time up our sleeves because of having to rearrange the earlier part of our trip, but couldn't find any compelling reasons to spend another night at Loyalty Beach, which is a lovely spot. However, with the hassles we experienced I would suggest giving the place a miss and using some other facility in the area. There is the Siesia Holiday Park if you're looking for somewhere to stay before and after going out to Torres Strait and after returning, and leave your car and camper while you're out there.

Punsand Bay

The good news for us was that we were able to book into the Punsand Bay Camping Resort a day earlier than we'd originally intended. And, unlike at Loyalty Beach, we were allocated specific sites.  Punsand Bay is closer to the actual tip of Cape York so it is a good place to base yourself if you ever go up that way. We took the direct route along an easy four wheel drive track. There was one little running repair we needed to do where a bit of erosion had happened at a cattle grid. Thanks to Pru's helpful supervision, we were able to get on with the job satisfactorily ...

Heads down, bums up!

As the Whistling Kite flies Punsand is only about 5 kilometres west of "The Tip". We were very pleased upon arrival early the next morning to be able to settle in straight away without any hassles. Punsand's new owners - who also run the Cape Tribulation Camping ground - are in the process of refurbishing the resort and seem to be doing a great job. It's a friendly, well-run  place and great for exploring the environs of Cape York.

Just near our campsite we found the two halves of a giant turtle shell.  Note the remnant vertebrae on the upturned upper half ...

To The Tip!

You can drive almost directly to the tip via another four wheel drive track, but there were stories about numerous folks getting themselves stuck - repeatedly - with nowhere to turn around so, rather than risking having to do numerous winching operations, we opted to drive the longer way via The Croc Tent, a meeting place and information centre that happens also to sell trinkets and t-shirts to Cape York pilgrims and Old Telegraph Track survivors ...

The CROC TENT

Note the standard coating of red dirt on the back of the Nissan Navarra parked outside. Max and Prue are entering the tent on the hunt for cargo.

The drive to the tip itself was straightforward, with only one big puddle to negotiate.  Just before you arrive at the car parking area you pass the remnants of the old five star TAA Cape York Wilderness Lodge, now largely reclaimed by nature.

Interestingly, there were a couple of mountain bikers at the tip when we arrived. I imagine they either found their way around the edge of the puddle or carried their bikes through, as it would have been tricky riding right through the middle. And, on the mountain biking note, some of the actual four wheel drive sections that we drove would have been great for that. Besides the two mountain bikers there was only one other car in the parking area when we arrived. With the cyclists departing we had The Tip to ourselves apart from a young couple with two small kids - although that changed fairly dramatically in the hour or so we spent there.

Had the tides been in a different phase we could have walked to the cape from the car park. Instead, we enjoyed elevated views as we walked up and over the hill in the intervening 500 or so metres ...

As we were descending the hill Di found the northerly-most lost pen just by the northerly-most termite mound on the Australian continent ...

Graham took a quick snap for Di and me ...

All the way from Hobart!

... before Liz examined the back of the sign ...

 It must have been replaced at some time, because the sign that was there used to have the latitude and longitude of The Tip inscribed on the back. Sadly, all that is there now is some graffiti.

A courteous gentleman who arrived shortly after we did offered to take a group photo ...

WHAT A TEAM!

To celebrate the moment, we enjoyed a bottle of bubbly that came all the way from Bay of Fires winery in Tasmania. Hopefully, once Graham gets back to Sydney he'll be able to send through a photo of us with glasses in hand that I can upload to the blog. In the meantime, here's a photo of the cork ...

Due to the arrival of quite a number of folks while we were at The Tip we weren't surprised to see the car park full when we got back ...

... but it was sobering to think about the numbers of people visiting the area, with lots more to come as the season progresses. What is a bit of a worry is that there is really no infrastructure to cater for the masses. Not that I think there should be karaoke bars or anything like that but some toileting facilities would be a good idea. There were already numerous deposits of bog roll scattered around the place, left by people who just don't seem to know any better - or care about despoiling the environment . And it will only get worse over the next few months.

Somerset

The plan for the rest of the day was to explore the area. First stop was Somerset, which was established in 1863 and served as the administrative capital for the top end before that was shifted out to Thursday Island. Before Somerset was established, there was a doomed expedition led by Edmund Kennedy to explore the Cape York area. Kennedy, along with most of his men, died en route. A memorial in his name was erected at Somerset in 1948 ...

A number of headstones at the old settlement are testament to the multicultural nature of the region right from the start ...

The cannons aimed out over the channel testify to the widespread fears - unfounded as they were -throughout Queensland of Russian invasion ...

Watching out for Reds Under the Yardarm?

There is now a beautiful camping area at Somerset. It's an idyllic location ...


We had a walk along the beach ...

 ... where Di took this shot of a Portia Tree blossom ...

It's an idyllic spot with the palm trees that fringe the beach dropping their coconuts ...

... and mangroves, where crocodiles lurk, guard access at either end ...

The Five Beaches

Although we'd decided against taking the direct route to The Tip from Punsand, we were all keen to do a bit of proper four wheel driving on our "Tip Top Day". We'd got information from the helpful fellow at the Croc Tent about the Five Beaches, which is rated as a medium to easy drive. The beaches are separated from one another by open heathland on the headlands and rainforest where you need to go further inland.

It was a great choice. Graham, who had the most experience with off-road driving amongst our three parties, led the way for us and was very helpful with his tips on appropriate speed and the best line to take in some of the rougher spots getting on to a couple of the beaches. It was a very scenic drive and a suitable learning experience for me with my limited experience of off-road driving.

Here's a photo of Prue out on the first beach, where we stopped to lower our tire pressures ...

... and, through our dirty windscreen, Graham and Liz leading the way on to beach number 2 ...

... and descending to beach number three ...

After beach four you travel through the rainforest ...

You can watch this little video Di shot if you like ...

Graham discovered he had a broken aerial, so we set about repairs. Liz wondered if some jetsam in the form of a drink bottle might work ...

... before we settled on a bit of driftwood splinted on with "hundred mile and hour tape" (so nicknamed for its supposed ability to stick up to a hundred miles per hour!) ...

FIRST AID FOR GRAHAM'S CB AERIAL

This did the trick admirably, with the aerial staying in place and working perfectly for the whole rest of the trip.

After a wonderful day, we repaired to Punsand Bay for Happy Hour, followed by an excellent meal at the café. I had fresh, locally caught barramundi and it was fantastic. That was the meal of choice for three of us, and the other three had meals that they also found delicious. Highly recommended!

So that's about it for our trip to Cape York but, as we still had lots of fun in the following days on our way back to Cairns, sostay tuned for the "EPI(CB)LOG", which will appear in a few days' time.

And ... after a while ... a crocodile!