The Trip to The Tip

 
From Bamanga we made a dash on a wildly red bumpy road through the  northern Queensland  rainforest heading north to the tip of continental Australia. We stopped in at red dust covered Croc Tent which sits unsuspectingly on a cross roads in the mist of nowhere . They offer free advice to travellers and sell souvenirs like stubby holders, pin, Tshirts, hats and even stingray skin wallets. In front of the red dusty tent is a chain fence with a fake crocodile. Super cheesy but The Croc Tent gets points for it remote location and unique store front. The information here is unofficial but really useful.
30km after leaving The Croc Tent and we arrived at a beautiful beach where the trail to the famous Northern Most Tip of Australia sign sits perched on a rock. We were alone when we arrived at the infamous sign.  Like soldiers standing at attention several piles of rock had been carefully erected around the sign.. We each picked up a rock and placed it on top of the rock piles. We knew these were built by visitors who shared a similar journey to get to this place. This was a special place for us. It all felt triumphant. We had been from the Southern most point of Australia and the Northern most point. Mission accomplished but bittersweet to think about how little travel is left in our year.

An Aussie Icon

stunning beaches here but not for swimming.

Horn Island

The traditional costume of the TS Islanders.  We know where the symbol of on the TSI flag came from after seeing this guys hat.

A bit of fishing on the way back from Horn Island

From the Walls of Horn Island Museum

Thursday Island

Thursday Island is home to the government agencies of the Torres Strait Islands. With a tropical island feel and beautiful vistas from a top it was a memorable stop. There are hints of Indonesia here.

 

 Views atop Thrusday Island looking towards continental Australia

Roka Isand of the Torres Straits

From Bamaga we caught a boat and toured a few of the Torres Straits Islands. We visited  a pearl farm at Roko Island run by aTahitian family. A small cemetery attested to the generations of the past many lost in the wake of the pearling industry. Broom WA had a similar history.

A short walk through the Mangroves.

Turning Teen

Bamaga- Community of the Tip

The long dirt road of The Cape arrives at Bamaga which is  a good base for exploring the tip. There is a bottle shop, groceries, fuel , post office and a hand full of caravan parks. Both dogs and horses own the streets here and driving slowly is a must. Bamanga is home to some of the Torres Straits Islanders. The islands are made up of 120 some islands that span the 90 km gap between continental Australia and Papau New Guinea. They are a joyous group of people compared to the central aboriginals. Life here seems easy and harmonious and the white fella feels welcomed here.

The dry season brings on hunger and thirst for the Brumby population of Northern tropical Queensland. Each night the horses would wonder through the campground. We could hear their hoof beats outside the tent. They were looking for water.  J and I tried to give them apples but they spooked and trotted into the bush.

This is the Bamaga jetty. Note the signage regarding safe swimming and the aboriginal locals swimming.  Just across the the way a extra large saltie basked in the sun. Crazy!

Across the jetty -Bamaga

Mounds of Personality

The Old Telegraph Track

At the beginning of the Old Telegraph Track is where the real Cape York adventure really begins.   It is 90 Kms of SERIOUS 4WD.  We have a new found respect for the word serious when coupled with 4WD. The Old Telegraph Track with narrow unmarked roads,  sandy bogs, mud bogs, deep river crossings, earns that title.
The Bramwell Roadhouse is located where the The Track or OTT (as the locals call it) splits off from the easier bypass road. We stopped in for the best burger yet.  This is a place to check for information, and find out about the road conditions on the OTT. At roadhouse parking lot was a few dusty vehicals decked out with snorkels, super tready tires, suspension springs, winches and a few tough lookin young bloks fumbling around and about their vehicals with tools in hand.    The roadhouse motife sported picture collages of  damaged, bogged, and over turned vehicles that The Track had claimed. This was clue number one.
 After striking up a conversation with a few travellers we felt confident that the Landcruiser 100 series would take us through.
We were like babes in the woods or even city folk out here. Here is how the OTT adventure began..and ended. 

Narrow sandy begining for several Kms. Easy driving as long as there isn't any oncomming vehical. No where to  pull off with scrub on the edges. There were several tracks splitting off.  Wondering which way? No signage, No mobile coverage, no GPS. No map,  Noone around. Can still turn around and go back.

Here a moment of disbelief that we are on the right track. Steep, uneven, enterance with mud bog and logs.  Must have missed a turn off. We checked out another track that went off to the right but it ends quickly so we go back and are pretty sure we missed a turn.
Suddenly four other cars show up. Then another six. This IS our first crossing. Everyone is out of the cars sizing up the first challenge. About half of them turn around and go back.  We watched as the first four cars go through, slipping and sliding and a bit scary to watch but all go through. We decided that if we go right inbetween the groups then someone will have to pull us out to get through:) A smart plan eh! The rest of The Track we stay tight to this group of four cars.  Known as Team Tasmania, they don't mind us tagging along as they have done this before.

 But no turning back now. We never saw a single car behind us after this. Dont think they made it.

Crossing #3-travelling up the bank to miss the pothole.  Then the crossing is a breeze.

Funniest sign on the track : This is a tree-Prado Interuptus

Gunshot Crossing is the one that The Track goers fear the most- To the left is a steep drop off. To the right is a bumper cruncher.  The steep grade with the loose sand sends even cars with super treads sliding to the bottom.  After the turn at the bottom is a river crossing and a tree decorated with memoriablia left by those who have made it through but often not unscathed. Amongst the memorablia left behind is a good collection of car parts like running boards, bumpers, flat tires, boken axels, and even flip flops.

One of our new found friends going Gun Shot with trailer.

 
Six hours later we are crossing the last bit of croc infested water late into the night but all is good as we made it. And we would do it again in a heart beat!

Sights of The Cape

Termite Mounds

Plate Tree- Bramwell (The  Old Telegraph Track beginning)

Bush

A true traveller

Chili Beach- Cape York Way

Chili Beach is a oasis paradise from the road dust.  It is located enroute to The Cape and east to the Coral Coast. It boasts miles of deserted beach with coconuts everywhere. Beautifully senic it lends visions of the movie Castaways where Tom Hanks starred as a plane wreck servivor on a deserted tropical island. We weren't the only ones that had this thought. Wilson, Tom's symbolic tribal vodoo friend was recreated on many of the washed ashore coconuts by previous travellers and left by a tree as a shrine.
The road to Chili is for the brave and adventurist so it isn't uncommon to be alone here.
 The magical atmoshere is native and wild and well worth the effort.  The kids turned savage making spears, palm fraund huts, collecting coconuts and hacking away wildly the husks.  We dined on fresh coconut meat and coconut water became the drink of choice. If we had stayed any longer the would have made a raft to sail away to the GBF.

Dingo hunting coconuts

Perfection

The shoe tree. 

Wilson's of the palms

Savage

The Hut

Our Wilson

Wilson's friends (note the multicultural representation)

C's Coco fraund hut.