Two Sams TravellingThis week we made our way to the Northernmost point of Australia, and we left the trailer for a few days to tick off a four wheel drive track that we have been wanting to do for years.
Day one
Today we were leaving the trailers to start the Old Telegraph Track. This four wheel drive track has been on the bucket list for a long time and we were finally here to do it. We got everything ready and left the trailer at Bramwell Junction Roadhouse and we made our way to the start of the track. The first major crossing was Palm Creek and when we arrived at the entry, it was basically vertical so we decided to use the other track to get across. We did watch a Troopy use this entry and it had to be pushed in order for it to get to the bottom. We got through the other entry all ok but when we reached the other side, we realised that the way back out was very steep, and no one was getting out without being winched. There were already a few people in front of us, so it took around an hour and a half before we were out and ready to move onto the next part of the track. We did a bit more of the track, crossed Ducie, South Alice and North Alice Creeks, then stopped to have some lunch. By then the crowd started to thin out a bit so we had the track to ourselves. We then continued moving and crossed the Dulhunty, Bertie and Cholmondeley Creek Crossings then we arrived at Gunshot Creek. This is one of the more famous crossings on the Old Telegraph Track and it is a very steep drop to the bottom of the creek. After a good look and some encouragement from some people camping below, we decided to have a crack and both cars did it successfully. We also had one of the people camping give us some great drone footage that he shot and everyone there was very friendly and supportive. We stopped for a calm down beer, then kept driving on some pretty boring track (compared to Gun Shot). We saw on WikiCamps that there was some camping near Cockatoo Creek, so we decided to check out the campsite that was before the creek crossing. The people driving in front of us thought they would check it out at the same time so we decided to cross the creek and camp on the other side. We are so glad that we did as the camping was a lot better on the other side, and the people in front crossed over soon after. That afternoon, we had a quick dip in the creek (not venturing too far because of crocs) and enjoyed a campfire and some roast lamb and veggies.
Day two
It was time for us to continue on the Old Telegraph Track, and we weren’t quite sure where we were going to end up but we were keen to check out some waterfalls and go for a swim. We drove off from our campsite and continued up the Southern end of the Old Telegraph Track for a few kilometres, then we reached the end of this part and drove on the Peninsula Development Road again for a bit before making our way on the Northern end of the Old Telegraph Track. Our first stop of the day was Fruit Bat Falls and we were looking forward to a refreshing swim without having to worry about crocodiles. Fruit Bat Falls was definitely a highlight of the track and the water was very nice and refreshing. We explored around here for a bit, then moved onto Eliot and Twin Falls. While these weren’t as spectacular as Fruit Bat Falls, they were still nice to check out and to go for another swim. We had some lunch, then continued on the Old Telegraph Track where things started to get interesting. Over the course of the day we did the Canal, Sam, Mistake, and Cannibal creek crossings, with some being more difficult than others. We also found a secret swimming hole near Sam creek and it was amazing. The water was lovely and blue and there was a rope swing too. After Cannibal Creek, we came across the Cypress Creek log bridge. This bridge was held together with ratchet straps and made some horrible noises as we crossed it. You have to cross the bridge very carefully as one small mistake could be costly. Both cars made it across fine and we made our way towards Logans Creek. This creek was definitely one of the deepest crossings on the track, but we just took it slowly and made it through all ok. After Logans Creek we arrived at Nolan’s Brook, which is known as one of the more notorious crossings due to the soft sand at the bottom. People have gotten stuck while trying to cross and have flooded cars out before, but with plenty of people around to help us if necessary, we decided to give it a go so we could camp on the other side. There was a lineup of cars so we had to wait a bit, but it gave us the opportunity to air down the tires and see how other people were tackling the crossing. Finally it was our turn and both cars crossed it easily with no dramas. We made our way into the camping area to find somewhere to camp for the night, then went to walk back down but there were no more cars driving through that day. We settled in for the night, lit a fire, and celebrated finishing the Old Telegraph Track.
Day three
We woke up this morning and went for another walk down Nolan’s Brook before people started driving through, and it was so nice and peaceful. After being the “anchor” for someone in case they didn’t make it across, we made our way out of the Old Telegraph Track and back on the Peninsula Development Road. The road was very corrugated and didn’t make for a fun drive, but we made it to the Jardine River Ferry with no issues. We paid for our ticket and crossed the Jardine River, then continued to make our way along more corrugated roads towards Loyalty Beach Campground. We were looking to camp there for the next couple of days and managed to find ourselves a beachfront campsite that fitted the swags and cars perfectly. We unpacked and set up, then had a well needed shower before relaxing on the beach in the sun for the afternoon. We checked out the bar and had a drink before dinner, and the drinks were reasonably priced considering where we were located. That night, we relaxed by the beach but didn’t get a decent sunset unfortunately due to some clouds.
Day four
Today we were heading to the Northernmost point of Australia and we were super excited as this is something we have been wanting to do for a very long time. We headed off early and stopped in at the Croc Tent along the way. The Croc Tent is the place to go for any souvenirs and merchandise for your Cape York trip, and they had so much to choose from. It was actually all reasonably priced as well, and we were given the choice of a discounted shirt as it was the design from the previous year. This is one of the advantages of being small I suppose! After buying a couple of things, we made our way to the tip. It is actually a bit of a trek to get to the tip and you have to do some climbing to get there. We had arrived just after a tour bus, so it was a bit busy to get to the famous sign, but we didn’t have to wait too long. We took some photos, then made our way back via a different route. We got back to the car then made our way to the Five Beaches Track. All of the beaches are connected by a track, and there are actually seven beaches but the last two are a bit difficult to get to. We did some research into this track and read that it would take at least a day to complete, and you could even stay halfway on the track and make it a two day event. It actually only took us around half an hour to complete and we couldn’t get out to explore as it was so windy. The beaches were still nice though and it was something to do in the area. We finished the Five Beaches Track and made our way back to Bamaga where we got some fuel, then headed back to camp at Loyalty Beach. We spent the afternoon by the beach and had to avoid some rain that decided to come along, and that night sat around the campfire with our neighbours (they had invited us over the night before so we took them up on the invitation).
Day five
It was time to leave Loyalty Beach and make our way back down the Peninsula Development Road to Bramwell Junction Station. We went a different way out of Bamaga and found the DC-3 Wreck site and the Bristol Beaufort Bomber Wreck. It was really cool to see that the wrecks hadn’t been vandalised and were still somewhat restored. We then got back on the road and made our way to the Jardine River Ferry where we had to wait for a few minutes as there was a lineup of cars. We crossed the ferry, then drove along the corrugated roads again, and these roads were not in great shape. We drove for a bit over an hour, then made our way to Fruit Bat Falls again for another cool off swim. It was a lot busier here today than it was on Tuesday, but we still enjoyed our swim and it was nice and refreshing. After our swim we hopped back in the car and drove down some more corrugated roads until we arrived at Bramwell Junction. We paid for a night’s accommodation and picked up our trailer, then spent the afternoon sorting out the cars and putting everything back in the trailer. We managed to grab a campsite with some shade and this was very much needed as it was very hot here. After we got everything sorted, we went and had a drink, then settled in for the night. We were very thankful to have our trailer back as the bed is so much more comfortable than the swag.
Day six
We had a slow start this morning as we didn’t need to drive too far today, so we enjoyed some pancakes before heading off for the day. We drove along the Peninsula Development Road again and it was just as rough as it was last week when we drove up. We were heading to Weipa and had been told of a shortcut road that cut off nearly 100km, so we took that road and had no dramas. The road was still quite bumpy, but we were used to it by now so it didn’t really phase us. We made it to the turn off to Weipa and still had some very bumpy roads, but once we hit the roads managed by Rio Tinto, it was a very smooth drive! We checked into the campground and set up our site, then sat down in the shade as it was very hot. That afternoon, we went to get some supplies from the supermarket, then went for a walk down to the creek near the beach to go for a quick fish. Other than catching a wood fish (also known as a tree), we didn’t have any success. That evening, we went to the onsite takeaway shop called Barramunchies for dinner and got some fresh barramundi and squid and it was absolutely delicious. Definitely some of the best seafood that we have had on the trip so far. After dinner, we went and watched the sunset and relaxed by the camper for the next of the night. That night we also discovered that the metal had torn away from our kitchen on our camper and it is falling away at the mount, making the kitchen basically unusable. This is another thing that has gone wrong on the camper and could put our future trip plans in jeopardy, so it made us feel a bit defeated.
Day seven
Today was going to be a hot one, so we were keen to relax and not do too much. We enjoyed some homemade baked beans for breakfast, then we went to the Weipa Mission Bridge to have a look and to have a fish under the bridge. A train came through as we were down there and it was loud, but the bridge was a really cool one way bridge and it was long too. We had a bit of success here, but nothing worth catching so we decided to pack up and move along to Rocky Point. When we arrived, the tide was going out so it wasn’t really good fishing conditions, so we moved onto Evans Landing to have a fish off the Pontoon. We saw someone catch a very decent sized fish, but we didn’t have any luck so we decided to head back so we could get out of the heat. That afternoon we sat under the shade and didn’t do too much as it was too hot, but it was nice to be able to relax. We had another amazing sunset tonight and we sat outside and enjoyed the cooler weather.
Weekly stats
Number of KMs – 701
Number of states – 1
Number of campsites – 5
Number of items lost – 0
Number of items broken – 1
