Cooktown to the Tip - Part 2

Make sure you read Part 1 first....

Day 4
From the moment we took off today, the corrugations were extremely hard and rough – and too large to speed over.  This leg of the journey was nasty and we longed to get to the end of it. 
Gunshot Creek crossing was on our path today and we chose the bypass instead – too many cars get caught on this leg of the journey.

Now you're just showing off!

Tin soup, tin peas & corn, pasta...yum

Really???????

Today was our day for waterfalls, and they were plentiful.

We drove first to Fruitbat Falls, very pretty and worth the extra drive.  The river crossing north of Fruitbat was quite deep and long, and we enjoyed watching other vehicles attempt it before us.  Canal Creek, described by Hema Maps as rough and eroded... beware of deep holes... gave us another challenge before the day came to a close.

Next on the list was Eliot Falls and Twin Falls, which was also our camping spot for the night.  Another bathe in the water was essential, and the water was warm and refreshing. 


Fruitbat Falls



Twin Falls





Eliot Falls

 

Day 5
Bamaga Road is very wide and often graded.  It is stoney, flat and smooth, so we belted across at great speed and with great delight.  Several times, we spotted eagles pluck black snakes from the road, freshly killed by passing traffic.

The Jardine River National Park is Aboriginal land, and so alcohol restrictions apply (2 litres of unfortified wine plus a slab of beer per person is the “carry limit”).  The short ferry ride is very expensive ($88), and is the only way to get to the Tip.  Everything north of here was just beautiful.

$88 ferry ride

Seisia is a quaint Aboriginal town on the west coast of the top, with islands very close offshore (close enough to swim, but beware of sharks and crocs...).  There is a jetty in town and before deciding on our accommodation, we promptly parked our car, grabbed the rods, and rushed out to drop a line in (keep in mind, it’s bene 3 days since our last shaower...)

The locals use live-bait, and we delighted in tethering little herring to our hook, in the hope that a larger fish approaches and takes the bait.  We fished like this for a couple of hours, but hunger got the better of us (and the desperate need to shower), so we hauled in our lines without a catch.  

We instead purchased a “barbecue pack” (“Enough food for two”, says the man at the counter) for $18, a huge tray of frozen meat.  Yum!!!

Later we returned to the jetty to fish.  Small bats which live under the jetty came out to fly around us; their metallic chirping making the jetty sound mechanical.  At dusk, a bat flying was taken, mid air, by a passing eagle. 

 As I fell asleep, the only sounds I heard were the gentle waves lapping at the shore closeby.

Day 6:
Day 6, and time to work.  We decided the easiest way to do this is to call a rest-day.  By 4 o’clock I’d finished work and the lure of fishing was seriously pulling at me.  We grabbed the rods and headed back to the jetty, not so much with the promise of catching a feed, but more just to enjoy flicking some bait about, yacking to other fishermen, and enjoying some peace in the sun. 

Our camp at Seisia

As the sun started to set, the micro-bats returned with their clicking and chirping; swooping under the jetty and up and over everyone fishing.  Later, Jase got his line tangled with another man’s, and, upon fixing their quandary, a microbat got stuck in Jase’s line.  With the line slackened, I took the bat in my hands, to help free it from the line.  The bat, just a few grams in size, huddled and shivered in my palm as I cut the line from each side of one wing.  I could even feel it shiver, and try to relax to let me fix him.  The very moment he was free, he gave me a little nip on my finger and flew quickly into the air, off and free.  Phew!

The barge docks at the jetty

Bloody beautiful

Fishing with the barge is an experience

Day 7:
North through Bamaga and up the main road to the Tip, we stopped at the Croc Tent for some local fishing information. 

Croc Tent- would you live here???

The Croc Tent is owned and run by a couple and their toddler, a long way from civilisation and with no neighbours whatsoever.  We got some great advice on fishing, crocodiles, and sightseeing, and continued north to the Tip.  The landscape north of the Croc Tent is thick rainforest; very different to the countryside of the last few days, and really very beautiful, vibrant and remarkable.

The Tip is the northern-most point on mainland Australia, and islands can be seen very closeby.  The point is marked by a small sign which most visitors chose to photograph.  There were quite a few zombies (grey-haired tourists on buses) taking photos at the sign, so we sat and waited for them to finish before proceeding closer.

We made it!

After our photos, we spent the next hour or two flicking soft-plastics into the water, amongst the rocks, in search of a fishy feed.  A couple of blokes offered us a beer, which we gladly accepted!  It was brilliant to stand at the most northerly tip of Australia, fishing in the rocks, with a beer in hand.  What a day.

Fishing at the Tip with a beer.... heaven

It's a lonnnnnng cast from here!

After, we drove to Somerset, to explore the site of a historical homestead and graves, and then we turned southwest to drive to Mutee Head for the night.  We carried our gear down onto the sand and pitched the tent under a large spindly tree.  Immediately we poured ourselves some red wine, and we spent the evening playing guitar and having a laugh.  The sky was brilliantly bright with stars and a moon which Jase described as “55% full”.  We slept like babes and woke before dawn. 

Rainforest - so different to the rest of our journey

Lunch in style at Somerset

Wine and Scrabble at our camp at Mutee Head

Day 8
We quickly packed our gear and were back on the road by the time the sun was up.  Today’s objective was to drive as many kilometres as possible, and we did just that.  We actually drove all the way to Musgrave via Bamaga Rd, more than 600km in total (that’s a lotta dirt!)
The trip was uneventful until the early afternoon, where we experienced a near-death accident on the road.

The road was sandy and quite soft, and the corners must be taken with caution, especially as the main road attracts quite a lot of traffic.  On a right-hand bend, we noticed a 4WD approach us rapidly in a cloud of dust, and, as it got closer, we could see that it was out of control, and towing a camper trailer which was right across the road by the time we reached it.  Jase took the Patrol expertly into the left hand gutter and stopped the car.  After a few loud profanities were exclaimed, we got out of the car to see if the car and trailer was still there, or if it had continued driving (or if it had crashed, I mean, it was sideways...).  The car was stopped some way up the road, and its trailer was flipped upside down.  When I look back on this, I recall the scene happening in slow motion: a trailer in a cloud of dust approaching the front right-hand corner of the Patrol, the Patrol being steered into the dust-filled gutter at high speed, and Jase’s swearing.

We spent the next half hour or so helping him and his pregnant wife turn the trailer using our winch, and other passersby who approached the scene also stopped to help.  No-one was hurt, and this was such a relief.  I just hope the driver has learned his lesson: “Take corners with caution.”

I mean, really.... wouldn't you be more careful???

The drivers of every vehicle who approached, stopped to lend a hand... while Jase held his finger firmyl on the winch button....

At Musgrave, we set up camp, ate a feed of pasta with soup mixed in, and went into the homestead to watch the Olympics on TV while Jase drank an iced coffee and I drank a Strongbow cider.  The near-accident was a frightful experience but we handled it well.  It was nice to wind down with a little TV before our last day – the final stretch home.

Day 9:
We took a slightly different route south, skipping Old Laura this time, and found that the road was in very good condition.  Cattle stations, lily-covered ponds and windmills were our view today and we enjoyed the relaxing, smoother ride to Cooktown.

I’m exhausted, excited, and every nerve in my body is tingling!  What an adventure!!!

An unforgettable road