A Week Just Wasn’t Enough
It’s not until you head off the beaten track that you can really get a grasp on how magnificent the top end of our country is. We knew we were in for a good time but didn’t bank on the magic of some of the places we encountered. There’s no other word for it.
My wife Therese, our two kids, Chloe and Ryan and I headed off from Townsville on Sept 19th to spend the nig ht in Cairns with family before heading off bright and early on the 20th, destination: the Cape.
After stopping in Mareeba for fuel, for both us and the truck, we headed to Musgrave to meet up with the rest of our convoy and then continued on to Archer River to our first camp. After a night under the stars, we didn’t waste any daylight getting back on the road, heading for Bramwell Junction, the start of the OTL (Old Telegraph Line). We stopped for a look around Wenlock River and Moreton Telegraph Station and came to our first challenge, Palm Creek. All made it through no hassles and the same for the other crossings as most are dry this time of year. We then came across Dulhunty River which has some great camping spots on both sides of the river; it was too early for us to be stopping though so we’ll have to head back there next time. Crossing Bertie Creek was tricky, rocky bottom with some deep holes. Good Fun. We got to Gunshot, had a look around, the kids went for a swim while we got the cars down, then we jumped back in and headed for Fruit Bat Falls. Truly gorgeous spot, unfortunately no camping allowed so we had to keep moving. We moved on to Twin and Elliot Falls for the night - Plenty of camping spots and good facilities.
The next morning we went for a trek down to both the falls for a swim. It was near on impossible to get the kids back in the car again. As far as they were concerned this was the place to be and I’ve got to say, it is a stunning spot. After much coaxing and convincing we were finally able to get moving again. Straight out of camp we crossed Canal Creek; sandy bottomed and some deep holes again. There are still some old Telegraph poles standing along the way, adding a nice touch of history and a good excuse for a lesson for the kids.
We decided to give Nolan’s a miss and headed back onto the Northern Bypass road to the Jardine River. From there we trekked onto Bamaga to pick up a few needs and wants...mostly wants, and headed on again, this time to Punsand Bay to set up camp for a few days - Great camping area. After a decent night’s sleep we went down to the Croc tent to meet up with a fellow named Paul who took us on a tour of the area. High tide killed our idea of heading out to Somerset Falls and Nanthau Beach so we headed to the Tip instead. Therese and I were able to cross seeing the northern-most tip of Aus off our bucket lists, the kids however were less impressed, clearly expecting more than a sign and a good view. We know they’ll appreciate it in time and we’ll have the happy snap to prove it.
We figured we’d try our hand at fishing and, as per usual, no success for me. Chloe and Ryan caught a few small ones, nothing big enough to hang onto though. We decided to try another spot, the jetty at Seisia, and had a local point out a decent sized croc lazing about on the opposite bank.
After breakfast and a late start the next day we decided to have a look at the WWII wrecks. Well worth it, all very accessible and humbling. We took it easy heading back, stopping to shop for souvenirs then heading back to camp to pack up. We had an early brekky the next day, loaded up and off we went. The Road from Bamaga back to Fruit Bat Falls wasn’t too bad but from there to Bramwell was the worst we’d seen, corrugations from hell -had to stop for a break from the bouncing around!
We set up camp at Musgrave for what would be our final night. The kids decided they wanted a campfire so went off to find some decent firewood. They gave up pretty quick when they came across a large goanna. We packed up the next morning and headed for Cairns. We hit the bitumen just after Laura – mind numbingly quiet after the rattles of the dirt. After stopping in Cairns we headed back to Townsville, wishing we’d taken another week so we could see more amazing places and sights.
We had a great trip and there’s much to look forward to next time. I would recommend a trip like this to anyone: It’s a big, beautiful country out there!!
Tony,
Manager TJM Townsville
