Category Archives: Far North Queensland

Far North Queensland

The End Of The ‘She’ll Be Right Tour 2016’

4 Comments

​With an early rise, Woody thankfully started crawling again as we booted toward The Archways, just out from Chillagoe.  As we were following Stu were fortunate to spot an Emu shoot across the road with it’s baby in Stu’s dust trail.  Leaving camp so early we decided to have breakfast at another Indigenous site with a few rock paintings.  These quiet mystical gardens around the art reminded us of a scene from Lord of the Rings.

Only another 700m up the road we came across The Archways.  This self guided cave system was spectacular.  We went at our own pace, quickly discovering to gain access into the real depths of the cave you needed to be unbelievably skinny or a 5 year old.  Being neither, we still enjoyed exploring around.  After leaving the main cave system we climbed up a cliff and found another small entrance with a tight squeeze.  Sneaking through we came head to head with a few bats.  Not knowing who was more scared, Stu smacked his back and Mark his shoulder while the bats bumped into us!  

Leaving the magnificent caves behind we arrived at Chillagoe.  We were so excited to be able to swim at the weir as it had been a long time since our bathe in fresh water at Laura.  We spent a while taking silly selfies of us bombing into the water and finally getting the ‘perfect’ photo.  Achieving this, Stu continued to limp toward Herberton as we stayed to check out a couple of other places of interest around Chillagoe.

A short drive from the town centre and we were at the Balancing Rock.  Walking through a similar paranormal environment as The Archways, this giant balancing boulder had minimal points of contact with the ground and looked to almost be falling over.  Trying to help keep it up, Nay nailed her positioning with the camera but Mark seemed to be a little off!  

A last stop at The Smelters was incredibly fascinating.  There was an abundance of information on how each chimney played its roll to break down the rock to obtain the ore.  The most interesting fact was that these chimneys were 3.75m wide with an astounding 1m thick wall!  Even though the Chillagoe Smelters treated 1,250,000 tonnes of ore while producing the largest remaining slag dump (mining waste), it remained unprofitable over its lifetime.  It did however, boost North Queensland’s prosperity by creating thousands of jobs and opening up the uncharted QLD outback!

Chasing after Stu towards Herberton we passed many marble piles containing endless amounts of 20 tonne marble cubes – a large industry around Chillagoe!  On the way we ducked into the Montalbion Pioneer Cemetery which was a sad visit. Of the 68 people buried there, 32 of them were children under 10!  Montalbion was a pioneering town from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s and these deaths obviously highlighted how tough their lives were.  Finally making it to Herberton we dodged the caravan park and were recommended to camp by the river by the bloke at tourist info.  Back in civilisation we made a necessary stop to the butcher.  That night we feasted on reasonably priced nibblies and red meat.  This was a welcomed experience having lived off tinned soup and chunky for the last 2 weeks!

As the AFL grandfinal was coming up we went to Atherton thinking it would have some atmosphere.  However, the 3 of us were the only ones drinking in the bistro (because the gamblers kicked us out from the sportsbar) with a couple of occasional onlookers.  No one seemed to care for the sport but we were still over the moon that Doggies smashed Sydney!

The last days before Buzz and Woody parted ways we had planned to go out with a bang.  Heading to Lake Tinaroo we found a great spot for one last big night and say goodbye to Big Red.  After Nay made a delicious apple crumble in the camp oven, we played ball games, stoked a big fire, pumped the music and drinking games started.  The night flew by and as we were about to jump into bed, we realised Big Red was still up and about partying!!  He had once again survived a big fire dance.  We decided it best to leave him at the lake in hope someone finds him and loves him as much as we did.

This leads us to the end of the ‘She’ll Be Right Tour 2016’.  This is what we lived by on Cape York and whenever we were unsure, the answer was always ‘She’ll be right!’.  Spending a total of 7 weeks, 2760kms, endless laughs, unforgettable memories and a few serious hang overs, we truly did see and experience the Cape at its fullest.  Along with these moments we couldn’t forget the minor inconveniences that occurred along the way.  Stu thankfully made a tally of these which included:

When we left Cairns we didn’t expect to do or see the things we have.  Adventuring through the Bloomfield, exploring the amazing beaches of The Cape, tackling the challenges of the OTT, catching and tasting the abundance of sea creatures on TI and surviving the wild Old Coach Road has created memories that are going to stick with us for life.

After one last goodbye we parted ways with Stu as we went the opposite direction.  A change of scene was on our horizon as we made our way west, back to a familiar Territory… 

27/09/2016 – 05/10/2016

Far North Queensland

A Suprisingly Intense And Hairy Detour to Maytown

Leave a comment

Once the mechanic opened we discovered that Woody seemed to need more than just a change of oil filters, so we decided to limp down to Laura where it would be cheaper to fix.  Giving Stu a head start we lounged by the Coen river and left 3 hours later.  With Stu only being able to reach a max of 60km/hr we arrived at Laura at the same time and said farewell to the relentless bumping of the corrugations!  That would have been the longest 250km Stu has ever done.

Arriving at the quaint township of Laura we got wind that the Army was about to leave town and to celebrate the band was playing at the pub.  After a little exploring we stumbled across their workmanship of an ANZAC memorial and a giant outdoor sports complex (we even shot some hoops!)  We ended up staying behind the pub with the rarity of having asian bartenders with minimal english in the middle of the outback!  Dancing in barefeet to the band we began chatting and boogying with the locals.  After the bar kicked us out at 10pm, we kicked on with them out the front until midnight.  It was an honour to meet the locals including the well respected elders.

The following morning we visited Split Rock which had a vast array of Aboriginal Art.  Having traveled further inland, we were feeling the heat with absolutely no breeze.  This rock art was great to browse through as it included echidna, spirits, bats, turtles and other interesting outlines painted in Ochre.  These were dated back to 13,000 years ago!

Even though Stu’s car was still struggling, we decided to take a detour through The Old Coach Road to Chillagoe via the Maytown Ruins.  On a map the track looked similar to The Frenchman’s, but it wasn’t until 15 minutes prior to the journey Nay read that we should allow around 8 hours for the small 80km journey.  As they say, she’ll be right!
The first 50km flew by as we sped along on solid dirt road until our first obstacle was before us.  Taking the relatively easy descent, we kept rolling with excitement as to what the next 30kms had to offer.  We could not get over how frequent our surrounds were changing to now a dry arid bush.  The track kept on the uphill as we continued our climb.  When we encountered some controversial rock steps, we relocated smaller rocks to help get us up the path that was best suited.   Arriving high on the hill we took the opportunity to walk 400m to a rock cliff for a stunning view of our surrounds.  Absolutely breathtaking to say the least, especially knowing how remote we were.

Making it to the R. L. Jack Memorial, we took the 4WD track to continue a loop that wasn’t marked on the NP map.  It wasn’t until the point of no return where we stopped to assess the next obstacle – a sheer 700mm vertical drop in the track.  With a slight re-arrangment of the logs and rocks at the bottom, we went for it!  With Woody in front, he crawled down first as the homemade ramp heaved under his weight. Buzz followed after unscrewing both underside boxes to increase his rear clearance, for one hell of a heart thumping experience.  This track was instense and after crawling down some more rock steps only 200mm from a cliff edge, we made it to camp.  16 out of 30km in 5 hours was exhausting and we were glad to be sitting around the fire watching the replays of the days events.

With an early rise the next day we were keen to hit Maytown.  Only 14kms to go we thought it couldn’t get worse from the day before… oh how wrong we were!  Returning to the ‘main track’ after the loop, someone had kindly put duct tape on a sign to mark the path we had just conquered.  We now knew the track was called ‘Death Hill’!  Around every corner there was more steep inclines to climb and hills to crawl down.  That morning had Buzz’s wheel almost 1m in the air, Woody almost tipping as Mark and Nay jumped on the bullbar to stop it rolling and another 4 hours on the track.  At this stage, Woody’s mechanical problem was becoming worse and we were thankful to have made it through the Old Coach Road!

Before making it to the site of the Maytown Ruins we had a few points of interest through the old Palmer River Goldfields.  There were plenty of mine shafts at various depths and a fascinating old steam powered battery used to crush the rock collected to filter out gold.  We even had fun exploring a small mine cave dug under the road.  There was also a restored old shed with a Melbourne made boiler that was used back in 1882! 

The main attraction of this unreal detour was before us – Maytown Ruins.  This town was like most run down abandoned ruins but had some quirky characteristics.  A small tin shack housed the general tourist info including a guest book, newpaper clippings, photos and a map of the town.  It wasn’t until driving along the run down main drag we discovered plaques along the bluestone gutters.  With each plaque was the owner’s name and the title of their building that once stood.  This old bluestone guttering was even ‘as new’ as the day it was laid.

To his demise, when returning to the car Mark discovered Buzz had a hole in the side wall of his tyre.  After trying like buggery we couldn’t get it off to throw on the spare.  Instead we plugged it up with resin, pumped her up and limped along until the next big tyre shop.

We ended up crawling out of the wonderous ruins of Maytown and made our way towards Chillagoe.  About 160kms to go at 4pm, Woody struggled to even make it to 50kms/hr.  It was at 7pm we packed it in and pulled over onto a paddock, which we called home that night.  Within 20 minutes we were having dinner and laughing about the Old Coach Road taking over 9 hours to complete a measly 80km.  As we retired to bed we had an early alarm set and hoped Woody would pick up to make it to our next destination… 

19/09/2016 – 27/09/2016

Far North Queensland

The Finale Of The Infamous OTT…

Leave a comment

​The next morning at Loyalty beach, Stu discovered that he left his swag over on T.I.  He came to the conclusion that he still wanted a bed in reserve.  Moving to Seisia Caravan Park for some change in scenery, we lazed in the sun until the mechanic was open Monday.  Still being able to roll start Woody, we visited the mechanic who explained the simple problem of the starter.  Luckily for us as we retired to Punsand Bay along the corrugations, the rumbling was enough to get things going again.  Woody was back in full working order!  With slight miscommunication and the beauty of a swimming pool at Punsand Bay, the swag had no owner to pick it up at the Seisia wharf and ended up going walkabout, R.I.P swag.

Leaving the luxury of a swimming pool, we explored a couple of old plane wrecks which to our suprise, were large segments of the old bombers.  The next remote location on our list was Mutee Head.  Back south down the Cape, we slipped off onto a narrow sandy track.  Just when we thought we were heading nowhere, the vast mouth of the Jardine River was before our eyes.  Lowering the tyre pressure again, we booted off onto the incredibly soft sand until stopping on the foreshore with not a soul for kilometres.  During the sunset, we feasted on more namus and even spotted a cheeky croc before he dropped down into the depths of the ocean.

The time had come to make our way back across the mighty Jardine River.  To our luck as the power was out when we initial went over the crossing and as such, we couldn’t pay by card for our $99 ticket.  We were supposed to pay on the return trip but only after the ferry did we realise that no one had asked us and we cruised over at no charge!!
School holidays were now in full force and the roads had trails of red dust everywhere from all the cars – thankfully we were heading south!  We decided to bypass the north and head back down on the southern section of the OTT.   Resting a little way in, we camped at the insane crossing of Gunshot (infamous for its entries and exits at an 80 degree incline!)  We were able to have a swim here and watch people on the track but unfortunately missed watching someone do the incredible drop in.  When it was our turn to tackle the obstacle, we took the ‘chicken’ track which was still a feat in its own.  Stu needing MaxTrax to gain traction on the exit, Mark punched it a little harder and made it out!  We did leave a little souvenir on the novelty tree, a thong marking our ‘She’ll Be Right Tour 2016’.  

We found the southern section to be a lot tamer than the northern.  Less obstacles in between the shallow river crossings meant for an easier yet fun adventure.  Staying another night on the OTT at Birdie Creek we made most of the deep infinity pool next to the shallow crossing.  We went to town on a couple of dead trees with Stu’s axe and cranked a fire.  Big Red happily sat by and watched us party away.  Waking up in the quiet bush surrounds, we were coming close to our final challenge, Palm Creek.

Birdie Creek Boat Race Competition
After some funny attempts of Mark making bark and leaf boats, we all jumped on the bandwagon.  Stu (left), Nay (middle) and Mark (right) made for a heated competition.  Nay came out victorious and the boys boats had a sad death as they collided and sunk.

The last time we had seen Palm Creek was when we camped there on the journey north.  Back then it was a steep climb out which could of almost been impossible for us to make it through.  Slightly concerned we may of had to drive all the way back through the OTT and onto the bypass road, we still ventured to see what was in store for us.  Luckily with all the holiday goers the once steep section had been scraped out to an achievable exit.
Gathering an audience, Buzz crawled down the steep hill into the dry riverbed.  As there was a large ditch at the bottom of the exit, just as he was about to crawl out there was a loud bang!  This time the rear left box decided to sheer off!  As the crowd cringed, Nay explained to them that it was only a matter of screwing it back on.  Woody up next also took the entry with ease.  With roughly the same rear clearance, Woody punched it out of Palm Creek and  smashed his rear bumper to a 90 degree angle.  Some manipulating as we jumped on the back bent it to its original position!

The infamous OTT, both northern and southern sections, were conquered!  As we drove away back down to Coen we were excited by such an accomplishment with only minor setbacks.

Once back on the Developmental Road to Coen, Woody decided to pack it in as he struggle to go faster than 60km/hr.  With an unknown diagnosis we limped back to our oasis by the Archer River.  Stu was cursing at Woody and Mark took the time to screw the box back on Buzz.   Back on the red dusty corrugations we continued the crawl to Coen only 66km from where we camped.  2 hours later we arrived to watch the Bulldogs defeat GWS at the local pub.  Retiring to the Coen river we lounged around patiently waiting for the mechanic to help us with Woody…
19/09/2016 – 25/09/2016

Far North Queensland

The Final Adventures At A Home Away From Home

Leave a comment

After the intermission back on Thursday Island,​ we restocked the boat, left Steve’s baby ducklings at home and made our way back to Prince of Wales.  This time Mark and Rach joined us.   As we docked on the beach, Steve spotted birds hunting bait fish on the surface about 300m away.  Seeing this only meant one thing, bigger predators coming up to eat them!  As we shot back out with our fishing gear, Steve threw a lure in.  Within 2 seconds he had a fish on the line and reeled it up onto the boat.  Catching a reasonably large queeny, lead to us repeating the process and chasing groups of birds.  After sucessfully catching 5 big queen fish, Mark, Stu and Steve retired for dinner.

Dirk and Tanya had the three of us over for a meal that night where they put on a delicious spread.  After enjoying marinated pork wrapped in lettuce for entree, the real unique dish was for mains.  A tasty turtle soup was cooked by Dirk. We definitely didn’t let any of the suprisingly chewy sea creature go to waste.

As our cruisy lifestyle continued on P.o.W, we disappeared into the bush for a wood run taking the old island bomb of a car (both front seats weren’t bolted in).  As usual, the hand reels were already in and were left in Steve’s more than capable hands.  Only minutes prior to our return, he had pulled in a giant Cobia!  This fish is rarely seen swimming around the shallows where we had caught it, it was definitely a treat!  The next wood run we did, we generously hung his Cobia skeleton in a tree as a trophy for any others to gawk at as they pass by.  

As the tide was at a perfect height, we had a crack at skurfing.  After seeing a croc and catching deadly sharks in the same waters, we were slightly unsure.  Reassured by watching both Steve and Mark (brother) standing up on the surfboard being towed by the boat, we gave it a go.  Not being able to stand up after giving it a solid crack, our arms ached after some classic stacks.  Mark making it to his knees was an accomplishment.  We definitely felt like sitting ducks after coming off the board in the ocean.  The boat seemed to take forever to swing back to pick us up.

One last boat fishing venture to catch more queenies lead to bundles of laughter.  We had to traul with the rod as it was choppy with a big swell causing water to lap continuously in the boat.  With every fish we pulled in, we gained more and more water.  On our forth catch, we bled him out and could swear it was still swimming as the water level was so high.  As Mark pulled in another, a dark shadow loomed around the fish and before we knew it, it jumped 2m into the air!  A quick realisation was that this ominous figure was a shark chasing Mark’s fish, but managed to pull it in before the shark had a meal!  Stu wasn’t so lucky as the shark returned and took his entire fish, lure and all!  Having taken on too much water we had to return, still having a successful catch!

As the others had to return to Thursday Island, we continued our stay for more lazy days.  That evening we kept getting baited on the hand reels.  Mark using a smaller hook caught one of these buggers.  Throwing him in whole as bait, it wasn’t long until the reel went off and Stu was pulling in another decent shark!  Having tasted everything else from the ocean, we decided to fillet him.  The next morning we had the most freshest beer battered flake that we had ever tasted.  As we fried most fish from here, it was a little change from our previous numus feeds (queen fish in vinegar, onions, tomatos, soy sauce and chilli).

On our final day at Prince of Wales, we went to visit the old homestead and waterhole.  Only a stones throw away from the house this was a great expedition.  Stu got us onto Roothy’s 4×4 fire pie that we had to try!  We opened up the frozen pie and filled it with onion, ham and cheese, wrapped it in foil and chucked this marvelous creation into the fire.   Lets just say, it has become a camping tradition.  Dirk came around to say goodbye and have one last hoorah as we sunk froffies around the fire on the beach.  Steve greeted us the next morning with his boat, unfortunately at low tide.  Feeling a little rusty, we had a small mission loading the car and carting our bags down the beach, out to his boat.

Back on T.I the Winds of Zenadth Cultural Festival were in full swing.  Going for a stroll down mainstreet there were random dances happening through the town, anzac park and later in the evening on the footy oval – set up like a school fete.  Exploring through a small display village with huts of various sizes made for a good look into their history.  It seemed like the entire Island congregated together at the oval as night fell.  With all the Islanders dressed up in their costumes, we were in for a treat as this festival only happens every second year!  Even the Injinoo tribe from mainland came along with their fascinating dances.  As this spectacular event was happening before us, we were entertained while Will was bopping everyone with his blow up bat.

Hearing Horn Island was enriched with WW2 events, we paid $65 for a tour over to this historical location.  As the ferry slowly chugged over, we were met with disapointment.  We had a ‘cafe’ lunch consisting of a basic take-away sandwich with a lamington and drink included in the price.  After eating, we were dumped in the museum for an hour to be bombarded with a ridiculous level of small text.  Skimming through here the tour guide then took us for an hour around the Island.  Feeling we weren’t at points of interest for very long, he was keener to talk about how a Bendigo Bank was declined on Thursday Island than the war history.  Pointing out some information along the way, it definitely would of been interesting to go into more depth.  One fact we did learn was that barrels were rolled onto the airstrip in war times so enemy pilots couldn’t land without crashing. Good information but wasn’t $65 worth.  Oh well, we wouldnt recommend this one.

After one last homemade meal by Jess, we had a final mission to jag some more mud crabs.  As full moon was approaching, we went out at night during low tide.  We waded around in the shallows (after doing a quick croc check), torches in hand and spear with the designated hunter.  Out for a solid 3 hours we all had a crack at spearing with a bounty of 3 shovel head sharks and 5 crabs.  Two crabs unfortunately escaped as we were trying to grab them by hand, learning next time just spear it!  Cooking them up on our return, it wasn’t until 1:30am we were devouring an awesome mud crab feast.

The last full day on Thursday Island had came along too quick.  Being traditionally late with ‘T.I time’, we watched a parade down mainstreet and model canoe races as the festival was wrapping up. We went for a final explore around the Island and then played cards after a cheap $10 lunch.  One last pub meal with Jess, Steve and the boys, found us kicking on to watch the Doggies destroy Hawks in the semi finals.  What a night we had to remember…

As all good things must come to an end, we packed our bags and said fairwell to our lovely hosts.  They were very accomodating and we had an absolute blast during all of our moments shared with them on T.I and P.o.W.  This was definitely a one of a kind experience.

Departing back on the Peddel’s Ferry we made it back to our faithful beasts left at Loyalty.  Happy to see Big Red had been guarding them the whole time, they were untouched as we went to tick them over.  Unfortunately Stu was getting no response from Woody.  Being able to roll start him and make it to a camp spot, it seemed like we may be staying on the Cape for a little longer than planned…

10/09/2016 – 19/09/2016

Far North Queensland

A Great Mission To Thursday Island & Prince Of Wales

Leave a comment

Having to wake up at the crack of dawn to pack our bags, we left Buzz and Woody at the Loyalty Beach Campground – free of charge!  With only a $5 shuttle bus fee we met the Peddels Ferry at 8:00am that took us over to Thursday Island.  As other tourists went to meet their tour buses, we had Marko’s cousin Jess, her partner Steve and their beautiful boys Will and Ed meet us at the wharf.

Doing a quick drive-by down the small island’s mainstreet, we were shown everything we need to know, in particular where each pub was.  Arriving at their home we met Steve’s brother Mark, his wife Rach and their daughter Lily.  As we walked in their door at 10:30am, beers were flowing and there was plenty to catch up on.  After spending the day settling in, it wasn’t long before late arvo was upon us.  Agreeing to help Mark with a generator at their neighbours place on Prince Of Wale we headed out on the boat.

The plan was a quick trip to drop off a generator and show us around the place.  This however, ended up being an adventure of its own!  Before we knew it, we met their other neighbours Dirk and Tanya (along with their kids) and then a fire was lit up on the beach!  Becoming very comfortable we were lucky to share some Dugong ribs cooked on the fire and helped drink a couple of slabs with the crew.  As time flew by, it was 12:30am as we burnt back to T.I.  The night was so dark but as we gazed up to the night sky it was lit up by an abundance of stars.  We were even spoilt on our return as Jess had prepared and made us enchiladas for dinner!

Waking up a little sketchy the next day, we planned our return trip to P.o.W.  This time we were going to stay for a long stint with Jess & Steve joining us with the boys.  Thinking it was going to be a peaceful quiet rest from civilisation as we had the entire Collis Beach to ourselves, we were incredibly wrong as one activity flowed into another.

We pulled up on shore late arvo to do some unpacking and then headed straight back down to the couches where a fire on the foreshore became second nature.  Steve was quick to introduce us to fishing with hand reels from the bank.  We had three lines in and used a stick to stop them being pulled into the ocean.  After a few vb tins were consumed, we dropped them in the middle of the reel to make one hell of an alarm system.  Before we even had a chance to sink into the couches, the reels were going off!!  Beginners to this technique, I’m sure Steve had a laugh as we unsuccessfully pulled the first few in.  Snapping lines or the fish ‘blowing’ our bait was a common occurance.  Threading metal tracers on the end of our line to increase its strength, we were pulling in sharks before we knew it!  As they were only small, we didn’t bother keeping them but we were still having a blast. 

As we used the torches to light up the horizon, Steve spotted two glowing red eyes.  Unsure at first, he quickly determined that it was a croc!  Only 100m from us we slowly walked along the beach to get a better look.  As we were about 20m from him we had a decent view.  As he picked up on our scent, he popped up for one last viewing before shooting away.  Fortunately we didn’t see him again.

The next day Steve showed Mark how to use the casting net and was lucky enough to catch some small bait for that nights hand reels.  We had to drop back to T.I to grab some necessities left behind (frozen pies and dim sims!)  As we exited the boat at P.o.W, Mark totally misjudged the depth and face planted into the ocean with the esky and shopping bags.  Regathering ourselves, we went out on the boat for a short fishing venture.  Steve with his rod and the rest of us with hand reels, the tally was Steve 5 (including a coral trout), Mark 1 and Stu & Nay unfortunately 0, although they had heaps of nibbles.  On our return, we were greeted with some delicious varieties of homemade sushi that Jess had whipped up!

That afternoon Mark went for a walk at low tide along the rocks and spotted dozens of Blacklip Oysters.  Coming back with Steve, a hammer and large screwdriver, they began chipping them off.  Jagging enough for a good feed, we threw them on the bbq that night until they just popped open.  After enjoying an oyster entree, we cooked up the smaller fish from the catch earlier that day.  We couldn’t of eaten them any fresher!

The next animal on the menu was the tasty, yet elusive, mud crab.  Steve, keen for a feed, took us out to go hunting on low tide at Friday Island.  Creeping through the mosquito infested mangroves, we looked for freshly hollowed homes and went digging and lifting logs.  After about 1000 mozzie bites, we came out the other side successful!  With 5 crabs and a dozen snail shells (an interesting delicacy) we returned to P.o.W.  Just as we seemed to be running low on petrol, the tide still hadn’t had time to rise and we found ourselves jumping out and pushing the boat as Steve sat on the side.  Still a successful mission, we shot past the pearl farm on the way back before having a feast of crab on the foreshore.

That night with our steel tracers still on the hand reels, we had a serious bite as the tins went rattling.  Mark jumped on the hand reel and began pulling it in.  Giving one hell of a fight, the unknown of what was on the other end had everyone is suspense.  As it came closer to shore we discovered it was a dirty big shark on the end of the line!  Pulling him onto the beach for a photo, he was much too big to worry about filleting.  Mark pulled him back into the water by his tail and our shark mate sped away to live another day!  After this big boy was caught, Nay and Stu were next to catch two smaller sharks that also had the Rex Hunt treatment. 

Jess, Steve and the boys departed us after these action packed days.  Leaving us here for another couple of lazy days where we fished (a little successful), lounged on the deck and generally relaxed.  Their neighbour Dirk had a suprise for us and dropped by one night with some beers and crayfish!  He joined us around the fire as we threw them on the hotplate.  Before we knew it, another exotic seafood creature was being consumed!  Somehow the goon came out as Mark was napping on the couch.  Once Stu flashed this in front of his face, a second wind came about and we all partied until 3:30am!

Heading back to T.I for the football finals of Geelong vs Hawthorn, we also caught a glimpse of the Cultural Day of the local primary school.  We watched the students parade down the mainstreet and dance at Anzac Park.  Retiring to the Jardine Hotel for a meal meant we could use their pool as Jess and the boys joined us for an afternoon swim!

As Saturday rolled by again, we lazed around Thursday Island and checked out the historial Green Hill Fort along with the old cemetery (home of very impressive tomb stones of old japanese pearl divers).  After a week had flown by so quickly on this magical little island, we thought we’d stay for a second…

03/10/2016 – 10/10/2016

Far North Queensland

A Large Accomplishment On The Bucket List!

Leave a comment

As Nay had just finished preparing dinner there were the torches of two complete strangers appearing only meters away from camp.  The figures of two Italian tourists came out of the shadows and through broken english, explained they were stuck 2kms away on the 5 Beaches loop.  Being 7:00pm with dinner ready, we explained it was best to help them in the morning and that they should have stayed with their car.  Disgruntled by our response they went back to spend the night in their rooftop tent awaiting our rescue in the morning.

As we woke with the sunrise, our Italian friends were at our doorstep bang on 7:00am!  Stunned at why they were there they insisted we helped them immediately (circumstance still being the same as last night).  Explaining we would be there within an hour they strolled off and requested the help of another camper without notice.  After a quick pack up we followed their trail to find the other camper pulling the bloody tourists out.  Scratching his head, the fellow Aussie camper wandered why he was called upon when we were already teed up.  Regardless, he helped the tourists and the three of us even earnt $20 for our troubles!  Dreams can come true!

From the Croc Tent’s recommendation we continued along the 5 beaches track with its breathtaking views.  Being so early, we had it all to ourselves.  With an untouched sand canvas, we could not resist doing doughnuts while the ocean sat at low tide.  It felt unbelievably remote as the only tracks in the sand we came across was that of a few wild pigs.  Deciding to have a bit of fun Stu shot up a soft sand dune with Woody but couldn’t continue along the track as we hadn’t dropped our tyre pressure.  Mark’s turn with Buzz, lead to him becoming seriously bogged at the top of the dune.  Another quick recovery lesson with Stu and the cavilary was called in to snatch him out.  

Once our couple of nights at Somerset were up, we were back in the trucks and aiming for Pajinka (The Tip).  Excitement kicked in as it was still so unreal to put our current position on the map in perspective.  Pulling up in the carpark we still had a 700m walk before our final destination!  Sounding a short distance, this took quite a toll on us since we had completed minimal walks over the last month or so.

As the edge was nearing the signposted goal was visible and only steps away!  Just as a family left we had our time at the top of Australia!!  We’d made it!  We spent a while here taking silly selfies and carving ‘Buzz and Woody 2016’ on some nearby rocks.  Mark even took the liberty to take a wizz off the top of Australia!  Once our cameras were full of wacky and zany images (a couple half decent) we made the slow climb back down to Buzz & Woody.

After achieving such a great accomplishment, we checked out the deminishing old Pajinka Lodge.  It was a rundown Aboriginal owned lodge at ‘The Tip’ which ended up not being very successful and shutdown around 2010.  Reminding us of a scene from horror movies, the desolate, left for dead buildings gave a slight chill down the spine.

Being cheap petrol Thursdays (saving 10c/L!) we filled up at Bamaga.  With savings in our pocket, we went exploring to see if the Loyalty Beach Campground lived up to its magical reputation.  We couldn’t argue with the reviews.  Great bushcamping with no designated camp spots, we pulled up along the coast with a perfect view of the sunset!  We could finally have a proper shower to scrub off the grime that had been accumulating since Cairns.  With this added bonus, we wandered down to the beachfront bar for an icy cold stubby.  It was a stunning sight to watch the sunset over the ocean with the silhouette of the Torres Strait Islands.

In the days prior, we had swung by the small town of Seisia and checked out the wharf to where our next destination lay.  Researching the timetable at Peddels, we booked in for the 8:00 ferry to take us to Thursday Island.  Here we were to meet some of Mark’s extended family.  We were to have one hell of an adventure…

​01/09/2016 – 03/09/2016

Far North Queensland

The Final Run To The Top!

1 Comment

Back in the mind set of 4WDing we coasted through the shallow Canal Creek where we had been camping to continue along the OTT.  The track from here increased its difficulty with a few serious climbs and ruts to dodge.  We had to cruise at a slow speed majority of the way as there was always a new obstacle around the corner.  During a moment of bush brain, Woody head downhill on a crazy angle.  As Nay was recording, she thankfully gave Mark a heads up and he took the smooth path.

Making it to Sam’s Creek, there was a major cliff we climbed down before entering the dogleg in the water.  It was always fun to watch Mark climb out with style as he put a little more throttle into it and occasionally managed to have a wheel in the air!  After Sam’s Creek, there was another deep river crossing.  This time throwing a tarp over him Woody powered through with no hesitation.  Following close behind, Buzz shot through with excitement as water once again, lapped over the bonnet.

Still burning through after a couple of hours we were unscathed by the northern OTT.  This changed quickly as we found Woody planted into a tree.  Stu had been distracted by the CB and didn’t turn, smashing his bullbar!  Making it to the famous Nolan’s Brook there was a sigh of relief after discovering there was only knee deep water.  Finding out from campers,  the previous year this crossing was above the windscreen of cars and claimed the lives of 63 vehicles.  Taking a steep entry we slid down the muddy bank and dropped in.  With Buzz sliding against his box toward the end and Woody’s snorkel swollowing up some dirt, these was minor inconveniences.

Watching another convoy come through on a different entry, we quickly made friends with this group of blokes.  Getting back on the red wine as all of our beers were gone, we had another fire cranking.  As we had music pumping we went to another camp to recruit people to join us.  Big Red held the fort as we ventured out.  After stopping at the first camp we ended up staying there talking about the cape and 4WDs.  We still managed to have a seriously big night and may of crawled into bed at 1:30ish.

After waking up, jumping straight into a river and smashing a coffee, we were back in the game (Nay was struggling a little more).  As we left the last crossing of the northern OTT we had fully accomplished all challenges of this section!  Half of the OTT…ticked off the list.  Before we knew it the Jardine River Ferry was before us.  Stinging us for a massive $99 to cross, you can quickly tell by the picture why it was such a rip off!  

We only did a small grocery shop at Bamaga, as prices shot through the roof with packets of chips reaching $6.50 and a case of beer being $82!  Somehow we were lucky enough that petrol was down to $1.67.  We continued North aiming to reach Somerset, a recommendation of our friends at Nolan’s Brook.  Passing the Croc Tent (general tourist info on The Cape) we stopped in and had a quick chat.

Making it to our destination we had a very lazy arvo as we were still recovering from the previous night.  Mark even retired to the tent to watch a movie!  A relaxing night and early to bed fixed everyone up for the next days activities.  

As a lot happened around the area of Somerset and our free camp in the bush, the more immediate activities included going on walking trails and learning the history in the area.  Waiting for low tide to creep up, we scrambled over the rocks with Nay and Stu wearing shoes for the first time since Cairns!  We marveled at the Aboriginal Art that had been carefully painted with Ochre, hundreds of years ago in a cave.  On the return trip, we ducked into the sandy bush to look at graves of explorers that were barely legible, the oldest being in the early 1900’s.  Exploring the other end of the beach took us through mangroves where an overgrown abandoned windmill and well could be found. These had been decades since functioning last.

Choosing to spend a couple of nights by this coastal camp with its blissful surrounds, we had a few more adventures to go on while we were here.  Although in the back of everyones mind we knew The Tip of Australia was just around the corner…

​29/08/2016 – 01/09/2016

Far North Queensland

A Final Beach Bypass Before The Next Epic Saga

Image 2 Comments

Waking up in our dust bowl of a camp site at Palm Creek, we waved goodbye to the start of the southern section of the OTT.  We dropped back to Bramwell to get stung at the bowser for $2.05 for diesel (least it wasn’t as bad as $2.20 at Archer!)  Bypassing the southern section meant visiting a remote destination on the east coast, Captain Billy’s Landing.  This was a long draining 45 min drive with continuous large speed humps every 100m.  It was a sigh of relief when the road opened up and we’d made it to the lookout of our greatest beach camps ever!

We drove straight past the official camp ground, down a cliff and onto the beach.  Technically we weren’t allowed to camp past the designated area but when hide tide came in, we were all alone!  Being lazy at first lead to Buzz quickly becoming stuck in the soft sand.  Taking the time to deflate the tyres to 16 psi we were cruising.  Doing laps of the beach with no one around was freeing.  Nay went for a burn as well loving every minute!  Stopping under some palms we had some lunch before finding a more permanent camp.  Disappearing into the dunes under some trees, we dropped into 2WD to bog our rear tyres to level out.

We spent the afternoon using the bait we caught at Brown’s Creek to try our luck at fishing.  With no success it was still enjoyable to throw a line in.  We’d heard the fish ‘didn’t like’ Captain Billy’s Landing and we’re sticking with that excuse.  Even though we set up the gazebo for some shade on the beach, Stu still managed to find the sun while the radio was nicely protected!

Being so remote, a fire on the foreshore was a necessity.  Kicking around the flames telling stories as the sun disappeared over the horizon, it wasn’t long until the stars came out.  There were some great skies in the NT and we’d have to say this was right up there, absolutely stunning!  Discovering plenty of small crabs along the beach another NMBWE was in order.  This time after a few beverages, we ran rampage and chased after these little guys.  Trying to catch them only lead to them nipping us.  Relentless in our unknown goal, Mark even dropped his torch in the ocean to not let one escape.  Finally grabbing the crab the torch then failed to work – a little drying out and it was back in business!

Departing this coastal paradise, we made way toward the northern section of the OTT.  Arriving at Fruitbat Falls was the beginning of this adventurous 4WD track.  Spending a couple of hours here, it was fantastic to cool off in the freshwater as we couldn’t swim at the croc infested ocean.

Before setting up camp for the night, we had one final river crossing to achieve, Scrubby Creek.  We knew we were in for a challenge as the people before us had water lapping over their bonnets.  With Woody leading the charge, the engine died about three quarters of the way, with water filling the car at a rapid pace.  After a fair amount of cursing, we were lucky to have the blokes in front of us unhitch their trailer and pull him out!  Watching water drip from his car and later Stu explained ‘My thongs were floating around my knees!’ showed how much water entered the beast.  The same blokes that helped him explained tarping the front of his car and using WD40 on the spark plugs will stop this problem on future crossings.  A gift of VB cans as a thanks left our saviours with cheers as they departed.

After what had happened, Mark was becoming very nervous as he was next with Buzz.  With Nay’s head out the window there were frequent updates relayed to Mark and at one point the water was an inch from the window as we slipped into old ruts.  Keeping momentum and a bow wave in front, Buzz kept powering through to the other side!  

Finally making it to camp we set up next to Canal Creek.  As it was a great spot, we spent a couple of nights here and went for a day trip to Elliot, Twin Falls and The Saucepan.  These were amazing waterholes that could be walked to from the main carpark.  Swimming up the main waterway at Elliot, we had torrents of water smashing on us, giving a great massage.  At The Saucepan we did countless bombies in the ridiculously deep river.

Back at Canal Creek as night came, we all went on another Nocturnal Marine Biology Wildlife Expedition (NMBWE).  This time discovering dozens of smalls yabbies and bucket loads of cane toads!  Helping the Australian Wildlife, the cane toads did’t last too long with the shovel we had in tow.  On our woodfire trip that evening we had goosebumps after peeling back some bark from a big log to discover a couple of scorpions!  Back around the fire, Mark pulled a chisel out and carved a face and shredded rig in the log of Big Red, he was now a real boy!

After our two nights here, we continued through the infamous OTT.  Hearing cars have been towed out in previous years on the final crossing at Nolan’s Brook, gave us anticipation of what was to come!  Our goal to conquer this track would then lead us to the Jardine River where just on the other side, was the tip of Australia…

25/08/2016 – 29/08/2016

Far North Queensland

A Wild 4×4 Challenge – Frenchman’s Track

Leave a comment

Chucking a u-turn back on the main drag, we were noticing that nothing was well sign posted on the cape.  The trail for our days goal was a small off shute that could be easily overlooked.  Our faithful WikiCamps saved the day once again and helped pinpoint this location.  A small brief from Stu beforehand had comments mentioning this 50km stretch of track could possibly take up to 5 hours (we thought 3 would be generous!)  Straight into it, we took the route and were met with a sandy corrugated path.  Thin beach like trees took place of the standard redgums that sheltered us at camp the previous night.

Starting to reach some obstacles of rather large ruts we slowed down our pace.  The track ahead was starting to become a minor challenge with some slow descents and carefully maneuvered angles.  As Buzz and Woody navigated through the obstacles with ease, their surroundings were ever changing.  Opening up to a desolate landscape lead to magnificant views.  Some areas would have been great campgrounds if there had been shade!  As the bush engulfed our path once again, the first major river crossing was upon us.

Making it to the Pascoe River was a thrill.  Having just watched the path a convoy with 5 vehicles had just taken, our excitement levels increased knowing we were next.  A steep rocky entry that the previous cars had made slippery was the first challenge.  After both vehicles successfully crawled down they plunged into the Pascoe.  Having to snake through the water as it was just shy of our bonnets, we dodged some serious holes and a boulder.  Taking turns through the crossing, both beasts emerged from the other side!
The equally steep climb out was just as fun as the entry.  The occasional rock slipping under the tyres and cars bouncing in the ruts had us jeering and grinning all the way up until we had found flat ground.  Pascoe River was conquered.  As Nay was the perfect camerawoman, she nailed all moments which provided a good laugh over a beer that evening at movie night.

Burning along with the windows down and plenty of jokes over the CB, everyone was loving being in the bush on this adventure.  The next crossing was approximately 50m long with some deep pockets.  The alternative track to the side only meant crossing 10m of water.  After examining the crossing, the shorter route was the one to take.  Buzz shot in first, slipping into the boggy ruts with his wheels spinning on the exit.  Not being able to go forward of back, Buzz was stuck.

A quick recovery brief by Stu and we shot into action (after Mark got over the car being bogged).  Attempting to gain traction with MaxTrax was unsuccessful as the mud was too intense.  Without having used the winch properly before, there was a team effort to set it up on Buzz and hope for the best.  With everything in place the winch hauled Buzz forward to solid ground so we could continue.  

With Woody next in line and knowing the difficulty, he punched it!  With the MaxTrax still in place and the extra momentum had him making it look easy.  It wasn’t until the very end that the wheels started to spin, flicking dirt up all over the car.  With great force, the mud flew over his car, dropped between the frailer (front trailer) and the roof, hitting the windscreen with enough force to crack it!  Gaining traction again, Woody was out.  Later we discovered a Prado had been stuck the previous day for 6 hours in this same spot and unfortunately flooded the interior of his car! 

The last river crossing said to be the nastiest and most challenging, was simply a little puppy.  As it was so dry the water levels here were very low.  Smashing through with ease we had a late lunch and ended up swimming in the shallows which was very refreshing after a big morning!  Directly after this river was a steep dusty incline to get us back in it.  Not long down the track of corrugations and Woody’s horn was going off every time he turned!  Annoying the hell out of Stu, a bit of bush mechanics and electrical tape temporarily solved this problem.  

Another shallow but long water crossing between the final low range obstacles kepted us on edge.  As the adrenaline was pumping from a serious sandy path that put both vehicles on serious angles (probably at their limit) we knew the end was near.  Popping out at the Developmental Road 5 hrs later from when we started, we all had victorious grins with the self accomplishment of making it through The Frenchman’s Track!

Hitting 100km/hr again, Mark was devastated to see a surfboard fly off the roof of his car, only to realise the other had already gone missing with the recovery tracks.  Both boards were repairable right-offs, they hadn’t even seen a beach this trip!  The strap had snapped along the last leg of the corrugations on the Frenchman’s Track as we found our missing belongings 20mins back the way we came.

As this disaster had us behind schedule, we shot up late in the arvo past Bramwell Junction.  Making it to Palm Creek, the first crossing of the Old Telegraph Track (OTT) we found ourselves in a dustbowl with no fire as it was stinking hot!  Totally spent from the days events lead us to lounging back, watching the movies our famous camerawoman had taken.  Anticipation followed, knowing there was more of this action to come in later days as we braved the OTT… 

25/08/2016

Far North Queensland

A Coastal Snippet In A Great Bushland

Leave a comment

Finding ourselves crawling out along the 4WD track from where we had once been, we all had a chuckle while crossing a rut.  Both Buzz and Woody’s wheels became airborne!  After emerging from the bush we were greeted once again by our good friend corrugations.  Reading about and creating much hype, the ‘famous’ Archer River Roadhouse burger was on the menu for lunch.  Probably being so long since a decent burger it was rather delicious, unfortunately nothing compared to the Buxton Burger. 

We travelled along the Developmental Track taking us further north until reaching an unmarked road.  WikiCamps had shown us this was a 4WD trail to an old abandoned gold mine.  Cruising along a path of moderate difficulty, a small descent appeared in front of us.  Dropping into low range we took it slowly.  An ever so small ditch at the bottom and both Buzz and Woody went ‘bang!’.  Woody hit his undercarraige and recieved no damage but after a further inspection on Buzz, a rear box had 4 out of 6 of it’s bolts sheered off and was hanging by a thread!  A quick strap to hold it place for the time being and we were off again. 

The gold mine itself was very fascinating as much of the machinery was still intact although heavily rusted.  Amazing at how it was all just left in the bush as the cost of removing and selling it must of been more expensive.  It would of been great if it had some info boards describing some machinery but we couldn’t expect it all!  

Back on the main drag we were heading toward the very popular Chili Beach.  Along the way was a 70m walk to a lookout of Mt Tozer, this gave a beautiful sight of the heathlands surrounding us.  Making it to our destination late arvo we were greeted with a stunning view of a pristine beach!  It wasn’t until we disembarked from the car that a pungent smell of rotting fish hit our noses.  Having already booked the camp we sucked it up not letting it ruin our time here.  Mark took this opportunity before dark to screw Buzz’s underside box back on, with the hope it wouldn’t happen again!

That night a few quiet beverages turned into several and before we knew it the smell had vanished!  Mucking around the fire with the music cranking we ended up drinking a fair amount of the traditional Fruity Lexia.  With the sun’s rays baking on our tent, the terrible odour of dead fish returning, we were over the moon when Stu volunteered to cook bacon and scrambled eggs on the hotplate!  What a great way to recover!  

Close by we visited an airstrip built in WW2 that was still used to this current day.  It was very interesting with an abundance of information.  One info board depicted how a nuclear bomb being detonated in a rainforest environment would compare to a standard situation.  Using enough TNT on a stragically built tower, the test was conducted and the bombs were detonated.  Scientists scrumaged through the aftermath and recorded their results, discovering such a blast would have positive results if needed in the war.  Just before leaving, the old grounds keeper had a serious go at us all for parking on the grass in some shade.  Apologising as there were no signs he was relentless to let us know we were in the wrong!

Leaving Iron Range National Park we set up next to Browns Creek.  Not being 100% sure if there were crocs or not, swims were kept short in this freshwater creek, there were plenty of bait fish though!  Trying our luck again with the net, we jagged about 8 small ones to use as bait!  Going for a wood run after such success we stumbled across a large redgum trunk on the ground.  Cutting a few decent logs from it, we unknowingly at the time gave birth to Big Red (one hell of a travelling companion).

After having leftover stew in the jaffle iron on glowing coals, meant bedtime for some and a night expidition for others.  During their walk along the creek, Mark and Stu discovered the nocturnal wildlife!  Spotting a couple of turtles Mark quickly delved into the water and caught one.  Showing Nay his find in the tent he gave it a little kiss before releasing again.  Seeing some interesting frogs and other types of small fish we talked about having to do more Nocturnal Marine Biology Wildlife Excursions (NMBWE) in days to come.

The following day we were up early and quick to get on the road.  Our next big goal in the 4WD catagory was just ahead of us.  A famous trail by the name of The Frenchman’s Track was only 2km down the road, it was on our to do list…

23/08/2016 – 25/08/2016