Tag Archives: Woody

Far North Queensland

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

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​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

The Finale Of The Infamous OTT…

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​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 Next Episode – Northward Bound With Buzz and Woody

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Saying goodbye to civilisation for a while, we couldn’t resist going out for one last big night in Cairns with our new recruit Stu.  Once fully recovered, we stocked up with bucket loads of tinned food, cryovaced meat from the butcher (Stu’s idea) and long life consumables.  We dropped back down for two days at Babinda to wait for Stu’s custom made 4WD snorkel to be installed (worst destination to wait as it poured rain the entire time!)  Once the snorkel was on, we were off on the next episode, departing the Cairns region which gave us so many unforgettable memories.

Sadly, Brook was still very waterlogged from not having a break while we dived and the torrential rain at Babinda didn’t help.  She found herself back in her home on the roofracks.  The next couple of nights we snuck in car parks where a late night tent set-up was required.  Doing a dodgy with these camps we still had great views of the beach and daintree rainforest as we made way to the Bloomfield.  That night sitting in the Cape Tribulation car park before bed, we were chatting excitedly at what the famous 4×4 track had to offer.

In the previous days to the build up of our adventure, we read about the Bloomfield alternative, the CREB 4WD track.  Hearing this potential route had swallowed over a dozen cars in the past week and closed by the council, our path up north could be interesting.  With the first river crossing being the most serious, the rest was rather smooth sailing.  The Bloomfield was well looked after, although unsealed, it was in good nick.  After a few serious climbs and descents the trucks were having no trouble.  All round it was a fantastic adventure with great sights.  We were awestruck by mother nature, cruising along our surroundings went from lush, thick rainforest to instantly transforming to open forest (like that of the High Country)!  We were even lucky enough to see a sunbaking croc from the lookout!

Reaching the end of the track, we went to the Aboriginal town of Wujal Wujal which had a sign advertising ‘The names so good, you say it twice!’.  Stopping by another waterfall, Queensland clearly had a surplus of these cascading wonders.

After hearing about its great history and being the last major town to have sealed roads, we stopped off at Cooktown.  A breathtaking view from the lighthouse lookout and one last petrol refuel (before prices started getting ridiculous) we hit up Battle Camp Rd.  Waving a final goodbye to the bitumen, we started our brutal relationship with corrugations (previously reducing tyre pressure to 32 psi to ease the pain).

An hour and a half in we hit a pretty camp spot called Isabella Falls.  Here there was also a perfect fresh water swimming hole with an added bonus of no crocs!!  This little hideaway was awesome.  We took the opportunity to relax in the bush and stayed a few days not knowing when the next fresh swimmable waterhole may be.  Having decent fires to cook up a storm we enjoyed swimming through the day and refreshing beer in the arvo.

This next part of the story leaves a sad chip on the shoulder.  As Brook finally had the chance to see fresh air, we pegged her out to dry.  Unfortunately she had an awful gut wrenching tang to her.  We could only put it down to our diving in Cairns that she had been locked away for so long in humid wet conditions.  Sadly her fur was falling off and her time with us was over.  One last Kodak moment and we placed her back in the tub to dispose of her…RIP Brook.

As the days at Isabella Falls swept by, we watched cars burn past returning from the northern roads all caked with red dust and mud.  During a deep philosophical chat one evening, Stu with his cleverly depicted number plate suggested calling his car Woody.  A quick lookover of our car with all doors open and the rooftop tent out, it was looking like a spaceship and was quickly dubbed Buzz.  As Buzz and Woody were back on the road, we were keen to shoot down the main drag where these filthy red cars were coming from.  We were keen to see what Cape York had to offer…