Tuesday 4th June

Left Punsand Bay this morning and headed south in the same weather we’ve become accustomed to!  

Passed the Croc Tent for the last time, an emporium for bric-a-brac but the owner was a good source of local information.  

The creeks along this part of the road have not dried  up a great deal since we came up this way.

We need to refuel, top up with water and empty the cassettes in Bamaga, about 30mins down the track from Punsand Bay.   There is a dearth of dump points on the peninsular but this one in Bamaga takes the prize for being the most difficult to find and the most basic!

Normally these essential facilities are properly constructed heavy duty drains with a water supply, signposted and situated where you can pull the caravan alongside.

This one in Bamaga is a pipe (with a screw cap) poking out of the ground surrounded by bush, a good 50 metres from the road.    As you can see Brad is making his way back to the van whilst I am still emptying mine.

The next bit of excitement is the Jardine River Ferry crossing southbound, this ferry service is run the locals and the guys on the boat are quite funny.   We have a conversation of sorts, they speaking in their version of English and us trying to understand it!   Today we are discussing the girls in Fremantle – I think, I hope!

     

Our aim today is to get to the Fruit Bat Falls turn off and camp in the little free camp at the turn off but when we get there it is already occupied so we have to return to the gravel pit, 3ks back up the road where we stayed last time.

Wednesday 5th June

The following morning Brad and Denise go to the Eliot Falls and Fruit Bat Falls whilst Pat and I stayed to mind the vans and catch up with a few jobs and some admin.   The weather is lousy, grey and threatening rain.   They return late morning having declined to swim in Fruit Bat Falls on the basis of the weather!

After lunch we continue our journey south, retracing our steps of a week or so ago.   The roads have deteriorated since we came north, explained by the significant increase in traffic as the season proper starts to gather momentum.

Most of the creek crossings have dried up a lot since our previous journey but the additional traffic has created some nasty potholes before and after the water.

The increase in traffic is amazing, where will they all go?   Although it wasn’t crowded last week, there were still enough people around to persuade us that we wouldn’t have wanted to be here any later!

Tonight we plan to make Moreton Telegraph Station, which isn’t far down the track and we get there in good time to go looking for the Cuscus  but without success.

Thursday 6th June

We need to go to Weipa, to pick up Brad and Denise’s mail and, well, just to see Weipa!  We have been advised that the short cut on the Batavia downs road is doable with the Bushtrackers (BTs) and set off down the track, it isn’t too bad, with some small washouts here and there but generally OK.   Half way across we meet another BT and of course, we stop for a chat, they are from Australind, near Bunbury, so by our standards on this trip we’re practically neighbours!    We are blocking the track whilst the conversation takes place and it’s no problem for 45 mins and then we have to move on as there is another vehicle coming.

This snake chose the wrong time to warm up on the road!   Unfortunately you cannot brake suddenly on dirt roads.

 

Weipa is the biggest town on the Peninsular because it is the home of a massive bauxite deposit which is currently owned by Rio Tinto.   It was owned by Comalco when I worked for them in the early nineties.   It is the purest bauxite deposit in Australia and maybe the world.  

We had been warned that the annual Weipa Fishing competition was on this weekend and expected to have a problem getting a site but in fact it seems quite quiet and we get two good spots with good access.

Friday 7th June

Today the sun is shining!!!  A rest day Pat and Denise are washing and shopping, Brad is washing his car and I’m trying to catch up with the blog and various other admin things.   Everything is expensive here.   Whilst understanding that everything has to be transported here from the south, we think a 30% mark-up a little excessive, particularly on wine!   Over a glass of wine we decide to stay another night here and decide to go and book there and then in case the park filled up with keen fishermen.

Saturday 8th June

Another rest day and it is my turn to clean the red mud off my car.   The caravan is pretty muddy but it can wait.

Sunday 9th June

We are quite late leaving Weipa this morning, Brad has to go and fill up with diesel at the far end of town and we have a couple of things to sort out with the rig before we can get under way.   The Peninsula Development road (PDR) is good for a bit but then deteriorates – back to normal and we, as are most others, are traveling in the gutter or hard shoulder rather than on the road itself.   After the junction with the Bamaga Road , we see no end of camper trailers and 4x4s heading north, where will they all go?   Again, we decide that in spite of the weather, we were certainly correct in leaving the Cape at this time of year.      

We have planned to stop tonight at a place Roger checked out on the way up and thought it looked a reasonable place for a night stop.   It is actually a very good little spot with a lovely little billabong at the bottom of the track.   It has been named Roger’s Billabong and marked on the map for future reference.

Monday 10th June

Today is a public holiday in QLD and it seems that everyone is taking the opportunity to head north.   Added to this problem we are not finding many places to free camp for the night and though we had some ideas about possible places to stop we find that only one is marginally suitable.   It is quite close to the road unfortunately bit its saving grace is that again we have a little billabong, this one is now known as Pat’s Lily Pond.

Tuesday 11th June

We need to find out about the shortcut to Normanton and so drop in at Musgrave Roadhouse, the news is not good, some vehicles are getting through but definitely not caravans.    Our advisors don’t know which side of Dunbar the road is closed but it makes little difference, we are not going to chance it and are now resigned to re-covering our steps on the long route to Normanton.  However, we  decide that we will visit the Daintree area whilst we have the opportunity and head towards the coast, approaching the mountains the weather changes but we check into Julatten Tablelands Van Park as there is no free camping in this area.