I’ll give you the tip – at Cape York

[JohnM]

Time to fly.

F Lounge. PJM awaiting Champagne.



Here comes our JetRanger chariot.



I’m in 1A, PJM in 2B.



Firing up the bird.



Let’s boogie…



Maintaining 500-600ft. Plenty of crocs and feral pigs (and their damage...) spotted.

 

[JohnM]

That was fun!

 

[JohnM]

Rest of the day spent chilling around the lodge and scoping the wildlife.

Bower bird’s nest.



Frogmouths in a tree near our cabin.





Lunchtime visitors.

 

[JohnM]

As usual, croc warning. Can never be sure in those areas after floods connect the lagoons and waterways.



Agile wallaby being aquatically agile.



And a great day ends.



Next morning, moving on northwards towards our next overnight stop at Weipa.



Brief stop at the old Musgrave telegraph station with some Queensland forthrightness and a pond at the back with plenty of turtles and freshwater crocs.



Morning tea stop at Coen.

Imaginative renaming of the Exchange Hotel in keeping with the contemporary zeitgeist, and small heritage museum.



Termites and eggs at a mid-afternoon break. The guide knocks the repair off the top of this small mound each trip to show the goings-on. And green ants.



Sunset pre-dinner drinks at the Albatross Bay Hotel (the ‘Alby’, of course), our accommodation in Weipa. They get a bit excited in that part of Queensland about seeing the sun set over the ocean – but what is so unusual about that, we wonder?…

 

[JohnM]

Next morning a wildlife cruise on the Embley River, across the harbour from Weipa town/port. The tide was out, and so were crocs on the mudflats.



A bonus! Albino croc (well, at least a pale colour). First time I’ve ever seen such a light-coloured croc.



Black-necked stork incoming.



Dense mangroves.



Then a juvenile stork trying to catch very small fish present in high abundance, but with limited success. Too small to grab, then toss and spear with the beak as these storks commonly do. After quite a while it gave up feeding and just wandered around, with two egret species nearby.

 

[jastel]

As an original Sandgroper it is something I miss.
And yes, it is a Gulf thing, watching the SUNSET over the ocean rather than rise.

 

[JohnM]

Azure kingfisher.



The black neck is iridescent.



Excellent cruise. Back to Western Cape Cultural Centre for lunch before moving on.



Not far out of Weipa, shell middens, built up over many years by the indigenous inhabitants. That’s a lot of oysters slurped!



‘Sugarbag’ scarred trees monument. From progressive harvesting of honey. Set around a very corky-barked tree.



Arboreal tree-eating termites, as opposed to the mound-building grass termites, become increasingly common heading north on the cape.

 

[NSun]

The Sheraton Port Douglas brings back memories because I stayed there one family holiday when I was a kid 20 years ago. Doesn't look like it has changed much.

I used to be obsessed with cassowaries because of their 'kick', but since growing up I've come to learn it is actually rare in its own right - and even rarer for someone to actually be harmed by it.

 

[JohnM]

The Sheraton Port Douglas brings back memories because I stayed there one family holiday when I was a kid 20 years ago. Doesn't look like it has changed much.

I used to be obsessed with cassowaries because of their 'kick', but since growing up I've come to learn it is actually rare in its own right - and even rarer for someone to actually be harmed by it.

The Sheraton was nice enough - but it is really just a commercial hotel, which almost always don't do much for me. Certainly the bed was large and comfortable , but the restaurant offerings and service were just OK - pretty much always the case in such places IME.

Worth the experience, though.

But, as I always say: "Be prepared to be disappointed."

I have no idea what the cost was, as it was embedded in the tour. But I can imagine that if I had booked it myself for a stay I would be thinking I would not do it again. Just a guess...

 

[drron]

The Sheraton Mirage doesn't look much different to the time we stayed there in 1989.

 

[jastel]

It's definitely a bit dated now.
I think some of the rooms are a bit flasher for the VIPs...no offense JohnM!
Some celebs still visit but more are opting for secluded private houses now.

 

[JohnM]

It's definitely a bit dated now.
I think some of the rooms are a bit flasher for the VIPs...no offense JohnM!
Some celebs still visit but more are opting for secluded private houses now.

A bit dated, maybe, but not tired. The maintenance has been kept up to a high standard.

 

[JohnM]

Next stop for two nights is the Outback Spirit lodge at Moreton Telegraph Station, situated well away from the caravan park/camping area. The rooms were not as rustic as Lotus Bird Lodge, but still comfortable and the lodge limited to just the group on the tour, with excellent food but the wine selection here left a little to be desired IMO.

Thankfully, the natives were once again friendly, despite a predilection for not momentarily standing still following the usual spear-brandishing and subsequent pacifying bead and trinket-giving…



Fredy, the resident green tree frog.



PJM spotting a cane toad on the path.

 

[jastel]

Get the 9 iron!!

 

[JohnM]

Next day was spent bushwalking and exploring around the lodge and the old Moreton Telegraph Station.

Green ant nest. I give one a bump or two. “Now you’ve made them cross.” Says PJM.



Nice lagoon – but wild pig damage evident.



Followed by wandering back to the lodge for lunch.



Another walk in the afternoon.



The telegraph line ran in a straight line up the peninsula. Following the old track is the mission for some 4WD enthusiasts, but it’s not suitable for the truck or caravans because of steep creek crossings and rough track. Most people follow the higher-ground route we took.

I like 4WDing, but not to take rough tracks just for the sake of it when there is a milder alternative closely following the intended route. I didn’t feel that I’d missed anything.

 

[JohnM]

The bridge crossing the Wenlock River was built in 2001. Before that, the crossing was made on a barge made of empty drums. In flood, the river goes well over the bridge and spills out onto the land around the Outback Sprit lodge and the old telegraph station.



Note the 2003 flood level sign in the tree.



Lace monitor, brush turkey, arboreal termite activity, pretty moth, spider from two sides.



Pre-dinner drinks.



Moving further north the next day.

A stop at Bramwell Roadhouse. Straight on is the old telegraph track.

 

[JohnM]

Pressing on, we stopped at a lookout and crossed paths with the previous trip’s coach heading back empty to Cairns.



Lunch stop at Fruit Bat Falls.



Pitcher plants and other insectivorous plants were abundant.



Ready to cross the Jardine River before the short run into Bamaga for our two-night stop.



First view of Torres Strait.



Accommodation at Cape York Peninsula Lodge.

 

[JohnM]

Next day the BIG ONE – off to conquer the tip of Cape York. We set out early to avoid the zoo. Parking is limited at the tip and getting there too late might mean no space to park the coach. It also meant the 1km walk out to the tip was not crowded.



The tide was out, so we opted to take the walk part way along the beach outbound and then most opted to walk back over the higher rocks on the way back. It’s a bit steep in parts, but the rocks are solid and very grippy, so it’s not difficult. Just slippery from spray right at the tip near the sign.

 

[JohnM]

The destination.



Mission accomplished.

But what sort of retarded morons would take firearms out there to shoot up the sign? Cretins like that give legitimate shooters a bad name.

 

[jastel]

Thats a luxurious Wenlock Ferry...in the late 80's it was just tree trunks and fencing wire. A standard Toyota nearly sank it. Crocs were not a problem back then either