A typical Cape York plan is to leg it up North and then meander back South, taking in the sites at a more leisurely pace. Our plan was just this, and we had a clear picture of all the adventures we would have and the off-the-beaten track places we would go.
But, as mentioned here, the only thing you can count on when planning a holiday like a camping trip to Cape York is that not everything will go to plan.
We started the long road South in high spirits, dodging bullocks and dust clouds along the Peninsula Development Road. One of the things Jon was most exited about the trip was all the rough camping and free spots we’d find on our journey. The app Wiki Camps is absolutely indispensable for finding these hidden gems, such as this one called Rocky Creek, which is on The Telegraph Track in the Wenlock area. We had it all to ourselves, too.
Back on the road South, we ran into these crazy kids, who we had met at The Tip already. It was dusty and bumpy enough in a car, can you imagine what it’s like on a motorbike? And where do they put their fridge?
Some of the good free campsites aren’t that easy to get to, including this spot (below) just outside Laura. By now, I had recovered from the bug that laid me flat but Jon was coming down with it. He managed somehow to negotiate the short, steep and rutted road and fling open the camper in among the harsh weeds before passing out.
Yes, this site was next to the main road and sure the weeds were like razor blades but it was free and came with fantastic entertainment – just across the road is the Split Rock Indigenous art site, one of the world’s best displays of rock paintings.
The kids and I spent hours there, enjoying the 30 minute walk up to the sites, drawing what we saw and gazing at our favourite spirits and animals. The site is set in peaceful bush, with sandstone cliffs and kookaburras cackling away. Without much prompting the kids settled into a calm and reflective state – it sure beats TV! We ended up going back again the next day with Jon, who was now completely overwhelmed with the flu virus.
After weeks of seeing her covered in thick red dust that had turned hard as concrete, it was strange to see Big Red emerge again. But I was so sick of having to wash my hands every time I opened the boot to get into the fridge that we were happy to spend a fortune spraying her down in Atherton.
Sadly, Jon was very sick, which meant he spent most of the day and night in bed. Knowing I would be essentially on my own with the kids, we decided to stay in paid campsites until Jon recovered. I quizzed the lovely vollies at the Heritage Centre in Mareeba for somewhere to stay that would be fun, while also have everything I needed to get through the mountains of washing two weeks in red dust produced.
Granite Gorge was just perfect. It was a small, bush campsite with a natural boulder park and mobs of resident rock wallabies, plus birds ranging from chooks to cockatoos. My friends for the few days we stayed were this gang of ducks who marched around the campsite telling people off. They reminded me of an overzealous lawn bowls committee, all puffed up with their own importance.
Obviously, the kids just loved Granite Gorge, especially feeding the rock wallabies, but we managed to go one better by choosing a railway yard in Ravenshoe as our next campsite. Sleeping among steam locos has to be a kids’ dream come true, right? And when we arrived, a communal sausage sizzle had just started, meaning we didn’t even have to cook.
The next spot was free and is a favourite of our friends Kaz and Mayo. Ashton Hotel at Long Pocket offers free camping in the grassy field behind the pub (below). Of course, we had to try their famous pizzas and Mum needed a cold schooner so it wasn’t entirely a free night…
A cold beer was the last thing we needed at our next spot. We stayed in a stockyard that backed onto the St Lawrence Wetlands south-west of Mackay. This was another stunning place with birds and ponds and horses but, oh my, when the wind came over the wetlands it was cold.
This wasn’t the last of the cold weather as we made our way all the way back down to Brisbane. Jon remained wiped out by what we later found out was pneumonia plus giardia and a few other bugs thrown in for good measure. We didn’t visit all the waterfalls or stay in all the off-the beaten track spots we had been hoping for, but hey, such is life. It was still a great trip that showed us how wonderfully diverse and bloody enormous this country is, and we don’t regret a moment of it.
Have you travelled to Cape York? What was your favourite place?
