Rested after our two-night stop at Chili Beach, we drove back through the Iron Range National Park, this time really appreciating the mysterious rainforest and the sudden change in landscape at Mount Tozer.

Spirits were high: today was the day we would start the Old Telegraph Track, the highlight – some would say the whole point – of a trip to Cape York. But first, there was something we had to do…

We pulled into Bramwell Junction and finally fulfilled the promise we’d been making the kids for days: a burger at a roadhouse. And, as our mate Daryl would say, it was bloody bewdiful – although I nearly died when then bill came to $245 (this included 100 litres of fuel at $2.05 a litre).

The Old Telegraph Track starts right there at Bramwell and it lives up to its name – it really is no more than a track. You wouldn’t want a vehicle much wider than a Patrol to fit between the paperbarks and gum trees that grow alongside it. Occasionally, you pass one of the old telegraph lines too, some of which are bent double, probably after being whacked by someone trying to avoid the iron gums on the other side.

Before we left, Jon had taken much delight in telling me that, as he would most likely be driving, I would have to get out and walk through each river crossing before we attempted it in Big Red. This is one of the many things that kept me awake at night.

Luckily for me, Tracey is a much braver woman than me and, being in the lead vehicle, was happy to hop out and wade through the creeks. My tip: take Tracey with you on your trip to the Cape.

About five minutes in and at our first crossing, Palm Creek, we faced a steep climb out of the creek. Jon gleefully attached the snatch strap, ready to have up hauled up the other side and, as far as getting stuck on a 40-degree angle in red mud in croc country goes, it all went pretty smoothly.

Just as we pulled into Delhunty River, where we planned to camp for the night, we saw a 4WD wagon with a wheel off and a camper trailer on the back. The driver assured us he was okay and we wondered how on earth he was going to get out of there. We’d soon find out!

The free camping at Delhunty was lovely and I even worked up the courage to join the others in a (very brief) dip in a rock pool.

The next day, everyone was ready to tackle the hardest part of the OTT – crossing Gunshot creek. People talk about this crossing in hushed tones; the original approach is a near-vertical drop into the muddy riverbank and countless cars have had to be rescued from this very spot.

There is a bypass around Gunshot, but no chicken track once you’re there. These days there are five or six different tracks down to the creek, each treacherous in its own special way. Our mates, who were all carrying rooftop tents all made it down, scraping their bullbars on the track it was that steep, but with the camper trailer on the back, we just couldn’t take the risk and reluctantly turned back.

Alone now, we were extra careful driving the eight or so kilometres back to the bypass road. There were corrugations, deep ruts that meant we drove at a jaunty angle for miles, and rocks to hop but we made it to the bypass road in one piece.

There we saw a big yellow RACQ truck lowering a 4WD off its tray – this was how they were going to rescue the guy with the camper trailer back at Delhunty; he would tow his trailer while the truck took his car to Bamaga. We tried to imagine that big yellow truck coming towards us on the skinny OTT and shuddered at the thought.

As we were rubber-necking the truck, another car came towards us. The kids were caterwauling, I was rabbiting on about something and then BANG. We smacked into a big hole in the middle of the road. The impact was such that I nearly lost the camera out the open window.

A little embarrassed but essentially unharmed, we continued down the road. I took over the driving and thought the track must be really sandy because the car was pulling so hard to one side. Nup. She was buggered. On inspection, we saw that one wheel was definitely facing the wrong way. What the hell were we going to do? We’d lost contact with everyone; we were in the middle of nowhere and we had no idea what would happen to the car if we drove it any further.

You kind of expect to break down or break something on the OTT, but until it actually happens, you can’t really understand how serious it can be.

Want to know what happened next? Click here for Part 3!