WEIPA & MAPOON

We had been told that the road from Kalpower north to the development road was probably better than the actual development road and this was definitely the case. One memorable encounter while heading to Hann River Crossing was an oncoming vehicle towing a camper trailer. Kerry radioed us and said the guy had a flat on his trailer as it had skewed strangely as he rounded a corner. We managed to wave him down. He didn’t have a flat tyre. He had NO tyre! Even the rim had been flattened round the edges. Amazingly, the guy was totally oblivious of any problems. His comment was “That’s handy.” We left him to it and continued on to Hann River Crossing where we stopped for lunch. Then we continued on to Coen where we fuelled up. A word in the ear of those planning to buy fuel in Coen. Make sure you check out the prices at both the pub and the store down the street beside the café. The difference in price was 5c a litre on diesel. After refuelling we headed 3 klms north to the The Bend, a delightful free camp beside the Coen River. A swim in the creek was a real treat after a week at Kalpower. Leo particularly enjoyed it.

Next day we decided to go into Coen and have a look around and maybe a counterie at the SExchange Pub. The Heritage House in the main street is free and provides a wonderful insight into life on the Cape, both past and present. We spent over an hour here and could have spent longer, reading all the amazing stories and looking at photos and artefacts. At the pub, the lunch special, hot beef rolls, was all gone so we settled for the $12 steak burger. It was pretty ordinary with the steak about 5 millimetres thick. We did expect to pay extra but after Mt Molloy it seemed pretty puny. Compensated with an ice-cream chaser.

The Bend is definitely a lovely stopover. The atmosphere is very laid back and there is always a chance to meet new people. Two other Bushtrackers arrived today, Friday. They had both been travelling permanently in their vans for 7 and 9 years and still loving it. As Kerry had arranged to have a grease nipple repaired on his hitch we decided to stay another night so after a very friendly and obliging mechanic in Coen did Kerry’s repairs, we had a lovely relaxing day before setting off on Sunday morning for Weipa.

The road got progressively worse until we passed the Batavia Downs turnoff.  We also had to contend with 50 cars from the Just4Kids Safari who had camped in Coen on Saturday night. Decided to stop for a cuppa to let them by, but this resulted in only half a dozen passing us. We thought we might get past the Chilli Beach turnoff where they were headed before the rest caught us but not so. They were all really good though and the radio made it easy to get them around us safely. They turned up at the campground in Weipa on Monday. Don’t know how they fitted them all in as the campground is chockers every night. Their comments re the state of Chilli Beach convinced us that we were not missing out by not going there. Reports are that the beach is covered by flotsam from the many ships which sail up and down the coast.

We had 3 nights in Weipa while John and Kerry changed out the pivot blocks in Kerry’s van. More spares to get mailed to Weipa post office. The nights in Weipa were a lot warmer than we had had so far and we both ran air-conditioners at night. The supermarket , which is right beside the campground is pretty well stocked although we’re told the barge comes in on Monday, so the shelves in the fruit & veg section can be rather bare by Friday. Prices at the super weren’t too bad but beer at $53.50 a carton hurts.

The road to Mapoon is excellent and we had an easy run right through. After checking out other options it was obvious that Cullen Point is the only suitable place for caravaners. The campground itself is nestled amongst she-oaks and close to mangroves. There is an amenities block with toilets and cold showers as well as a very handy tap for washing down boats etc. The water is of excellent quality. While it is nice and shady, it is also quite hot as it is sheltered from the cooling sea breeze. We opted to go back about 100 metres to a pull-out beside the road. We set up camp adjacent to the beach and had a beautiful breeze to keep us cool and keep away the sandflies and mosquitoes which come out in the millions on dusk.

The view from our camp at Cullen Point

Our first visitor was Dolla, a delightful local lady who lives just down the beach from our camp. We spent a lovely afternoon being entertained with her stories and enlightened by her knowledge of the local area, its people and its history. Leo actually seemed to enjoy the presence of Dolla’s three dogs as well although he is suffering with a sore paw at the moment. Too many walks!!

I love it here but my paw's a bit sore!

Kerry did a great job spotting lots of birds here as well. Just that first afternoon, we saw red-winged parrots, black and whistling kites and lesser frigatebirds which were truly graceful as they glided gracefully on the strong winds. The beaches here are also great for beachcombing. Unfortunately, as well as lots of interesting shells, there is quite a bit of rubbish. Again, most is flotsam from passing boats. Take a rubbish bag with you if you plan on a walk. Every little bit helps.

While in Mapoon we were really lucky to catch up with Alana, a school teacher here, and her husband Dave (Lumpy) who drives the local school bus. They are friends of Neil, who bought our last Bushtracker and they are truly lovely, hospitable people. Lumpy took John out fishing and they had a great day, despite John literally throwing away his rod and reel into a school of tuna. I think he just wanted a new one. It was a real treat when Lumpy cooked up the tuna on the barbie. I will never consider tuna only suitable for bait again.

Too slow for the sharks Stoz!

Got that one!

Chef Lumpey prepares the tuna.

Mmmmmmm!!

An afternoon drive to Janie Creek through the sand dunes on the Gulf side of the Peninsula convinced us that it would be worthwhile to tow the dinghy down there for a day’s fishing and crabbing so we packed up a picnic and headed off early on Saturday. Unfortunately, because of the tides here, we only got one crab which we released but the fishing was good. We landed a nice catch of mangrove jacks and John bagged a blue salmon about a metre long. Also saw some smaller crocs (about 2 metres) and lots of birds, including sea eagles, beach stone-curlews and a brahminy kite. There is a great camp set up at the creek but unfortunately it has not been utilised for some years. It has showers, toilet etc and there is a fresh water tap outsie the fence for public use. The tap came in very handy when Chris managed to come a cropper in the very slippery and very sticky mud on the banks of the creek. Exit Chris covered in mud, as was the rod and reel. Make sure you let the tyres down if you venture to Janie though. It is about 15 klms through some fine, soft sand.

Amenities about half-way to Janie Creek

View from the picnic table looking out to the creek mouth.

A scud out in the Gulf hides the afternoon sun.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. It is a very quiet and peaceful place with friendly people and some stunning vistas across the port to the east and the Gulf to the west. Here’s hoping we get to come back. Met up with Bob & Wendy back in Weipa. John went up to Stone Crossing on the Wenlock River with them the next day to do a reccie. A lovely spot but not accessible for the vans so we will head further north from here.

BREAKING NEWS:  Bob has finally fessed up that his famous barra were someone else's and only caught by him on his camera. Good one Bob. You really had us sucked in. Let's hope we actually catch some on a line soon!