MUTEE HEADS

Mutee Heads from our camp

Yum! I spent our first afternoon collecting oysters and managed to get a fair amount. It’s hard work though. They are not huge and you really have to look for them.  Not too good on the already dreadful back either. But well worth it – steak stuffed with oysters  - mmmm!  John was up bright and early on Thursday morning (how unusual!) to do a spot of fishing. Leo did the usual complaining. He thinks he should go all the time now that John has taken him out once in the tinny.  When he got back we took off over to the mouth of the Jardine River before the wind got up. Very interesting over there and lots of other boats. Looks like there should be fish everywhere and crabs as well. We only caught a couple of cod but at least we have some bait for the crab pots now. Will set some ghost crab traps on the beach tonight. I saw heaps of big ones down there last night while checking the boat and they are great bait for blueys.

Our camp

The view from our van

The beach with old jetty pylons just visible at top right

Kerry and Jeanette arrived just before lunch and set up camp then it was off down to the rocks to get some more oysters. Leo had a very bad limp by the afternoon so next morning when it was still bad we were in a quandary as to what to do. After establishing that the nearest vet is in Weipa we decided to ring our vet in Townsville. She was very helpful and we think that the swelling is from an injury to the leg joint and not due to an infection. Fortunately Jeanette had a thermometer so we monitored his temperature and strapped the leg according to the vet’s advice.  I also rubbed it with Rapidgel, a horse liniment that Kerry swears by, so we are hoping this and rest will help it mend. Otherwise it will be a visit to the vet when we get back.

Another fireside soiree

John and Kerry headed off to the Jardine again to put some crab pots in and do some fishing. They got back mid-afternoon with just one nice cod that Kerry caught and no crabs. They didn’t leave the pots in just in case we had to leave early due to Leo. Nobody seems to be getting crabs down there anyway. In the afternoon we took a drive up to the headland to see the old radar tower and gun emplacements which are relics of the American base which was here in WWII.

The remains of the WWII radar tower

View across to Prince of Wales & Thursday Island from the heads

We also had a look at the graves and monument on the hill behind our camp. These are graves of the original people who came to Mutee Head from Saibai Island when high tides swamped their island. They eventually moved to where Bamaga is now. Quite sad really as the chief had gone off to school, the army, and was a policeman for years then died at the age of 47 in the year he returned to Bamaga.

I noticed some beautiful native flora while at Mutee Head which I couldn’t help but photograph so I’ve included some shots below.

On Saturday morning we just fished off the head and around the jetty but again nothing much caught. It is certainly a lovely spot here though.  John and Kerry had more success on Sunday though when they went back down to the mouth of the Jardine. John had seen fish charter boats going just past the mouth and using the sounder, they located some good lumpy seabed and managed to bag a nice catch, although there should have been more. Apparently they were smashed up about 5 times so there must have been some big ones there.

Happy old fishers are we

We decided to head off on Monday morning even though Leo’s leg seemed to be on the mend. The swelling was going down but he was still limping so it was off back down the road to the gravel pit then on to Coen for a couple of nights before visiting Laura to see the quinkan rock art there and back to Townsville to get ready for the next leg of our trip. On the way to Coen we came across a real character, along the road with his trusty donkey. He was adamant we could only have one quick photo though as he said everyone was stopping him and at that rate he’d never make the Cape.

The man with the donkey

TO THE TIP OF CAPE YORK

We packed up and left False Pera Head straight after lunch on Sunday and travelled to a gravel pit/dam we had been told about which is about 5 klms north of the intersection where the Batavia Downs road meets the main road north. It was a lovely spot to spend the night. Leo had a welcome swim and Kerry and Jeanette did a bar-b-que tea while I whipped up a fruit cake. Kerry was greatly impressed with my cooking skills. The next day we stopped off at Moreton Telegraph Station and took their nature walk along the Wenlock River and surrounds. It was a pleasant break from the terrible corrugations on the road.

Termit nests at Bramwell Junction

Our gravel pit camp

Mid-afternoon saw us at the intersection to the northern end of the Old Telegraph Track where you access Fruit Bat, Indian Head and Twin Falls. There is a clearing at the intersection which comfortably accommodates two vans so we parked up there, left Leo to guard the fort and drove our car into Fruit Bat Falls for a much enjoyed swim.

Fruit Bat Falls on Eliot Creek

Next morning we ventured into Indian Head and Twin Falls which are definitely the more spectacular, although all are very picturesque and the swimming is lovely. 

Creek crossing on the Old Telegraph Road into Indian Head Falls





Indian Head Falls on Eliot Creek



Twin Falls on Canal Creek

Kerry & Jeanette just lovin' iit!

We arrived at the Jardine River Ferry at 12 noon and had lunch while waiting for the ferry to start running again at 1.00.

The Wades cross on the Jardine River ferry

The roads did not improve all the way to Injanoo and Umagico, which is the campground at Alau Beach. There is a really interesting area of forest around the Captain Billy Landing turnoff – very tropical. We were really lucky to jag an excellent campsite at Umagico with our own picnic shelter etc right on the beach and a drive up to Seisia and Loyalty Beach made us happy that we had chosen the nicest campground. We caught up with Bob and Wendy there.

Umagico sunset

The fishing was not much at all around the Bamaga/Seisia area but John and Bob did catch a few when they took a run down to Mutee Head in the tinny. We’re told Jacky Jacky Creek out near the airport is good but we decided not to bother. We had a great day on Friday, when we drove up to the tip, Pajinka. On the way we stopped at the Croc Tent for the obligatory souvenir and also went into Punsand Bay where we had a cold drink in a lovely setting at the resort’s bar. The beach at the tip is lovely. We walked up to the tip by walking behind the mangroves at the north end of the beach. This is a much easier route. At the tip we met three crazy Japanese guys who were really happy to take photos for us. They were eager to get photos of us as well. We were quite amused that they had come all the way up in a Juicy hire van. God only knows how they got it through the creek crossing but they were having a ball and were due back in Cairns in three days.



Creek crossing on the way to the tip



We took the normal track back to the carpark up over the headland and the views from the very top were fantastic. After a drink and a rest at the beach, we headed over to Somerset which is a lovely little campground on the eastern side of the tip, sheltered by Albion Island. It has toilets, water tanks and would be accessible with the van. It is still a bit exposed to the prevailing south-easters though. The graves at the northern end of the camp were very interesting as were the monument and guns up round the corner where the old magistrates homestead once stood. The history of the area is rich and interesting and we learned a lot more of it when we took our trip over to Thursday Island.



Photoof the tip from the air taken by Kerry on his chopper ride



Chris, Leo & John at the tip

Happy travellers

Three crazy Japanese boys

Looking west from the tip

Looking north at the tip

The road to the tip

Somerset Bay

The weekend was spent fishing and relaxing and taking the odd walk along the beach. We were treated to crayfish for dinner when a couple of the local guys called in to the beach with a fresh catch which they were selling at quite reasonable prices. We had seen then offshore during the afternoon and when asked about crocs they said they will only get you on the surface. I don’t believe that, and I certainly disagreed when John suggested going for a dive himself, especially when he had seen the local croc off the beach himself and assured us it was not little. They said they came in regularly but we didn’t see them again. Jeanette suggested that perhaps they were just getting some extra cash for the big show and rodeo which was on in Bamaga that weekend, complete with fireworks which we could hear from the camp on Saturday night.

On Tuesday we did the tourist thing and jumped on the ferry over to Thursday Island. The bus tour we took included a trip up to Green Hill Fort which sits above the town. Only the bus tour operators get access to the bunkers beneath which have been turned into a museum by the local historical society, so we were happy that we had chosen to go this way as it was well worthwhile. We also went to the local cemetery where we learned about the local burial customs and saw the lovely memorial which has been erected for the Japanese pearlers who died in the area. After lunch at the Torres Strait Hotel (The Top Pub in Australia) we had a quick look through the local cultural centre which was a lovely building and should be great when completed. Then it was back across the road to the ferry. The wind had picked up by the time we headed back to Seisia so the return trip was much more interesting.

Thursday Island from Green Hill Fort

Old guns at Green Hill Fort

John and I packed up on Wednesday morning and moved camp down to Mutee Head where there is a lovely little campground right beside the beach. This is a free camp with bins and nothing else but the beach is beautiful and we had it to ourselves.

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!

PANDANUS PARK

Left Mareeba with Bob & Wendy and headed north to Mount Molloy for one of the legendary giant burgers. They were as good as ever. Decided to stop at Palmer River Roadhouse for the night so we could watch the State of Origin. Great game although the campground there is pretty ordinary. Arrived at Kalpower Crossing that afternoon and proceeded into Pandanus Park, the Vietnam Veterans’ retreat on the Normanby River. Radioed in and were met by Mark and Ivan (the hosts with the most). Ivan showed us the available camps that were cleared and big enough for us and we settled in. What a magic place. Tried hard to catch a barra. Managed to get half a dozen cherabin each night so kept some of them to eat instead. Those that were catching barra were getting them on set lines but we had no luck. It was lovely just going out on the river in the tinny though. It is very picturesque.

Met Kerry and Jeanette and Feral (Vets president) and Annie who come from Bowen. We had a lovely time at Pandanus Park and were made to feel so welcome. Drinks at the RAP each afternoon were very social and we had a lovely evening get together with all the other campers on Sunday night. Even snuck in a paddle in a shallow part of the river. All eyes up though!

Bob & Wendy cross the Normanby River at Kalpower

We also took a day trip out to Jack’s Lakes, which is a system of billabongs to the east of Pandanus. Saw a big bunch of wild pigs along the way (which got Leo very excited) and discovered other lagoons which were full of birdlife. Didn’t see any of the legendary local crocs though. Pandanus is a great place too for bird watching. Saw lots of new ones for my log.

We left Pandanus after a week with Kerry and Jeanette. Bob and Wendy were enjoying it too much to leave so soon. Of course the night we left Bob caught a nice barra and has caught others since. Hope we get into some fish further north. Would like to say a huge thanks to the Vets committee at Pandanus for making us feel so welcome.

CHILLAGOE

We were really glad that we decided to visit Chillagoe. It is a very pleasant little village and the people at “The Hub” which is the local information centre were extremely helpful and friendly. We booked into the rodeo grounds where there are basic toilets and a “Donkey” for hot water. The grounds are beside a lovely little creek which proved a lovely place for a walk. There are several different cave systems that can be explored in Chillagoe, some guided and some not. We had opted to see the Donna Cave which has the most steps down and up but it is not really too strenuous. As we have seen quite a few caves in Aust. including in Tassie, Jenolan caves and those at Yanchep, WA, we were not really expecting too much but we were pleasantly surprised as there were some really interesting features in the caves and the ranger Fred did a great job of explaining it all.

Formation which gives Donna Cave its name is seen as you enter the cave.

We also visited the Hanging Rock which was a pleasant little hike through the unusual rock formations that are visible all around Chillagoe.

Highlight of our visit though would have to be our visit to Tom Prior, the local BP agent and Ford fanatic. What a delightful man Tom was and he certainly loves a chat. His knowledge of Ford and the vehicles in his collection was truly amazing as was the collection itself. Tom obviously has a great talent with motors which is evident when he starts up some very old machinery, even using a crank handle for one of the trucks. Even if you aren’t interested in motors or cars, Tom’s generosity and enthusiasm is contagious. We truly enjoyed our time with him and could have stayed longer but we let Tom go when three other guys arrived for the tour. Tom’s eyes lit up again as soon as he started talking to them. What an incredible old bloke he is and what a treasure.

Other enjoyable activities in Chillagoe included a visit to the spring-fed swimming hole for a dip and a stroll around the local cemetery which is very well maintained and a source of very interesting information about the local history. The old smelter is also interesting but unfortunately you cannot stroll around the ruins as you once could as asbestos has been discovered in the area and it is now fenced off. You can only view the ruins from a distance. So if you are tossing up whether to visit Chillagoe we would highly recommend it.

From Chillagoe we headed up the Burke Developmental Road and turned off toward Mt Mulgrave. We spent two lovely nights on the Mitchell River where we caught our first cherabin (freshwater prawns). We did plan to go through to Palmer River Roadhouse but local sources told us there was a steep jump-up coming out of the Palmer River and the road to Mitchell Falls was blocked so we headed back to Mareeba, only to discover a shattered rear windscreen which we had to get repaired in Mareeba before leaving heading off again.

Our camp on the Mitchell River

2012 - WE'RE ON OUR WAY

Have embarked on our latest adventure. Off to Cape York. First stop Japoonnvale. John and Leo settle in.