The 2005 Legendary Outback Expeditions (LOE) took expeditioners into remote Cape York. Read all about the trip in the following article, written by Ron & Viv Moon, which appeared in 2 parts in the November and December issues of 4x4 Australia magazine.
Cape York Double Cross - Part I
From the west coast to the east coast and back again is a great way to travel Cape York. Ron and Viv Moon led the double cross.
We were just a few kilometres north of the Holroyd River on the remote western side of Cape York and the scrub was thick. The turbo diesel HiLux growled as Michael Ellem, 4x4 Australia magazine’s world-class photographer, fed a few more revs to the slowly spinning but hard working engine and another spindly melaleuca tree fell in front of the protective bullbar.
We had been here six or so year’s previously and had followed a faint almost non-existant shotline which we had hoped to find on this trip but the intervening years, wet seasons, cyclones and bushfires had seemingly put paid to our plans almost before we had got started. Back then it had taken us four intense days to travel a 100km, now in four hours we had come less than two kilometres and so far our luck had held – we still hadn’t picked up a stake through any of the tyres. Even so 4x4’s long-term Hilux was showing signs of its latest foray – a bit of panel damage, a ripped off number plate and a later-to-be-found torn rubber boot on the left hand CV joint.
‘Nookie’ Price, the owner of the remote cattle station we were on had been sceptical of our chances the day before when we had stopped at the homestead and told him of our plans. He hadn’t been out that far in 10 years and with his statement, “You guys were the last ones I know out that way and it will be still pretty wet in places – I don’t like your chances!” ringing in our ears we stopped amongst the thick scrub, got out and pushed through a thick curtain of saplings on foot.
The rest of our party was back on a fine shaded waterhole on the Holroyd and our suggested return time was well over due so we gave them a call on the Telstra sat phone to update them of our latest situation. An hour later, just 500 metres further and now with a torn side wall deflating one of the tyres very quickly, we retreated, a dose of good sense prevailing and pushing aside any thoughts of bravado or pushing on against the odds – we STILL wanted to get to the top of Cape York!
Our trip had started three days previously in Normanton on the Gulf of Carpentaria with our small team of adventurers, including Defender owners, Scott and Jasmine, lucky winners of 4x4’s Reader’s Competition, and others drawn from all over the country, meeting as a group for the first time. After a two-hour ride on the famed Gulflander rail motor, along with a few drinks, nibbles and then dinner on the railway station platform we were mingling like old friends and compatriots.
From Normanton our party had travelled north along the fairly well maintained Burke Developmental Road but one which is still occasionally marred with patches of billowing, choking bulldust. Then we had turned north-west across the cattle dotted flat plains of Dunbar and Rutland Plains stations to the large Aboriginal community of Kowanyama. With a permit in our hands we followed a degenerating dirt track north past the airstrip to camp on the banks of the mighty Mitchell River. Few travellers go this way to Cape York and we had seen just a couple of vehicles on the roads and our camp was the only one on the river that night.
Next day we saw even less people as we travelled to the coastal enclave of Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Community, where we fuelled up for our expected long haul north through a rarely visited wilderness. That night saw us camped on the Holroyd River, west of the remote station homestead of Southwell, preparing for our push northwards.
We were to be denied our planned travel north, but that didn’t seem to matter. Another night on the Holroyd was voted as a fitting way to spend the evening and next day we tracked east meeting the main travellers’ route to Cape York at Musgrave Roadhouse.
A couple of hours later, with the required permissions and a helping hand from Pete Ikin of Cape York Connection fame, we were on the beach north of Marina Plains ploughing through deep soft sand, dodging around flooded swamps, and bumping over wild pig churned up dried swamps as we headed for Running Creek. With a sun fast making tracks to the western horizon we pulled up on a wide grassy flat, just back from the beach and called it camp for the night. Once again we were alone. To the east and seemingly floating on a mercuric sea, were the prominent peaks of Bathurst Head on the mainland and Castles Peak and Flinders Peak on the national park declared islands of the Flinders Group. It was a delightful spot!
The following morning, on the beach a little further north, we came across the remains of one of the many planes to have crashed on Cape York during the darkest days of World War 2. With no radio contact and poor weather reports many young American pilots flying to New Guinea came to grief, or run out of fuel, with the lucky ones finding a wide sandy beach to land their plane on. Little remains – or can be seen at any rate – of the AiraCobra that landed on this remote beach sometime in 1942, but it is still enough to remind one of the sacrifice many gave back then to defend Australia.
Normally this coastline north of Lakefield National Park is bordered, a short distance inland, by a line of near continuous swamps which makes for a veritable haven for birdlife, kangaroos and crocodiles. This year though, the swamps were near completely dry as Cyclone Ingrid was the only rain bearing depression to drench Cape York in ’05. Ingrid had tracked further north, across the headwaters of the Wenlock, Archer and Pascoe rivers, its path having earlier paid an end to our idea of using faint station tracks to a proposed camp at Cape Sidmouth. Such is travel in our far north where we are still at the mercy of the elements – even months later!
Our travel plans through necessity became a more standard run once we had left Coen through the dripping, humidity laden rainforests of Iron Range to Chili Beach where a near constant south-east breeze keeps any heat or humidity to pleasant levels. The route through the rainforest though can be slippery, even after quite light falls of rain, and while our group had no problems others we found, who were running road tyres or near bald rubber, were finding the steep descents frightening and the ascents frustratingly challenging.
Heading back along Frenchman’s Track to the main route north to ‘The Tip’ we crossed the fast flowing Pascoe River. This crossing can be a dangerous one if the river is a little high and while rumours abounded around Chili Beach about how deep and/or how dangerous it was, we found it safe and suitable for our party – but only after walking it to find out where the deep holes were or where boulders could hang a vehicle up.
With the Pascoe behind us we cruised north on the reasonable dirt road to the old Moreton Telegraph Station on the banks of the Wenlock River. For years the Wenlock crossing marked the start of the adventurous route north and while the river may have been bridged, once north of here the adventure begins soon enough. For our party, Moreton, with its fine camping area and congenial hosts, provided a great opportunity for a great meal and a few cold beers before the next stage of our trip to the Top.
To continue reading about the LOE 2005 adventure, go to LOE 2005 Part II
Travel Planner
The small townships of Normanton and Coen can provide everything a traveller requires.
Both Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw Aboriginal communities have designated bush campsites for travellers to enjoy. For info on Pormpuraaw, ph: (07) 4060 4600, or Kowanyama. ph: (07) 4083 7100.
Southwell Station has very remote bush camping – at a pretty hefty price, ph: (07) 4060 4157.
Both Musgrave, ph: (07) 4060 3229, and Archer River roadhouses, ph: (07) 4060 3266, have fuel, camping, accommodation, limited supplies and repairs.
The old Moreton Telegraph station, ph: (07) 4060 3360, has camping, accommodation, limited supplies and repairs.
For more comprehensive info get Ron and Viv Moon’s 288-page guidebook, Cape York - an Adventurer’s Guide.
Hema’s Cape York map is the best map unless you are going very remote.
Be Mossie Aware
Dengue Fever broke out again in far north Queensland with a couple of hundred cases being recorded.
While there are other mossie born illnesses to be found in the Far North, Dengue Fever is one of the worse. Prevention is far better than a cure, so long sleeved shirts, and long pants were the recommended dress attire in the evening, insect repellent was used on any bare flesh while sleeping under an insect proof enclosure was the way to go.
The Queensland Government has health information on Dengue in North Queensland on their web site: www.health.qld.gov.au/dengue/default.asp
Beach Driving techniques
Tyre pressures are the single most important criteria for successful beach driving. We dropped pressure to 20psi (140kPa) as a starting point as soon as we drove onto the sand, but in the soft stuff we found a little lower pressure helped a treat.
A few tips: Keep the engine revs in the peak power area of the engine’s power curve; use high range if possible most of the time and keep the speed up but at a safe and comfortable level; use low range to drive off from a standing start when in soft sand; leave plenty of room between you and any other vehicle; low tide and driving on the moist hard pack is far easier than driving through the soft dry stuff at the top of the beach.
A good compressor, a ready-to-hand snatch strap and shackle, a compressor and a shovel are all requirements for safe and enjoyable beach driving.
