RMAC67
Member
Here's some brief info of our trip: “2014 Cape York via a few Side Detours Trip"
Pictures from our trip can be seen here ( I will try and post some pics when time permits): 2014 Cape York Trip Pics
Below is an OVERVIEW of how the Prado performed – Economy wise:
Below is an OVERVIEW of our NIGHTLY STOP-OVERS:
(This also includes the Distance travelled per Day; Driving Time & Average Speeds)
Map overview of were we travelled:
The following is a break down of where we went:
The following is a break down of where we went (cont'd):
The following is a break down of where we went (cont'd):
Brief Overview trip Report of our Trip:
Day.1 - With the knowledge of a fair bit of Roadworks happening on the Bruce Hwy, we decided something different and head west out to Roma, then head north via Carnarvon Gorge and then onto Emerald for a 1st night stop. Pete needed some extra time, so it was decided that he would catch up with us along the way somewhere…..
Day.2 - We cont’d north passing Capella; Claremont and then onto Charters Town for the Night. Interesting to see how the country has transformed with all the mining going on in the area. Charters Towers is great place to stop and explore the surrounding countryside. The Town itself is worth a look too with all the old style architecture buildings, so we put this down as a place to come back to maybe next year for a bit more of a explore, towing the van this time.
Day.3 – Today’s destination was the Undara Lava Tubes where we thought Pete would catch up to us but it turned out the other way around, with Pete actually beating us there. The following day we booked ourselves on one of those tours of the Lava Tubes before returning to Camp, packing up and heading off to our next destination – Cairns, so we could pick up the rest of Pete's family from the Airport.
Day.4 – This was the day where our Cape Trip officially started, with us altogether & after topping up with Fuel/Food we headed north to the Daintree and up the Bloomfield Track, trying to make the Bloomfield River crossing before dark. The Track gave us the 1st taste of corrugations & was a bit rough and corrugated in places… to the point where I had to get out and retighten some of my bulbar protection plates underneath. Unknown to Pete, the Bloomfield track was also the start of what was to be a continuing worry for his 80’s. Along the track he thought he heard a cracking sound when going up a steep section of the track, but he was unable to find what was the cause…… until the following day.… We ended reaching the Bloomfield River and crossed it but I was surprised to find the council was building a massive bridge across the river. I guess it won’t be too long before the Bloomfield track will be all bitumen….We ended up staying at Haley’s campgrounds not far up the track from the crossing. It was a fantastic place to stay and Paul (?) the manager was a top bloke, he gave us a bit of a mudmap of how to get to the Roaring Meg Falls for the following day.
Day.5 – Our plan for today was to back-track & visit the Roaring Meg Falls, then push on past Cooktown and camp somewhere along Battlecamp Road. The day didn’t go according to plan…. On the way into Roaring Meg Falls, Pete radioed me saying he can hear his front CV’s “clicking when turning. After having lunch and spending nice relaxing time at “The Beach” at the falls, we made our way back out and headed towards Cooktown for the night where we hoped we could source some CV’s for Pete's car. On the way to Cooktown, we called into the “Lions Hotel”. I was surprised at how much had changed in the way of the “Black stuff”. I suppose it won’t too long before it will be bitumen all the way down to Cairns….
Day.6 – Was a lazy rise for us as Pete had left earlier to try and source a CV for his 80’s. We eventually caught up with him down in a little park with the front his car up on stands & him getting stuck into replacing the LHS CV (advantages of having more storage room to carry those necessary spares/tools). He unfortunately could only get 1 CV as that’s all that was in town. Once the LHS CV was replaced it a quick test, only to find the clicking noise was still there… We drained the Diff looking for any signs of metal but fortunately there was none. So, the only thing was to pull apart the RHS and inspect that…… and yes, it too was damaged. Many phone calls later, it was decided to spend another night in Cooktown, where the following day he would head back to Mareeba and source some CV’s there, while ourselves headed up Battlecamp Road to the Old Laura HS, then down to Laura; Lakeland Downs
and catching up with them in Mareeba.
Day.7 – With Pete packed up and gone by sunrise, we slowly packed up and headed off along Battlecamp Road. While we travelled along Battlecamp Rd we decided to explore some of the side-tracks which lead to some great isolated camp spots. From Battlecamp Rd we called into the Old Laura HS, then headed south through Laura; Lakeland Downs & onto Mareeba, meeting up Pete in the Park in Mareeba changing his RHS CV. He ended up buying a “spare” as well, which was later to come in handy in the weeks to come. With time ticking on, we decided to change our plan itinerary and head out to Chillagoe and visit the Caves, etc, then head north from there. We ended up reaching Chillagoe late in the day.
Day.8 – Today was spent doing the tourist thing, visiting the local sites of the Caves in the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park; the old Smelters; & Tom Prior’s FORD Car/Truck Collection. For all those FORD fans out there, it’s definitely worth a visit, even if you’re not a Ford fan. He’s got a genuine XW Phase-2 Ford Falcon GTHO; Ford Shelby Cobra as well. Tom looks a 100 not out, not sure on his age, but his passion for his cars obviously are what has kept him going – well worth a visiting. End of the day it was back to our camp in the local caravan park.
Day.9 – Early rise and off north bound making our way to Palmerville Stn, then turn east & head into Maytown for next nights camping spot. Prior to leaving home I had research this area and discovered some concerning news about the current Palmerville Stn Owner. Have a look at the following link for details: http://www.australianmissingpersonsregister.com/Schuler.htm Palmerville Stn Owner & Wife up on Murder Charges . When we reached the H.S., I got out and went over to the HS, hoping to speak to the owner. By this time Pete had arrived and joined me. Eventually a person came out from under the house and we told him where we wanted to go and he nicely gave us the directions on how to get there and we hoped back in our cars and slowly drove past his house, thinking that the time that went better than expected… It wasn’t until later that we were told that the person wasn’t the guy who was up on murder charges, but just a care taker while the court case is in progress….. We reached Palmer River Crossing to find the crossing with quite a bit of water flowing, but we crossed it w/o issues. Had a quick look around at what’s left there at Maytown before heading up the Track, visiting the historic sites along the way before camping at Nth Palmer River Campgrounds – a great little isolated campspot on the banks of Nth Palmer River.
Day.10 – Today was going to be a LONG day with a relatively short distance to travel. We made our way north along the Old Coach Road (or Maytown Track as some call it). The track was slow going, with some nice challenges that gave the Traction Control a good workout. I 1st drove this track back in 1987, and even thought the countryside looks pretty much the same, the track certainly didn’t bring back any memories…. Our lunchtime stop bought to Pete’s attention that he had lost his LHS Dust Cap and found a mixture of Oil & Grease covering his rim – His Axle seal had obviously let go even though it was a new one. This led us to believe there was an issue with his Diff Breather no working properly and causing the seal to blow out. From here we limped into Laura for the night, giving Pete some time to scour the local’s backyards for a spare FWH that he could fit to his 80’s and solve his missing Dust Cap Hub issue.
Day.11 – With the Pete's car fixed it was back on the road and north to Kalpower Crossing for a look around before heading to our night’s destination – Running Creek and the beach on the east coast. We arrived at Kalpower Crossing for Morning Tea, which gave us some time to look around. We had initially hoped to cross the crossing and continue to Cape Melville, but it was still closed due to the damage from the Cyclone Ita. It was supposed to be re-opened on the 18th July, so we decided to return on our way south & head out to Cape Melville / Bathurst Bay then. After leaving here we pushed onto Musgrave to refuel and then back-tracked a little to the Turnoff to Lilydale HS where we turned and headed up to Running Creek. Running Creek turned out to be one of my favourite spots, out on the beach with an ocean view. There were a few other campers there but it still felt isolated and we could have stayed there for more than the 1 night we did, definitely worth a return visit.
Day.12 – Today we had planned to try and get to Chilli Beach for tonight’s camp, so we headed nth along the running creek track and onto the road to Port Stewart. We decided that since we were so close to Port Stewart (only 20kms) that it was worth a visit. On arrival, we found that it was mainly just a little fishing spot where people who had boats and loved fishing would go, nothing much there. We made our way back to the PDR road and up to Coen, where I topped up with fuel and then we tried making a booking at Chilli Beach via the Rangers Office booking ctr. As we thought, all sites at Chilli Beach were booked out leaving the 2 site at Cooks Hut some 20kms from Chilli beach our only option. We arrived late in the day and setup camp just as the light was failing…. We were told that Cooks Hut is a great spot for nature lovers as the wildlife was abundant (Green Tree Pythons, etc), unfortunately we saw nothing ?
Day.13 – Off to see the local sites – Portland Roads – Chilli Beach – Lockhart River (not really worth visiting if times an issue), we tried unsuccessfully to find some WWII relics. After lunch it was back down the track and onto the Frenchmans Track heading east. We had heard the water levels were high at the Pascoe River, so we wanted to get there to check it out and hopefully cross it before nightfall. The Frenchmans Track is some beautiful countryside but the track is corrugated in places and very few areas to let on-coming cars past, something that we discovered early on the track. Reached the Pascoe River to find 2 vehicles turning around, one went through the other didn’t want to risk it. After checking it out & seeing how deep it was, it was back to the cars to prep them ready for the crossing. Pete was the 1st to cross w/o any issues, then my turn which also was w/o any issues. From here it was a look out for a suitable spot to camp, finding one some kms up the track.
Day.14 – Headed off to the next creek crossing – the Wenlock. On arrival, had a good look around and spoke to a couple that had been camping there (great spot to camp) before deciding on taking the steep one to the right as the left one would definitely result in having to use the winches. With a couple of on-lookers watching it was my turn 1st and both Pete & I making it up the steep track w/o issues even though we both were lifting wheels. Again the traction control worked a treat. From here, it was back onto the PDR road and down and across over to Weipa for the nights camp.
Day.15 – The day was spent just washing/cleaning up, topping up with fuel/food and then a road trip up to Pennefather Beach (a fantastic spot) an then try to locate an old WWII Bomber plane wreck in the bush. We managed to find it but there wasn’t much left with it scattered over a wide area. Another relaxing night was spent watching the sun go down over the ocean.
Day.16 – Today was the day we planned to finally hit the OTT track, reaching Bramwell Junction sometime around lunch. We were surprised by the number of cars that was there so we hit the track hoping to get in front of a lot of them….We got to our 1st obstacle – Palm Creek and there was already a bit of a line up to try and get across. There was a Nissan trying the LHS tracks, winching his way up. I had a quick look at the RHS track and quickly decided that was the way to go. It was steep but doable with less chances of damage and winching. We watched one car ahead of us before it was our turn. We both went drove through w/o any problems and with a quick bite to eat we were heading towards what was hopefully our nights camping spot – Delhunty River. We arrived there to find plenty of spots still available, so we setup camp and spent the rest of the avro relaxing and swimming.
Day.17 – We managed to pack up and head off early and we were the 1st to reach our next obstacle – The Gunshot Creek. A bit of a look around at the different options and it wasn’t long before the other travellers started arriving. The decision was made to go down the far RHS track and I was the 1st and made it down & out & up w/o any problems but did find out later that I damaged my bull bar’s winch protector guard when I dropped into the hole. Pete was a little less unfortunate… when he dropped over and into the hole & attempted to drive out it found himself stuck with his front wheels not spinning. We initially had thought it might be the dodgy FWH he installed, so I backed the Prado back to hitch the Snatch up and pull him out. He attempted the exit but even with his rear Detroit Locker, he had to winch himself up and out. Once on the other side it was again out with the tools and car stands and front wheel off, trying to determine what the problem might be. The FWH hub seemed ok. Next was out with the LHS CV again, only to find this time that he had broken his LHS Axle, with the Stub section stuck in the CV. This was not good news, so Pete removed his front Driveshaft, damaged axle and fitted the FWH to the other side so to prevent the axle/diff from turning. From here we headed off to camp at Cockatoo Creek for the night and re-assess what our options were…
Day.18 – With the day being Friday and knowing not much will be open in Bamaga, we decided to continue up the OTT Track as far as we can get, then take the bypass out and up to the Ferry and into Bamaga. Called into Twin Falls/Elliot Falls for the usual photos, etc, then continued pass Sam’s Creek; Mistake Creek, stopping for Lunch at Cannibal Ck. From here we back tracked and head out to the PDR and up to Bamaga, but deciding to stay at Alau Beach at Umagico. This was the less known spot and in our opinion the best spot or at least on par with Loyalty Beach. We ended up camping with a beach front view for 4 nights in total.
Days.19>22 – The following 3 days were spent seeing the sights north of the Jardine while Pete waited for a NEW Axle to arrive from Cairns. We managed to cover all that we wanted even with Pete’s 2WD 80’s. We visited the usual spots – The Tip; Somerset & The 5 Beaches Drive; The Croc Tent; Punsand Bay; Siesia; Loyalty Beach; the 3 WWII Plane Wrecks; the WWII Radar Tower at Muttee Head. We bypassed the Thursday Island tour due to cost and started to head down the track to the mouth of the Jardine River, but with the track being very soft sand and also overgrown I decided to turn around to help prevent more pin-striping. Late Tuesday afternoon Pete's Axle arrived and he spent that night installing it ready for us to all depart the following morning.
Day.23 – With Pete's car back together we decided to head back south, calling to see the original Jardine Vehicular Crossing then back to the ferry and continue with our OTT Track completion. Upon reaching the Ferry there was quite big line up of vehicles waiting to cross and head south. Went to find out what was going on to discover that a Semi-Trailer with a Crane on the back had gotten stuck trying to get off the Ferry. Sometime later they finally cleared the road & we were able to cross the Jardine and continue driving the OTT Tracking, visiting the northern section and the south bank of the Jardine River. From here headed south to the famous Nolan’s Ck to check it out and watch a few vehicles cross. On arrival we were surprised to find a hand full of cars parked, “drying out” from their crossing. Lucky for us there was quite a few cars wanting to cross and it was good to see the teamwork at play. After a bit of a swim & Lunch and watching all the vehicles cross (most of them were successful except for a
Jeep and one other) we headed back out to the PDR Road and then down & dart in on the other bypass track back to the OTT track and down to Sam’s Creek where we decided to camp for the next 2 nights.
Day.24 – The plan today was to finish the drive north up to the southern side of Nolans Creek, making the decision as to whether to cross it or not, then head back south to spend time at Fruitbat Falls and slowly head back to our camp at Sam’s Ck. The track north was no worries, with us stopping at Crystal Ck and the old Log Bridge before continuing on to the unknown, but deep creek crossing just before Nolans. Both of our cars went through, but water did come up and over the bonnet of our cars. We reached Nolans to more cars there either wanting to cross or drying their cars out. Even some that looked like they would need the RACQ to come to the rescue. The track everyone was driving the previous day, everyone that day were getting stuck and had to be dragged out. Pete & I looked at the different crossing points and the firmness of the base and we decided to take a different approach and decided to take the R/H track, which was a little bit deeper, but had a firmer base. We both prepared our cars, letting our tyres down (15psi); Car Bra fitted; Taping up the door weep holes & off we went. Pete went 1st w/o any issues and I quickly followed, also w/o any problems. From the point onwards the other vehicles changed where they were going to cross and took the same crossing as we did with all getting through. Once we packed our recovery gear up; aired up we headed out and down to Fruitbat falls to spend a few hrs having Lunch & Swimming. When it was time to head back to our camp at Sams creek, we came to a creek crossing (unnamed) that was full of dirty water and a little bit deep. Pete went through 1st, followed by myself, but as we came out the other side, I noticed my ALT light on the dash came on. When we got back to camp I checked out the ALT plug, etc for any signs of water ingress. The plug was completely dry – this was not good news...
Day.25 – Packed up early with the thought that we might have a big days drive ahead of us. Went to start the Prado, hoping that the ALT light would go off…. But, unfortunately it stayed on. After some discussions, it was agreed to just head south and try and get to Coen for the night where I could use the Pete's Battery Charger to recharge the batteries, but until then we would just go to see how far we could get before we had to stop and swap batteries between cars. From the Sam’s Ck, our 1st battery swap was at Bramwell Jct. The 2nd was at Archer River and the 3rd was just before we got to Coen. We refuelled, and then booked ourselves into the campgrounds behind the Coen Pub, a great spot and cheap too. Here we hooked up Pete’s charger to recharge what batteries we could, ready for the following day. We discussed the idea of still heading out to Cape Melville, but quickly dismissed for my fear that if the ALT bearing let go, that we would be in a whole lot of trouble.
Day.26 – Up early again with the thought of trying to get as close to Cairns as we could. We set off south, always watching the voltage reading on the Scangauge II, not wanting to take it too low where other issues may arise. 1st battery swap for the day was at Musgrave Stn, followed by Laura, then at the T/O to Mossman at Mount Molloy. From here it was decided to head to Mossman for the night, staying at the Big-4 Caravan where we were able to recharge the batteries again.
Day.27 – Today, we did the tourist thing and visited Mossman Gorge. From there the plan was to visit Port Douglas, but just before the T/O to Port Douglas, Pete gave a us a call on the UHF, saying he has wheel bearing issues. We turned around and pulled up beside him to find him again jacking the car up to remove the front RHS wheel. Unfortunately this time he could not fix it as the bearing was ceased onto the spindle – Time to call the RACQ for help. When the RACQ fella rocked up, Pete explain his situation & I told him about our situation and his suggestion was for us both to claim RACQ, which we did. I was able to drive back to the Mossman Motel where RACQ was kind enough to put us all up for the next 3 nights, while Pete had to get his 80’s flat-bedded to the work shop. My pre-trip upgrade of my RACQ cover had just paid for itself over and over again....
Day.28>29 – Over the next 2 days we relaxed as nothing could be done due to the Public Holiday for their local show. Pete took advantage of the time and hired a car and took him & his family to see some of the local sites. Late of Tuesday we both got the call to say our vehicles were ready. I had tried to have mine done under my Factory extended Warranty, but Cairns Toyota refused – I decided to take the fight up when I got home, so I took the cheap option and had a aftermarket ALT install for nearly half the price of the Toyota ALT itself.
Day.30 - With a 3am rise and we hit the road hoping to get to Rockhampton. Refuelled at Cairns and made it all the way to just south of Home Hill before we were stopped for 3.5hrs on the Bruce Hwy, due to a Hwy fatality. All day, the Prado was starting to play up more and more when it came to starting it. It finally didn’t start at all when I had to move the car forward on the hwy. Luckily we were still within phone range and after a couple of calls to the Auto Electrician who had done the repairs and then Toyota in Brisbane, it was determined that the batteries in my and my wife’s Keyless remotes were flat and they were the cause of it not starting and throwing up fault codes. From this point on I knew what the problem was, but it was still a PITA to start it every time. Once the Hwy re-opened, our plan to get to Rockhampton was tossed out the window. We pulled up at Sarina for Dinner then continued down the Marlborough-Sarina stretch, stopping at a free camp's spot right on the coast beach at Carmilla Beach, another great little spot.
Day.31 – With a casual pack up, we headed off for the last time down the Hwy. We stopped in Rockhampton to buy some batteries for my keyless remote (+ some spares) & then pushed onwards, finally reaching home around 8.30pm. Distance covered over the past 31 days – 8112kms
The kids being a fan of Scooby-Doo Cartoon series, got really excited when they saw this:
Here's a couple of pics from Nolans Creek of a fella in a GU Patrol that followed me through.... I think he got a bit too excited as he entered the water:
His poor wife got drenched from the wave that bounced off the bank and went back through her window that was down at the time....
Pictures from our trip can be seen here ( I will try and post some pics when time permits): 2014 Cape York Trip Pics
Below is an OVERVIEW of how the Prado performed – Economy wise:
Below is an OVERVIEW of our NIGHTLY STOP-OVERS:
(This also includes the Distance travelled per Day; Driving Time & Average Speeds)
Map overview of were we travelled:
The following is a break down of where we went:
The following is a break down of where we went (cont'd):
The following is a break down of where we went (cont'd):
Brief Overview trip Report of our Trip:
Day.1 - With the knowledge of a fair bit of Roadworks happening on the Bruce Hwy, we decided something different and head west out to Roma, then head north via Carnarvon Gorge and then onto Emerald for a 1st night stop. Pete needed some extra time, so it was decided that he would catch up with us along the way somewhere…..
Day.2 - We cont’d north passing Capella; Claremont and then onto Charters Town for the Night. Interesting to see how the country has transformed with all the mining going on in the area. Charters Towers is great place to stop and explore the surrounding countryside. The Town itself is worth a look too with all the old style architecture buildings, so we put this down as a place to come back to maybe next year for a bit more of a explore, towing the van this time.
Day.3 – Today’s destination was the Undara Lava Tubes where we thought Pete would catch up to us but it turned out the other way around, with Pete actually beating us there. The following day we booked ourselves on one of those tours of the Lava Tubes before returning to Camp, packing up and heading off to our next destination – Cairns, so we could pick up the rest of Pete's family from the Airport.
Day.4 – This was the day where our Cape Trip officially started, with us altogether & after topping up with Fuel/Food we headed north to the Daintree and up the Bloomfield Track, trying to make the Bloomfield River crossing before dark. The Track gave us the 1st taste of corrugations & was a bit rough and corrugated in places… to the point where I had to get out and retighten some of my bulbar protection plates underneath. Unknown to Pete, the Bloomfield track was also the start of what was to be a continuing worry for his 80’s. Along the track he thought he heard a cracking sound when going up a steep section of the track, but he was unable to find what was the cause…… until the following day.… We ended reaching the Bloomfield River and crossed it but I was surprised to find the council was building a massive bridge across the river. I guess it won’t be too long before the Bloomfield track will be all bitumen….We ended up staying at Haley’s campgrounds not far up the track from the crossing. It was a fantastic place to stay and Paul (?) the manager was a top bloke, he gave us a bit of a mudmap of how to get to the Roaring Meg Falls for the following day.
Day.5 – Our plan for today was to back-track & visit the Roaring Meg Falls, then push on past Cooktown and camp somewhere along Battlecamp Road. The day didn’t go according to plan…. On the way into Roaring Meg Falls, Pete radioed me saying he can hear his front CV’s “clicking when turning. After having lunch and spending nice relaxing time at “The Beach” at the falls, we made our way back out and headed towards Cooktown for the night where we hoped we could source some CV’s for Pete's car. On the way to Cooktown, we called into the “Lions Hotel”. I was surprised at how much had changed in the way of the “Black stuff”. I suppose it won’t too long before it will be bitumen all the way down to Cairns….
Day.6 – Was a lazy rise for us as Pete had left earlier to try and source a CV for his 80’s. We eventually caught up with him down in a little park with the front his car up on stands & him getting stuck into replacing the LHS CV (advantages of having more storage room to carry those necessary spares/tools). He unfortunately could only get 1 CV as that’s all that was in town. Once the LHS CV was replaced it a quick test, only to find the clicking noise was still there… We drained the Diff looking for any signs of metal but fortunately there was none. So, the only thing was to pull apart the RHS and inspect that…… and yes, it too was damaged. Many phone calls later, it was decided to spend another night in Cooktown, where the following day he would head back to Mareeba and source some CV’s there, while ourselves headed up Battlecamp Road to the Old Laura HS, then down to Laura; Lakeland Downs
and catching up with them in Mareeba.
Day.7 – With Pete packed up and gone by sunrise, we slowly packed up and headed off along Battlecamp Road. While we travelled along Battlecamp Rd we decided to explore some of the side-tracks which lead to some great isolated camp spots. From Battlecamp Rd we called into the Old Laura HS, then headed south through Laura; Lakeland Downs & onto Mareeba, meeting up Pete in the Park in Mareeba changing his RHS CV. He ended up buying a “spare” as well, which was later to come in handy in the weeks to come. With time ticking on, we decided to change our plan itinerary and head out to Chillagoe and visit the Caves, etc, then head north from there. We ended up reaching Chillagoe late in the day.
Day.8 – Today was spent doing the tourist thing, visiting the local sites of the Caves in the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park; the old Smelters; & Tom Prior’s FORD Car/Truck Collection. For all those FORD fans out there, it’s definitely worth a visit, even if you’re not a Ford fan. He’s got a genuine XW Phase-2 Ford Falcon GTHO; Ford Shelby Cobra as well. Tom looks a 100 not out, not sure on his age, but his passion for his cars obviously are what has kept him going – well worth a visiting. End of the day it was back to our camp in the local caravan park.
Day.9 – Early rise and off north bound making our way to Palmerville Stn, then turn east & head into Maytown for next nights camping spot. Prior to leaving home I had research this area and discovered some concerning news about the current Palmerville Stn Owner. Have a look at the following link for details: http://www.australianmissingpersonsregister.com/Schuler.htm Palmerville Stn Owner & Wife up on Murder Charges . When we reached the H.S., I got out and went over to the HS, hoping to speak to the owner. By this time Pete had arrived and joined me. Eventually a person came out from under the house and we told him where we wanted to go and he nicely gave us the directions on how to get there and we hoped back in our cars and slowly drove past his house, thinking that the time that went better than expected… It wasn’t until later that we were told that the person wasn’t the guy who was up on murder charges, but just a care taker while the court case is in progress….. We reached Palmer River Crossing to find the crossing with quite a bit of water flowing, but we crossed it w/o issues. Had a quick look around at what’s left there at Maytown before heading up the Track, visiting the historic sites along the way before camping at Nth Palmer River Campgrounds – a great little isolated campspot on the banks of Nth Palmer River.
Day.10 – Today was going to be a LONG day with a relatively short distance to travel. We made our way north along the Old Coach Road (or Maytown Track as some call it). The track was slow going, with some nice challenges that gave the Traction Control a good workout. I 1st drove this track back in 1987, and even thought the countryside looks pretty much the same, the track certainly didn’t bring back any memories…. Our lunchtime stop bought to Pete’s attention that he had lost his LHS Dust Cap and found a mixture of Oil & Grease covering his rim – His Axle seal had obviously let go even though it was a new one. This led us to believe there was an issue with his Diff Breather no working properly and causing the seal to blow out. From here we limped into Laura for the night, giving Pete some time to scour the local’s backyards for a spare FWH that he could fit to his 80’s and solve his missing Dust Cap Hub issue.
Day.11 – With the Pete's car fixed it was back on the road and north to Kalpower Crossing for a look around before heading to our night’s destination – Running Creek and the beach on the east coast. We arrived at Kalpower Crossing for Morning Tea, which gave us some time to look around. We had initially hoped to cross the crossing and continue to Cape Melville, but it was still closed due to the damage from the Cyclone Ita. It was supposed to be re-opened on the 18th July, so we decided to return on our way south & head out to Cape Melville / Bathurst Bay then. After leaving here we pushed onto Musgrave to refuel and then back-tracked a little to the Turnoff to Lilydale HS where we turned and headed up to Running Creek. Running Creek turned out to be one of my favourite spots, out on the beach with an ocean view. There were a few other campers there but it still felt isolated and we could have stayed there for more than the 1 night we did, definitely worth a return visit.
Day.12 – Today we had planned to try and get to Chilli Beach for tonight’s camp, so we headed nth along the running creek track and onto the road to Port Stewart. We decided that since we were so close to Port Stewart (only 20kms) that it was worth a visit. On arrival, we found that it was mainly just a little fishing spot where people who had boats and loved fishing would go, nothing much there. We made our way back to the PDR road and up to Coen, where I topped up with fuel and then we tried making a booking at Chilli Beach via the Rangers Office booking ctr. As we thought, all sites at Chilli Beach were booked out leaving the 2 site at Cooks Hut some 20kms from Chilli beach our only option. We arrived late in the day and setup camp just as the light was failing…. We were told that Cooks Hut is a great spot for nature lovers as the wildlife was abundant (Green Tree Pythons, etc), unfortunately we saw nothing ?
Day.13 – Off to see the local sites – Portland Roads – Chilli Beach – Lockhart River (not really worth visiting if times an issue), we tried unsuccessfully to find some WWII relics. After lunch it was back down the track and onto the Frenchmans Track heading east. We had heard the water levels were high at the Pascoe River, so we wanted to get there to check it out and hopefully cross it before nightfall. The Frenchmans Track is some beautiful countryside but the track is corrugated in places and very few areas to let on-coming cars past, something that we discovered early on the track. Reached the Pascoe River to find 2 vehicles turning around, one went through the other didn’t want to risk it. After checking it out & seeing how deep it was, it was back to the cars to prep them ready for the crossing. Pete was the 1st to cross w/o any issues, then my turn which also was w/o any issues. From here it was a look out for a suitable spot to camp, finding one some kms up the track.
Day.14 – Headed off to the next creek crossing – the Wenlock. On arrival, had a good look around and spoke to a couple that had been camping there (great spot to camp) before deciding on taking the steep one to the right as the left one would definitely result in having to use the winches. With a couple of on-lookers watching it was my turn 1st and both Pete & I making it up the steep track w/o issues even though we both were lifting wheels. Again the traction control worked a treat. From here, it was back onto the PDR road and down and across over to Weipa for the nights camp.
Day.15 – The day was spent just washing/cleaning up, topping up with fuel/food and then a road trip up to Pennefather Beach (a fantastic spot) an then try to locate an old WWII Bomber plane wreck in the bush. We managed to find it but there wasn’t much left with it scattered over a wide area. Another relaxing night was spent watching the sun go down over the ocean.
Day.16 – Today was the day we planned to finally hit the OTT track, reaching Bramwell Junction sometime around lunch. We were surprised by the number of cars that was there so we hit the track hoping to get in front of a lot of them….We got to our 1st obstacle – Palm Creek and there was already a bit of a line up to try and get across. There was a Nissan trying the LHS tracks, winching his way up. I had a quick look at the RHS track and quickly decided that was the way to go. It was steep but doable with less chances of damage and winching. We watched one car ahead of us before it was our turn. We both went drove through w/o any problems and with a quick bite to eat we were heading towards what was hopefully our nights camping spot – Delhunty River. We arrived there to find plenty of spots still available, so we setup camp and spent the rest of the avro relaxing and swimming.
Day.17 – We managed to pack up and head off early and we were the 1st to reach our next obstacle – The Gunshot Creek. A bit of a look around at the different options and it wasn’t long before the other travellers started arriving. The decision was made to go down the far RHS track and I was the 1st and made it down & out & up w/o any problems but did find out later that I damaged my bull bar’s winch protector guard when I dropped into the hole. Pete was a little less unfortunate… when he dropped over and into the hole & attempted to drive out it found himself stuck with his front wheels not spinning. We initially had thought it might be the dodgy FWH he installed, so I backed the Prado back to hitch the Snatch up and pull him out. He attempted the exit but even with his rear Detroit Locker, he had to winch himself up and out. Once on the other side it was again out with the tools and car stands and front wheel off, trying to determine what the problem might be. The FWH hub seemed ok. Next was out with the LHS CV again, only to find this time that he had broken his LHS Axle, with the Stub section stuck in the CV. This was not good news, so Pete removed his front Driveshaft, damaged axle and fitted the FWH to the other side so to prevent the axle/diff from turning. From here we headed off to camp at Cockatoo Creek for the night and re-assess what our options were…
Day.18 – With the day being Friday and knowing not much will be open in Bamaga, we decided to continue up the OTT Track as far as we can get, then take the bypass out and up to the Ferry and into Bamaga. Called into Twin Falls/Elliot Falls for the usual photos, etc, then continued pass Sam’s Creek; Mistake Creek, stopping for Lunch at Cannibal Ck. From here we back tracked and head out to the PDR and up to Bamaga, but deciding to stay at Alau Beach at Umagico. This was the less known spot and in our opinion the best spot or at least on par with Loyalty Beach. We ended up camping with a beach front view for 4 nights in total.
Days.19>22 – The following 3 days were spent seeing the sights north of the Jardine while Pete waited for a NEW Axle to arrive from Cairns. We managed to cover all that we wanted even with Pete’s 2WD 80’s. We visited the usual spots – The Tip; Somerset & The 5 Beaches Drive; The Croc Tent; Punsand Bay; Siesia; Loyalty Beach; the 3 WWII Plane Wrecks; the WWII Radar Tower at Muttee Head. We bypassed the Thursday Island tour due to cost and started to head down the track to the mouth of the Jardine River, but with the track being very soft sand and also overgrown I decided to turn around to help prevent more pin-striping. Late Tuesday afternoon Pete's Axle arrived and he spent that night installing it ready for us to all depart the following morning.
Day.23 – With Pete's car back together we decided to head back south, calling to see the original Jardine Vehicular Crossing then back to the ferry and continue with our OTT Track completion. Upon reaching the Ferry there was quite big line up of vehicles waiting to cross and head south. Went to find out what was going on to discover that a Semi-Trailer with a Crane on the back had gotten stuck trying to get off the Ferry. Sometime later they finally cleared the road & we were able to cross the Jardine and continue driving the OTT Tracking, visiting the northern section and the south bank of the Jardine River. From here headed south to the famous Nolan’s Ck to check it out and watch a few vehicles cross. On arrival we were surprised to find a hand full of cars parked, “drying out” from their crossing. Lucky for us there was quite a few cars wanting to cross and it was good to see the teamwork at play. After a bit of a swim & Lunch and watching all the vehicles cross (most of them were successful except for a
Jeep and one other) we headed back out to the PDR Road and then down & dart in on the other bypass track back to the OTT track and down to Sam’s Creek where we decided to camp for the next 2 nights.
Day.24 – The plan today was to finish the drive north up to the southern side of Nolans Creek, making the decision as to whether to cross it or not, then head back south to spend time at Fruitbat Falls and slowly head back to our camp at Sam’s Ck. The track north was no worries, with us stopping at Crystal Ck and the old Log Bridge before continuing on to the unknown, but deep creek crossing just before Nolans. Both of our cars went through, but water did come up and over the bonnet of our cars. We reached Nolans to more cars there either wanting to cross or drying their cars out. Even some that looked like they would need the RACQ to come to the rescue. The track everyone was driving the previous day, everyone that day were getting stuck and had to be dragged out. Pete & I looked at the different crossing points and the firmness of the base and we decided to take a different approach and decided to take the R/H track, which was a little bit deeper, but had a firmer base. We both prepared our cars, letting our tyres down (15psi); Car Bra fitted; Taping up the door weep holes & off we went. Pete went 1st w/o any issues and I quickly followed, also w/o any problems. From the point onwards the other vehicles changed where they were going to cross and took the same crossing as we did with all getting through. Once we packed our recovery gear up; aired up we headed out and down to Fruitbat falls to spend a few hrs having Lunch & Swimming. When it was time to head back to our camp at Sams creek, we came to a creek crossing (unnamed) that was full of dirty water and a little bit deep. Pete went through 1st, followed by myself, but as we came out the other side, I noticed my ALT light on the dash came on. When we got back to camp I checked out the ALT plug, etc for any signs of water ingress. The plug was completely dry – this was not good news...
Day.25 – Packed up early with the thought that we might have a big days drive ahead of us. Went to start the Prado, hoping that the ALT light would go off…. But, unfortunately it stayed on. After some discussions, it was agreed to just head south and try and get to Coen for the night where I could use the Pete's Battery Charger to recharge the batteries, but until then we would just go to see how far we could get before we had to stop and swap batteries between cars. From the Sam’s Ck, our 1st battery swap was at Bramwell Jct. The 2nd was at Archer River and the 3rd was just before we got to Coen. We refuelled, and then booked ourselves into the campgrounds behind the Coen Pub, a great spot and cheap too. Here we hooked up Pete’s charger to recharge what batteries we could, ready for the following day. We discussed the idea of still heading out to Cape Melville, but quickly dismissed for my fear that if the ALT bearing let go, that we would be in a whole lot of trouble.
Day.26 – Up early again with the thought of trying to get as close to Cairns as we could. We set off south, always watching the voltage reading on the Scangauge II, not wanting to take it too low where other issues may arise. 1st battery swap for the day was at Musgrave Stn, followed by Laura, then at the T/O to Mossman at Mount Molloy. From here it was decided to head to Mossman for the night, staying at the Big-4 Caravan where we were able to recharge the batteries again.
Day.27 – Today, we did the tourist thing and visited Mossman Gorge. From there the plan was to visit Port Douglas, but just before the T/O to Port Douglas, Pete gave a us a call on the UHF, saying he has wheel bearing issues. We turned around and pulled up beside him to find him again jacking the car up to remove the front RHS wheel. Unfortunately this time he could not fix it as the bearing was ceased onto the spindle – Time to call the RACQ for help. When the RACQ fella rocked up, Pete explain his situation & I told him about our situation and his suggestion was for us both to claim RACQ, which we did. I was able to drive back to the Mossman Motel where RACQ was kind enough to put us all up for the next 3 nights, while Pete had to get his 80’s flat-bedded to the work shop. My pre-trip upgrade of my RACQ cover had just paid for itself over and over again....
Day.28>29 – Over the next 2 days we relaxed as nothing could be done due to the Public Holiday for their local show. Pete took advantage of the time and hired a car and took him & his family to see some of the local sites. Late of Tuesday we both got the call to say our vehicles were ready. I had tried to have mine done under my Factory extended Warranty, but Cairns Toyota refused – I decided to take the fight up when I got home, so I took the cheap option and had a aftermarket ALT install for nearly half the price of the Toyota ALT itself.
Day.30 - With a 3am rise and we hit the road hoping to get to Rockhampton. Refuelled at Cairns and made it all the way to just south of Home Hill before we were stopped for 3.5hrs on the Bruce Hwy, due to a Hwy fatality. All day, the Prado was starting to play up more and more when it came to starting it. It finally didn’t start at all when I had to move the car forward on the hwy. Luckily we were still within phone range and after a couple of calls to the Auto Electrician who had done the repairs and then Toyota in Brisbane, it was determined that the batteries in my and my wife’s Keyless remotes were flat and they were the cause of it not starting and throwing up fault codes. From this point on I knew what the problem was, but it was still a PITA to start it every time. Once the Hwy re-opened, our plan to get to Rockhampton was tossed out the window. We pulled up at Sarina for Dinner then continued down the Marlborough-Sarina stretch, stopping at a free camp's spot right on the coast beach at Carmilla Beach, another great little spot.
Day.31 – With a casual pack up, we headed off for the last time down the Hwy. We stopped in Rockhampton to buy some batteries for my keyless remote (+ some spares) & then pushed onwards, finally reaching home around 8.30pm. Distance covered over the past 31 days – 8112kms
The kids being a fan of Scooby-Doo Cartoon series, got really excited when they saw this:
Here's a couple of pics from Nolans Creek of a fella in a GU Patrol that followed me through.... I think he got a bit too excited as he entered the water:
His poor wife got drenched from the wave that bounced off the bank and went back through her window that was down at the time....
