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On location, hunting for dinosaurs! While waiting for a massive Sauropod to wander across the barren...
Destinations > It's A Long Way To The Top
It's A Long Way To The Top
Home the next night was a campsite I'd phoned ahead and booked from Cairns. It was located at Hann Crossing, near the northwestern boundary of Lakefield National Park. This is a wonderful spot right by the water, with something of a reputation for shore-based fishing, but apart from jumping off a tarpon (ox-eye herring), getting a brief glimpse of our first crocodile for the trip, and having a few small grunter and long toms tail our lures, we remained scoreless here, despite the very 'fishy' appearance of the deep, green waterholes. Next time...
From Hann Crossing we proceeded to Musgrave Roadhouse for lunch, after being briefly side-tracked by a barramundi and a mud crab spotted from the crossing at Saltwater Creek (Both of which somehow evaded capture!), then it was north to Archer River Roadhouse, where we made camp for our third night on the Cape.
Next day was one of considerable adventure, as we encountered a reasonably serious bushfire on the Telegraph Track not far north of Bramwell Junction. This blaze had northbound traffic backed up for some distance, but we arrived just as one adventurous crew (with radio contact to vehicles in the clear up ahead of the fire) made a break for it. We joined them, and while the dense smoke and 4-metre high flames appeared dramatic in several places, there was never any real danger, at least according to my son Tom, who spent several years with the Rural Fire Service on the NSW south coast and was involved in fighting the tragic 2003 Canberra blazes. It was reassuring to have his insight and cool head on board, as I know both Amy and I were more than a little nervous about driving into that maelstrom!
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Fires, snakes, creek crossings and various photo opportunities ensured that it was late in the day when we finally reached Eliot Falls and pitched camp just a short walk from the beautiful Twin Falls, where we swam and cooled off both that evening and next morning. No wonder this is a 'must-see' destination on the lists of so many veteran Cape travellers! We absolutely loved it.
Next morning, as we continued north, we had our first 'recovery situation' of the trip when I picked a poor exit line out of the Canal Creek crossing and hung the HiLux up over some deep ruts and big boulders on the very steep northern bank. Within minutes, vehicles and grey nomads came from all corners, unfurling snatch straps (some still in their original packaging), revving up winches and arguing over likely rescue strategies. I politely asked them to hold fire for just a sec', got out, kicked a couple of rocks in around the spinning tyres, climbed back in, selected low range and crawled out under my own steam. The looks of disappointment on the faces of my bevy of would-be rescuers was both palpable and highly amusing!
In all seriousness, one of the great things about a Cape trip is the camaraderie of your fellow travellers and their willingness to offer help and advice. Always take the time to have a yarn to other folks at roadhouses, campsites or river crossings along the way. You'll not only get valuable tips on the condition of the various tracks and bypasses, you'll also forge track friendships that will stand you in good stead come fire, high water, flat tyres and slippery rocks. For me, this was one of the greatest lessons of the journey.
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From Hann Crossing we proceeded to Musgrave Roadhouse for lunch, after being briefly side-tracked by a barramundi and a mud crab spotted from the crossing at Saltwater Creek (Both of which somehow evaded capture!), then it was north to Archer River Roadhouse, where we made camp for our third night on the Cape.
Next day was one of considerable adventure, as we encountered a reasonably serious bushfire on the Telegraph Track not far north of Bramwell Junction. This blaze had northbound traffic backed up for some distance, but we arrived just as one adventurous crew (with radio contact to vehicles in the clear up ahead of the fire) made a break for it. We joined them, and while the dense smoke and 4-metre high flames appeared dramatic in several places, there was never any real danger, at least according to my son Tom, who spent several years with the Rural Fire Service on the NSW south coast and was involved in fighting the tragic 2003 Canberra blazes. It was reassuring to have his insight and cool head on board, as I know both Amy and I were more than a little nervous about driving into that maelstrom!
read on below advertisement
Fires, snakes, creek crossings and various photo opportunities ensured that it was late in the day when we finally reached Eliot Falls and pitched camp just a short walk from the beautiful Twin Falls, where we swam and cooled off both that evening and next morning. No wonder this is a 'must-see' destination on the lists of so many veteran Cape travellers! We absolutely loved it.
Next morning, as we continued north, we had our first 'recovery situation' of the trip when I picked a poor exit line out of the Canal Creek crossing and hung the HiLux up over some deep ruts and big boulders on the very steep northern bank. Within minutes, vehicles and grey nomads came from all corners, unfurling snatch straps (some still in their original packaging), revving up winches and arguing over likely rescue strategies. I politely asked them to hold fire for just a sec', got out, kicked a couple of rocks in around the spinning tyres, climbed back in, selected low range and crawled out under my own steam. The looks of disappointment on the faces of my bevy of would-be rescuers was both palpable and highly amusing!
In all seriousness, one of the great things about a Cape trip is the camaraderie of your fellow travellers and their willingness to offer help and advice. Always take the time to have a yarn to other folks at roadhouses, campsites or river crossings along the way. You'll not only get valuable tips on the condition of the various tracks and bypasses, you'll also forge track friendships that will stand you in good stead come fire, high water, flat tyres and slippery rocks. For me, this was one of the greatest lessons of the journey.
next page »
