Cape York

Our short break from the heat was only a momentary one. There was one final frontier I did not dare to visit when I first had the chance. A place with a reputation: Cape York.

Hot, remote, rough, partially impassable and yet boasting with beauty. Though battle hardened from our more recent outback adventures we were wary of this drive and made sure Jimmy was up for the job. This also meant replacing the stricken brake caliper in a caravan park and restocking our supplies as much as possible.


Once ready, we headed to Cooktown; named after the explorer James Cook who landed here in 1770 for some vital ship repairs. A charming little town we will remember positively. But soon we were back in the dust and even a few hundred KMs into the drive, all was well – nearly. Cape York is famed by many for its birdlife endemic to the local rainforests. After the dirt tracks we have travelled through recently we struggled to fully enjoy the mostly dry savannah landscape we actually encountered.

Chili Beach

However all this changed once we arrived at the beautiful Chilli Beach. Located at the edge of a rainforest it’s so pretty, you would to send it as a postcard if you could. It did have a strange personality as we were deep in croc country during the period of Box Jelly and Irukandji making swimming in the turquoise waters a bit scary. Despite that, it did offer a pleasant retreat from all the stressful roads and the free organic coconuts where one more reason to stay.

The Tip

With limited time and limited supplies we had to move on, still going further up the dead end. Though we weren’t too convinced of our destination, we were already so far up North; we simply had to carry on. A trip that got us thinking:

How often do we visit a place because “everyone” says its great or a must do?
Sometimes we don’t feel like it, but we still go.
Why?
Because if we don’t, we might later regret having missed out.

That’s how we felt with the continued drive. We already missed out on Ha Long Bay in Vietnam and thought that it would be sad to miss out on this opportunity. A decision made harder by the worsening road conditions and rising costs. The compulsory ferry was 70$ and the corrugations partially got so bad we had to slow down to snail’s pace.
The conditions and the true remoteness make out quite a bit of Cape York’s reputation. If you stick to the main road that bypasses the fearsome old Telegraph Track, it’s very doable indeed. But then the constant risks don’t necessary make this drive very pleasurable. Despite the worries and the pain, eventually we did reach Pajinka – the northernmost point of the Australian continent. It may not be Mount Everest or any place of great magnificence. The journey alone was quite an achievement though, and that felt really good. An enjoyment of successfully passing a difficult challenge; something we all have in common.


There were some more bonuses too. Right at the tip we had a chance to spend an evening with Sabine and Burkhardt, two fellow travelers who made traveling their profession and gave us some insight into their experiences. Another treat in stock with a chance to light up ones fascination for the forgotten was the abandoned Pajinka eco resort. Once an expensive lodging destination it started to loose profit and was shut for good after a fire that rendered the entire resort inoperable. Now left behind we had a chance to have a look and wander around this once prestige place.

Return

Arriving at the most extreme point of any place usually means that there is nowhere to continue but to return back. And so we had too, Jimmy managed the trip so far so well. Only the front left bearing started to become a bit noisy which at this time only needed a re-tightening. On the way back south to the “civilized” world, the road was at tough as coming up and did require 100% of everything: The car, our patience, skills and our relationship. By this time we were pretty worn out and looking for a prolonged escape from the torture. I did get quite a sense of nostalgia - similar to how I feel at this moment writing this journal. We both knew that this would be the toughest and very last big adventure that we would encounter with our beloved Jimmy. Sure we still had a few more trips ahead of us, but nothing that would pose an adventure that would stack up with the great dirt tracks we encountered.

Come Back?

Well, it’s a tricky one. I would love to, but not the same way we did it last time. Cape York offers a lot more if you do have a proper 4x4. Particularly the Old Telegraph Track and the Frenchman’s track are two adventures that would draw us in if we get the chance of coming back with a proper off-road vehicle.