Monday, July 13, 2009

War Planes and Seisia, Cape York

War Planes and Seisia - 12th-13 July 09

In the morning we packed up the tent and camping paraphernalia once more and headed off in search of some crashed World War 2 planes. We had heard that there were at least 3 sites where planes had come down during WWII and that the planes had been left pretty much untouched since. This struck us all as a little bit strange, you would never hear of this in the more densely populated parts of Australia.
After a few wrong turns and some chatting over the UHF we found one of the sites and were all surprised at how well preserved the wreck was.



Crashed DC3 World War 2 Plane, Cape York, Australia

Crashed DC3 WWII Plane
From Planes and Seisia Fishing

For the flying enthusiasts among you the plane was a DC3 and it came down on 4th May 1945. Sadly 6 people lost their lives.
The hull of the plane was in amazingly good shape and you could clearly make out the size of the plane, the tail, wings, windows and much more. We found another crash site but it was not nearly as well preserved and then headed back to Seisia to stay at the camp site we used after the OTL. We had planned a quiet afternoon with dinner, beer and a spot of fishing.

We had not had the stove on long when all of a sudden flames started leaping up the side of it (where the gas nozzle enters) and setting fire to a loaf of bread! Panic ensued and as we were about to run off for the fire extinguisher Elliott jumped in under the flames and switched the gas off (Thanks man!). The flames soon died down and hearts racing we assessed the damage. Turned out it was only a burnt leaky hose (We carried a spare so no biggy) and a few slices of bread that were lost. Phew!
Excitement over, washing done, dinner eaten, we headed off to the pier with the fishing gear dreaming of a big catch!

Seisia Pier Cape York

Kids playing at Seisia Pier
From Planes and Seisia Fishing

Seisia pier is a truly beautiful spot, when we arrived there were Aboriginal children jumping off into the water, looked like they were having a whale of a time. They left a short while later and we had a go at fishing, we were going to use live bait that we needed to catch first and Elliott demonstrated the art of ‘Jigging’ which is basically a line of hooks with lures on. The little fish are meant to find it irresistible and hop obligingly onto the line. You pull them up and pop ‘em into a bucket for later use. I looked over the edge and I have never seen so many fish, it was like a slick of them! Everywhere you looked there were small silver fish, this was going to be a piece of cake! Well after spending a while getting a few fish up (no where near the amount I had expected!) the sun was starting to set.


Seisia Pier Fishing, Cape York

Carl's first catch!
From Planes and Seisia Fishing

Have I said how beautiful this place is!? Man when the sun is setting it is even better!


Fishing Seisia Cape York

Fishing at Sunset, Seisia Pier
From Planes and Seisia Fishing


Seisia sunset Cape York

Beautiful Sunset to Fish to!
From Planes and Seisia Fishing

Elliott decided it was time to throw out the live bait, in the mean time I was unsuccessfully playing with the jig and not getting very far. I heard a loud “Woah!” and Elliott came over and said that the rod had nearly been pulled out of his hand! He reeled in his bait fish only to find that it had been bitten clean in half! We got excited about a big fish… Anyway true to form we caught nothing but a few bait fish (Carl’s first ever catch included!) and a beautiful sunset. After watching one of the locals spear fishing for squid off the jetty, we headed back to camp a little smelly but relaxed after a fun evening.


Sunset Seisia Cape York Queensland

Check out those colurs!
From Planes and Seisia Fishing

Saturday, July 11, 2009

The Tip and Somerset Beach (Cape York)

The Tip and Somerset Beach (Cape York) 11th – 12th July 09


The Tip Cape York Australia

Our Goal today
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

Today we got up with one thing on our minds – Reaching the Northern most point of the Australian mainland, affectionately referred to as ‘The Tip’.
It is a major achievement to complete the OTL and visit the Tip of Australia. It is inaccessible for 6 months of the year due to the ‘Big Wet’ (Rains) and the rest of the year it is a tough remote road that no family car could survive. We were full of high spirits and packed up camp and head off to the Supermarket for supplies. We also found some ice to get that broken fridge back up and cooling. We must have looked a bit strange as we emptied the fridge of water that had melted from the last lot - We were bailing it out with a plastic cup!


The Croc Tent Cape York

The Croc Tent, Souvenir Shop
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

With supplies on board we headed off in search of The Tip… We took the dirt road that went passed Loyalty Beach. The road wasn’t bad just a couple of shallow water crossings. We then popped out main road to the tip of Cape York.
Along this road was the famous souvenir shop ‘The Croc Tent’ which has a very real looking croc outside surrounded by nothing more than a flimsy fence! It took me a while to figure out that it was a fake to be honest. We bought a few obligatory souvenirs including a ‘Gunshot’ stubby holder for Heidi and a Nolan’s Brook one for me.


The Tip Cape York Australia

Fancy looking sign!
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

After The Croc Tent it was a fairly easy if not a little narrow run up to the car park for The Tip. We grabbed our walking boots, cameras and a celebratory beer and set off into the dense undergrowth, not really knowing how far it was to The Tip.


The Tip Cape York Australia

Our first glimpse of the beach at The Tip
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

After what must have been around 500 metres we could see the trees clearing and we were greeted with the most magnificent sight. A perfect flat beach leading away to gorgeous turquoise blue waters, it was truly a sight for sore eyes!


The Tip Cape York Australia

The Beach at The Tip
From The Tip and Somerset Beach


The Tip Cape York Australia

Heidi and I enjoying the view
From The Tip and Somerset Beach


The Tip Cape York Australia

Truly Beautiful
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

We took some photos and then headed onward and upward as the path took us over a rocky hill. Well if we thought the view from the beach was good then this was astounding. You could see paradise for miles around… These photos will do it justice.


The Tip Cape York Australia

The view from the top...
From The Tip and Somerset Beach


The Tip Cape York Australia

AMAZING
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

After absorbing all we could of this view we pushed on a bit to the distance & direction monument. We knew at this point we were not far from reaching our goal as we could see islands in the background.


Torres Straight Cape York Australia

Direction Monument with Torres Straight and islands in the background
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

Over the top we went and climbed down to the famous sign which lets you know ‘You are standing at the northern most point of the Australian continent’


Sign Cape York Australia

All 4 of us grabbing the sign at the same time
From The Tip and Somerset Beach


Sign Cape York Australia

We did it!!!
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

We had made it! Elliott was so happy – this was some where he has always wanted to go. We set the camera up, cracked the beers and took a picture of the 4 of us clinging onto the sign. The scenery over the Torres Straight was amazing and we had the place to ourselves for a good 20 minutes. We took loads of pics and even called Heidi’s sister back in Brisbane.


Sign Cape York Australia

Just in case you wanted to know..?
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

Happy, we set off back to the car and in search of a place to stay for the night.
(Sadly vandals have recently stolen the famous sign that had stood on that famous spot for 20 years – They even pushed the base of it into the ocean. Seems nothing is safe these days)

Somerset Beach was our pick for camping the night. There were a few people there but it wasn’t busy and a great place for a free night. We set up camp and went down to the beach for a spot of fishing.


Somerset Beach Cape York Australia

Campsite at Somerset Beach
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

Heidi and I are still novices and have never caught a fish before. Elliott led the way and was showing us how it was done. We all had a go but unfortunately nothing was biting, if anything was even there! We did watch some locals spear fishing a way further up the rocks and they seemed to be having more luck. I wouldn’t have been game enough to go in the water up here in the thick of croc country, but they looked like they knew what they were doing.


Somerset Beach Cape York Australia

Carl looking like he knows what he is doing!
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

Having had enough of the fishing we went back to camp for a famous ‘Sandy burger’ - Basically it was one huge hamburger made from a huge mince meat patty and the usual burger fillings – It was Yummy and we were all stuffed!


Somerset Beach Cape York Australia

Elliott looking forward to his 'Sandy Burger'
From The Tip and Somerset Beach

That night we watched a perfect sunset and once again chatted about an ambition fulfilled and what an amazing place Cape York is.


Somerset Beach Cape York Australia

The perfect end to another day on the Cape
From The Tip and Somerset Beach


Friday, July 10, 2009

The Old Telegraph Track (Day 4) Cape York

Just a quick note before you get into reading the latest post. We have updated our Camp site + Fuel costs spreadsheet right up until the end of our trip. So you will also be getting a sneak preview of where future posts in the blog will be about. Camp site + Fuel costs can be downloaded from the link halfway down on the right hand side of this page.
We had 191 nights away and put fuel in the 4x4 131 times!

Total Spent on Fuel AU$ 7,899.78
Total Spent on Accommodation AU$ 4,847.65

The Old Telegraph Track - Day 4: The OTL Bites Back!

Well rested, we had brekkie, did the morning chores and prepared for our last day on The Old Telegraph Track. According to the guide book we had 4 Creeks to cross plus a number or Fords. After that we had to cut back over to the Peninsula Development Road (PDR) and then up to the Jardine Ferry. You are no longer allowed to attempt to cross the Jardine in your 4x4. In all honesty you would be mad to do try anyway, it’s deep, murky and infested with crocs!

The Start of Day 4 on The Old Telegragh Track
4x4 The Old Telegragh Track Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

Our first crossing of the day was Mistake Creek, described as a clear stream with eroded banks – This was fairly easy compared to most and we cruised on to the next.

Cannibal Creek, Old Telegraph Track
Cannibal Creek, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

Cannibal Creek - Clear stream, steep and eroded banks - No kidding!
The inward bank was fairly steep and required some careful negotiation. Once you were in the water the hard part had been done, the base of the creek was firm and you could just drive round the bend and out up the opposite bank with no issues.

Cannibal Creek, Old Telegraph Track
Cannibal Creek, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

Sandy drove their 4x4 and I (Carl) took OJ through this one. The inward bank was a slippery affair and it was just a case of popping her in to low range 1st and feathering the brakes down. Plopping into the water was a relief and I made the sharp turn to exit the creek.

The Bridge Over Cypress Creek, Old Telegraph Track
Cypress Creek, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

Next up was the famous rickety log bridge of Cypress Creek, it really doesn’t look stable and it doesn’t help that when you look over the sides you can see logs that have fallen down into the river!! Elliott was first up before my go, I really don’t think either of the girls fancied this one, the bridge really did look old and a bit dodgy.

The fallen logs at Cypress Creek
Cypress Creek, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

We both took it slow and steady as the logs make for a bumpy ride and you wouldn’t want the 4x4 to leap to one side - That could be expensive! Safely negotiated we plodded on our merry way.

Taking it steady
Cypress Creek, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

All the way up the OTL we had been seeing the remains of the telegraph poles that this track has been named after, they were either bent over or the tops were missing – a little disappointing really.
Then S&E announced that they were stopping, they gave no explanation and from behind we really couldn’t see what they were on about. It was then we saw Sandy walking off into the bush… toilet stop we thought!
Sandy then stopped and turned around we could see that she was holding on to a fully complete and upright telegraph pole.

A Complete Telegraph Pole
Telegraph Pole, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

We took the obligatory pictures and carried on our way, pleased that we had finally seen the rare creature that is the reason for this track being here.
A little further down the road Elliott announced that they were stopping again and said that he was having some problems with the car. I tried to look like I knew what he was talking about but truth be known I am not good around cars and a lot of what was being said was going over my head! I did lend him our spanner set though (His was buried deep in the 4x4) so I do have my uses! Repairs were carried out for around 20 mins and Elliott seemed happy so we set off again.

A view up the track
Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

It was not long before we were greeted with a large body of deep water. It was not in the guide book as a crossing – just marked as a ford! As soon as Elliott started to walk it we could see that it was the deepest thing we had faced yet. “Ford!?” we all said in disbelief and set about figuring the best way across.

Elliott walking the DEEP ford
Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

Heidi and I did the sensible thing and let Sandy and Elliott go first!!!......

Elliott driving the DEEP ford
Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York


4x4 Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York

Check out that wash!!
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

There was a good reason for this other than us being a little nervous, they are driving a diesel and they are a little more forgiving than petrol when it comes to deep water like this. It is just as well that they did go first as it was very deep and water washed up onto their bonnet!

Heidi and a tarped up OJ
4x4 Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

It was at this point we decided that we would need to tarp up OJ’s bonnet. Basically this involves wrapping a tarp around the front of the car over the radiator grille. This stops water from entering the engine bay and creates a bow wave in front of the car pushing the water around the electrics in the engine.

Heidi taking it steadier than Elliott!
4x4 Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

At this point I was on the other side of the ford and had walked up to my waist in murky water. Luckily I didn’t have to trudge back with the camera because some fellow travellers had pulled up behind us and were happy to help Heidi wrap the tarp over (On top of that Elliott decided to nip back across too) – I continued the hard job of taking pictures!!

My position for the photos!
4x4 Deep Ford, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

We would meet these fellow travellers again at the next crossing (That is important for the story we have to tell). All tarped up Heidi and OJ set off at a good steady speed and made the crossing look very easy on the end – Good preparation goes a long way up here as we are about to find out……!

Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

Finally and definitely by no means least was the infamous Nolan’s Brook. Described as ‘Very Deep, with a sandy bottom, (ha ha ‘Sandy bottom’ - still makes us giggle!) alternative log bridge not recommended for large vehicles’
We decided that we would have a look at the crossing(s) and have some lunch whilst we contemplated the best approach. We headed down to the absolutely beautiful clear creek and walked out into the middle. It was deep and sandy but no deeper than the ford we had just tackled. Good job really because the log bridge was now only half a log bridge and only suitable for a motorbike!

The Broken Bridge at Nolan's Brook
Nolan's Brook Bridge, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

On our way back up our fellow travellers from the ‘Deep Ford’ strolled up and asked Elliott how deep the water was. He said that it was about the same as the last only sandy. They said that was good and that they were going to keep on going passed us. It was at this time I became interested because they were both driving Toyota Prados and I had read a report about them trapping air under themselves in deep water and floating.
I said to the guys about this and we all trotted up to have a look and see how they got on, this was not just to put the floating theory to the test but it would be nice to see the line they use and if they have any trouble. They tarped up both Prados, didn’t even bother to walk the crossing and plunged into the middle of the pristine creek. Well what we saw next was a bit of a shocker…. True to the article I had read the 2005 Prado bobbed slightly and floated fractionally sideways. This was obviously very disconcerting for the driver and he put his foot down, unfortunately all this did was dig him into the sand and he was now stuck and the 4x4 was filling up with water.

Prado A stuck in Nolan's Brook
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

In a flash Elliott jumped at least 8 feet down off the bank and into the river to try and push the 4x4 across to the other side. No use… I then saw Heidi do the same and thought to myself ‘off we go then’. I was about to jump in when I remembered my wallet, keys and phone were in my pocket and soaking them would not be good. Needless to say that after I had unloaded them some where safe I arrived a little late and to the driver of Prado ‘A’ sat in water in the 4x4!

The water was as deep inside the 4x4 as it was outside, at least the engine was still running though. His mate ran and got his 4x4 (Prado ‘B’) with the goal of pulling him back out the way he came. This is where things only got worse and a bit of preparation might have helped.
The tow hitch was still locked and deep underwater Elliott tried to unlock it but couldn’t, the guy in Prado ‘B’ decided that he was just going to tie his snatch strap on and hope for the best. Unfortunately it was far from ‘best’ that happened. The strap loosened itself and came off when put under pressure, this resulted in Prado ‘A’ staying under water and Prado ‘B’ cannoning off into the bank and smashing in his tail lights and creasing one of his rear panels - Nightmare. Then just when you think it couldn’t it gets worse, the driver of Prado ‘A’ realised that his camera was missing and fished into the murky, water filled, passenger foot well pulling out a very new looking Nikon Digital SLR – Buggered for sure.
Then as if there was not enough sorrow already Prado ‘A’s engine finally succumbed to the water and died – not good. Elliott surmised that the onboard computer (engine management system) was underwater and that could have caused it.

Prado A being pulled from Nolan's Brook
4x4 stuck Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

Finally as if from nowhere a 4x4 came to the creek from the opposite bank and had a winch. Nearly 15 mins after Prado ‘A’ got bogged and drowned it was being pulled out.
As it came out of Nolan’s Brook Elliott opened one of the doors and water came pouring out, it was awful. All of their gear was soaked not to mention the seats, carpets and the onboard computer.

Water pouring from the drowned 4x4 :-(
4x4 stuck Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

All of a sudden it dawned on all of us that we had to cross this yet as did Prado ‘B’!
During this time a whole host of people had been backing up and were watching, they decided that one of them would go first and then be there on the other side if anyone else needed help. Prado ‘B’ now fully prepared with strap already attached was first and he made it with not too much trouble which was greeted with a loud cheer.

Elliott crossing Nolan's Brook
4x4 Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

Next was Elliott in a tarped up Skip (their cars name), he made it look very easy with a very nervous Sandy watching on. Cheers followed and Sandy was beaming.

Carl nervously waiting to cross Nolan's Brook
4x4 Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

Then it was my turn… to be honest I was bricking it, I didn’t know whether to go slow or fast which gear, my mind was racing. I didn’t want to be the next casualty of Nolan’s Brook! There was a bit of a wait because of things going on on the other side of the creek – only adding to my tension. Once I got going I thought it would better to be slow and keep grip rather than go fast.


Taking it steady....
4x4 Nolan's Brook, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track (Day 4), Cape York

So I trundled through slowly, heart pounding, I bobbed down into the deep part and then to my relief up the other side and out onto dry land. Oblivious to the clapping I punched the air, loudly thanked OJ, parked up and ran down to hug a relieved Heidi. I have since found out that I may have approached the crossing a little too slowly, ahh well we got there and that was all I cared about!!
My jubilation soon turned to sadness as we walked up the bank to find the Prado owners pulling everything out of Prado A - seats and mats included. Elliott being a auto electrician got in there and pulled out the computer and explained to the owner about drying it and putting it back in. (We discovered that the reason for the sand in the brook being deeper than usual that day was due to a Nissan Pathfinder being stuck in the water all night creating large dips in the creek bed– That’s right All night!!)

We left them there hoping they would be ok and set off for the Jardine Ferry - quite a bit later than we thought.

Jardine River Vehicular Ferry
Jardine River Ferry, Cape York
From Jardine and Seisia (Night 1)

We arrived at the ferry mid afternoon and I was very happy to see a real toilet for the first time in 4 days! Refreshed… we paid the $88 for the 20 metre crossing! You do also get the permit to travel the aboriginal land for your $88 – still seems a lot though!

We think this is the old Jardine 4x4 crossing..
4x4 Jardine River Crossing Cape York
From Jardine and Seisia (Night 1)

Once across we decided that it would be fun to take a look at the old vehicle crossing of the Jardine just to see what it looked like. It looked terrifying, deep, fast flowing, murky and we knew there were crocs. We couldn’t believe that anyone ever attempted it to be honest.
Back on what resembled a real road we headed for the town of Bamaga in search of ice and some supplies. - This was the first time we had seen bitumen in ages –
Ice was out but we did manage to find some beers, though they were twice the price of what we had paid in Cairns!!

The campsite at Seisia from the Beach
Seisia Cape York
From Jardine and Seisia (Night 1)

We then headed for Seisia and our camp ground for the night, REAL SHOWERS – we couldn’t wait! The camp site was really great, it was right on the beach with all the amenities we needed. We set up camp, during which time Heidi had a run in with a large Huntsman spider that had hidden on our tent. This caused her to swear loudly and I am pretty sure the entire camp site heard her, she went red and apologised (he was a big bugger)
A nice long shower, dinner and a few beers were not the only treats we had that night. Our friends in the Prados had somehow managed to start the dead car and make the ferry in time. They were now camped up not 50 metres away from us, truly a miracle that that thing started! The driver said that all the dashboard lights were flashing and beeping but as long as the engine was running they were out of there!!
The Prado was once again stripped out and drying – The good thing about the Cape this time of year is that it is perfect weather for drying!

Sunset over Seisia
Sunset Seisia Cape York
From Jardine and Seisia (Night 1)

The sun set on another day on the Cape and we were happy that we had managed to complete the infamous Old Telegraph Track. We were glad we had taken the time to appreciate it and we knew we would be telling the story for years to come. - What an amazing experience, shared with good friends.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Old Telegraph Track (Day 3) Cape York

The Old Telegraph Track Day 3:- Water World

Cockatoo Creek, Cape York
4x4 Cockatoo Creek Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

We awoke to another glorious day up the Cape, the sun was shining and the temps were good. We packed up camp and carried on our leisurely way up the OTL; first up we had to cross the creek we had camped next to all night. Cockatoo Creek is a tricky little bugger with many large and often deep stone potholes. These would not be kind to the underside of OJ if we fell into one!

Sheldon Lagoon, Cape York
Sheldon Lagoon Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

After safe and careful negotiation we found the surprising Sheldon Lagoon. This picturesque body of water was crystal clear, had trees standing in it and had many turtles swimming around. They were obviously used to being fed because they came right up to us.

Turtle in Sheldon Lagoon, Cape York
Turtle in Sheldon Lagoon Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

Explorers Sheldon Lagoon, Cape York
Sheldon Lagoon Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

Keeping with the water theme we headed up the track, over the main “Northern Bypass Road” and into Fruit Bat Falls. (More importantly for Carl there was a pit toilet – the first for nearly 3 days, he never thought he’d be glad to see one but going outside in the middle of nowhere was far less appealing!!) Anyway…….

Fruit Bat Falls, Cape York
Fruit Bat Falls Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

We had heard a bit about Fruit Bat but nothing could have prepared us for how stunning it was. The falls were not high but very wide, they had red rock behind them and the pools around were very clear.
It was the perfect place to cool off and we spent a while swimming and marvelling at how amazing a place this was – So Beautiful!
Sandy and Elliott have an underwater camera so we were able to get some good shots of us all.

Fruit Bat Falls, Cape York
Fruit Bat Falls
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

Fruit Bat Falls, Cape York
Fruit Bat Falls
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

Yet more water awaited us on our next stop – Eliot, Twin and Indian Head Falls. Not to be outdone by the awesome Fruit Bat these falls were also magnificent in their own way. Indian Head falls was like a mini Fruit Bat falls only a little higher. You could walk in the very shallow water right to the edge of the falls and look right over.

Eliot Falls, Cape York
Eliot Falls Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

Eliot Falls, Cape York
Eliot Falls Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

The water was much deeper under the falls here though and touching the bottom was not an option.
Elliott and I (Carl) had a go at jumping in off the side, it was probably 3-4 meters up and great fun. Heidi and Sandy weren’t quite so brave and were happy to spectate.

Jumping into Eliot Falls, Cape York
Eliot Falls Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

Falling...
Eliot Falls Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3


SPLASH!!
Eliot Falls Cape York


Around the corner was Twin and Indian Head falls they flowed from the same stream but Indian Head was downstream from Twin falls. We all jumped into the pool in front of twin falls and had a great time playing in the water.

Twin Falls, Cape York
Twin Falls Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

All good things must come to an end though and we had to head onward up the Old Telegraph Track.

Canal Creek, Cape York
Canal Creek Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

Just down the track was Canal Creek, this crossing wasn’t too tough once you determined the correct route as it was very deep in places. We had to approach the crossing by driving along the bank a while and then through the deepish water diagonally and out the other side.

Canal Creek, Cape York
Canal Creek Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

Once across the creek you are greeted with a very steep ascent to get back up and onto the track again. Heidi and Sandy both negotiated this with ease (these girls can really drive!).

Leaning 4x4, Old Telegraph Track, Cape York
Old Telegraph Track Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

After a very rutted track which caused the 4x4 to lean over a long way we arrived at the beautiful Sam Creek. The water was so clear and there was a small waterfall just by the side of the track – you couldn’t make this stuff up, just gorgeous!

Sam Creek, Cape York
Sam Creek Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

Waterfall, Sam Creek, Cape York
Sam Creek Cape York
From Old Telegraph Track Day 3

It was here we decided to set up camp for the night, once more retreating to the shelter of the netted Gazebo to escape the buzzies! We chatted again about how awesome this place was and the amazing watery venues we had seen during the day.

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