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