SATURDAY 27 JUNE   WONGA BEACH TO COOKTOWN   297kms

We were up at 7am, as there was still so much packing to do. At least, we had a lovely fine, warm day.

We packed up the van, put away the awning inside the van, and John backed the van into the storage space allocated by T, next to another stored van, and right by his and C’s camp. Squeezing into this tight space was managed easily with T’s directions. John then took off the heavy hitch from the back of Truck – another item to go in the van.

Truck seems very full! It was a wrench to leave the van for such a potentially long time – maybe a couple of months. The last bit of packing was to put the bikes inside the van, standing up in the central aisle. We figure the nature of Cape tracks will not encourage their use.

We left at 11.30am. We are finally away on this year’s big adventure. I feel a mix of trepidation and anticipation. We are stepping out of what has become our comfort zone.

Our first destination is Cooktown, the isolated town on the coast to the north of here. It is of tourist interest, mostly due to its history, and will be a good place to stay for a short time, to make sure we are ready to continue on.

We drove to Mossman, stopping at a fruit place near there, to buy some fruit and vegies, then in the town itself, for cash money, a phone card and a paper. Got diesel – 72cpl.

Just south of Mossman, took the link road, through Julatten, to the Peninsula Development Road. The road climbed the forested range – the usual winding, fairly narrow, but sealed, road up the mountains. It levelled off after Julatten, by which time we were in farmland. Just north of Mt Molloy township, we joined the road north.

We stopped for lunch at the McLeod River, a few kms north of Mt Carbine. It was a pleasant spot by a little flowing stream, with the only facility being a rubbish bin.

Our lunch stop at the McLeod River – and the loaded-up Truck

Our next stop was at the Palmer River Roadhouse. This was most interesting. It is run by a fairly adventurous type who had been a croc hunter. He has collected a varied lot of bits and pieces, typical of the area. There were a few van spots there, overlooking the Palmer River.

We bought a cold drink each, and I bought a fridge magnet. I like these unusual ones from places most people have never heard of!

After Palmer River, the road was unsealed for most of the way, but mostly reasonable going. Up and over the Byerstown Range was a bit rough, and we got stuck behind a mustering truck, so it was slow – and dusty! We did stop at a lookout point that gave a huge vista over the vast and rugged countryside.

The country north of the Palmer River – from the top of the Byerstown Range. That’s where we are going.

We did not stop at Lakeland – a small settlement, where the road up the Cape turns off from the Cooktown road. Nor did we stop at the striking looking Black Mountain.

The bridge over the wide Annan River, not far from Cooktown, was a single-lane, elevated causeway-like affair, and quite long.

In Cooktown, we went straight to the Peninsula Caravan Park, which is the only one described in any detail in my Cape York “bible” – the book written by Viv and Ron Moon. It mentions two other parks by name only, but recommends the Peninsula as shady and pleasant. It cost $15 a night, with the 7th night free. We took a week, because we need to see if John’s hip will be ok for us to continue on. He is still not sure.

I found the park to be a very sprawling and rather strange place. There were lots of large, tree-sized paperbarks. There was a part that was kind of formally laid out, but mostly it was scrappy; there were some cement slabs around, but with little seeming order. The amenities were older and a bit scruffy.

We found a spot that seemed alright, in amongst the melaleucas, but with a bit of a walk to the toilets!

We set our camp up fully – and it was well after dark by the time it was done.

Whilst carrying the fridge from Truck to tent, I tripped on the edge of a slab, hidden amongst leaves and debris. I went down hard, managing to protect the fridge, but twisted my back, and shook myself up a bit.

Tea was the chicken marylands I cooked yesterday, and salads.

I realize that I have forgotten our small radio – which can be a means of keeping in touch with the world, but which may not receive much out in the wilds. So that is no big deal. More serious is the realization that I have left a dozen eggs in the van’s pantry cupboard! We discuss what the van will be like if these “cook” in the tropical heat in the sealed-up van, and explode. This is not good – with hindsight, maybe we should have left some keys with T. We will think more about it tomorrow!

We now have no TV, of course, but we really need an early night, after the efforts of the past couple of days, so we head for bed not long after tea. Back on the lilo!