Aug

Cape York Penninsula…Bushman Bud Arrives

Cape York Peninsula...Enjoying Australia

G’day all,

The day had finally arrived…our chance to enjoy being at the most Northern Tip of Australia, Cape York Penninsula, QLD…yeah!!!

Video: Cape York Peninsula_Northern Tip of Australia_QLD

The plan was to travel to Punsand Bay, drop the camper trailer off, take the 4WD track up the coast through to the main access road to the Cape.

At the turnoff to Punsand Bay is the Croc Tent. For me it was an overpriced junkyard of Cape memorabilia. Don’t get me wrong I have no problem with people selling memorabilia for people to take home…but be reasonable…I reckon you could have bought gold cheaper, it was that ridiculous. I also reckon that the items on offer were poor quality. You can spend your dollars on many other different memorabilia places along the way so just look out for the right one…with the right price!

We left Sieisa mid morning and were soon bouncing around on the corrugations towards Punsand Bay. These were the worst of the corrugations thus far and limited us to very slow speeds. It took us about 45 mins to travel 17 klms to the turnoff.

Turning left we made better time and arrived at Punsand Bay around lunch time. We secured a beach front camp ground which was sandy but not the same red dust dirt bowl we had experienced at Sieisa. Quickly, the amenities here were pretty poor but at least there was a bar. Hey if you could have transported the amnities from Siesa here it would have been near perfect…in fact, perfect if the fish were biting.

We were excited to get to the Cape and quickly set up the camper and were on our way. Leaving the campsite we turned left along the scenic 4WD track towards the Cape. This was a great alternative and keeps you away from the shocking corrugations. The track meanders through bush scrub and rain forest on a sandy base for most part…some areas soft.

After about 14 klms you pop out about 10 klms from the Cape. Turn left out of the track and mark your spot if you want to return this way.

We finally arrived at the car park and set off on the Cape Track (which is not easy to find…mind you it doesn’t take Einstein to work out which general direction to head in. The walk seemed to be about 1klm to the tip, with great views of the Cape throughout the walk. We went up over the headland. The last few hundred metres you drop down from a high point and the nostalga of the journey catches up with you as you descend on your final destination. For me, my hair was standing up on my neck such was the excitement of being at this place. The last few hundred metres is awesome with the scenery of the Cape and nearby islands, the whole Cape region is a fascinating place.

Finally we were there and what a great place to take in the moment once more. I am an emotional person and the feelings of being at the Cape were like scoring a ton in a closely fought out cricket match or the exhileration of shoooting a massive whitewater rapid in a raging river. It was simply awesome to be at a place I had dreamed of for many years. What made it better is the adventure we could all share as a family to get there.

The camera ran hot with the number of pics we took. The tripod was setup and we all enjoyed the various poses, some silly, some funny, some serious, strange and some just plain crazy. It was just a great experience and beautiful memory for the family to recapture. We all set some amazing goals for the future at this spot and recorded them all on video.

This is a place of breath taking beauty and one where you just have to sit and take in the moment. How many people would love to be in the very spot you are right at that moment. We had the place to ourselves for the rest of the afternoon which is unbelievable given the amount of traffic around the Cape. We were certainly blessed to enjoy this special spot to ourselves with the sound of ocean wind and nature doing its thing. We just soaked up the feelings, sounds and sights of being at this special, iconic, great Australian place – the Northern Tip of the Australian Mainland – you beauty!!

The Cape will linger forever in my memory (until next time I return) not only for the adventure and amazing scenery of the place but more so the family time we spent there that afternoon making plns for the future and deciding on our next great adventure. Travel has brought the whole family together, it is such an amazing voyage of discovery and I know for us has built foundations for joyous times in the future.

Leaving the Cape was tough but we decided to take the beach track back to the car. This can only be done at low tide and the mangroves look a little dodgy for crocs so always be on the lookout. It is a great contrast to the headland walk so if you can…do it.

Back in the car and back to Punsand Bay for dinner and watch over the ocean as the sun sets in the West. Perfect day in a perfect place.

Bushman Bud…Enjoying Australia