CapeYork. Four TLCC vehicles arrived at Daintree Riverview Park looking forward to their 14 day trip to the tip.

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1 Des Christine Barry Chris Marie Rod TRIP LEADERS Rod Larkiss-Smith Toyota HiLux PARTICIPANTS Barry & Christine Copely Series LandCruiser Des McMahon Series Prado Chris & Marie Taylor Series LandCruiser CapeYork Trip Daintree River Bloomfield Falls Four TLCC vehicles arrived at Daintree Riverview Park looking forward to their 14 day trip to the tip. It was to be a leisurely drive starting at 9am and finishing about 3pm each day. We expected water levels to be low in the creeks with lots to see and do along the way. It was decided we should share driving in the lead each day with Rod to bring up the rear. On Monday August 25th, the trip started at about 8am with a sprint to the Daintree River Ferry to avoid a possible long queue. Once across we had a delightful drive to the beginning of the Bloomfield Track stopping at the Daintree River Lookout and Cape Tribulation Beach for morning tea. The Bloomfield proved no obstacle for the four Toyotas with a few steep climbs (some concreted), a couple of sharp bends and water crossings. A bridge now replaces the weir at Wajul Wajul and new water crossing is being constructed across the only remaining water challenge. We visited the new Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Centre Wajul Wajul which gave us an opportunity look at local artwork and pottery. We had a short coffee break before heading upstream for a look at the Bloomfield Falls. It was quite an impressive sight considering it was the dry season. Lunch at the Lion s Den was mandatory with a variety of hamburgers. This was our brush with fame as one member became over excited having spotted Kieran Perkins (famous swimmer if you didn t know) who arrived with another group of 4WDs. Arriving at Cooktown early in the afternoon we had time for some sightseeing and shopping. It was a unanimous decision to stay at the caravan park with a big sign saying no sandflies. Another bright day saw us set off towards Laura along Battlecamp Road. A large part of the road is blacktop. A stop at the Old Laura Homestead which has been restored was worthwhile. Before reaching Laura, we turned off north into Lakefield National Park stopping to have lunch at the Rangers Station which had Telstra reception. We finally arrived at Kalpower Campground in the National Park about 3pm only to find campsites which we had booked occupied by other travellers. After listening to their we booked too and the computers went down TLCC NEWS DECEMBER

2 Punt at Jardine Ferry Roy our Aboriginal guide Horse Rider thrown from horse Quinkan figures excuses, we decided it was not worth the hassle of connecting our winches to their vehicles and dragging them out. National Parks booking system got a 1/10. We set up all on the same site and had a cozy night. Despite the site booking problems, Kalpower is a great camp. It has lots of flat campsites, fire pits, flushing toilets, cold showers, water on tap, a nice river and lagoon walk. One member got a surprise when she lifted the lid on the loo in the morning to find a frog having a dip in the bowel. Wednesday was to be a long drive. Leaving Kalpower we stopped for morning tea at Lotusbird Lodge. This very upmarket lodge is beside a huge lagoon. People travel from all around the world to see the rich diversity of birds, plants and the resident male croc basking in the sun. We continued on to the Developmental Road at Musgrave Roadhouse. The road was in good condition so we made good time. We headed up through the Bamboo Ranges towards Cohen reaching a maximum height of 270 metres. Much of the drive was on bitumen through cattle grazing country, or open forest and even dense forest at times. The landscape on the side of the road changes often from tall termite nests, to small termite nests, then large numbers of grass trees, or golden hakeas or cycads. It was here we learnt about prevailing winds with the plants on the west side only of the road covered in red dust. After refuelling at Cohen, we went to the National Parks Office to book our next campsite. Here in the middle of nowhere we were met with the wonders of modern technology with a giant touchscreen which all five of us could not get to work. Eventually Charles the friendly Ranger came out to instruct us and we spent an inordinate amount of time putting in names, addresses, rego numbers, paying with our credit cards for two nights and finally to write our own tickets to hang on our tents. Our destination was Langi Lagoon in Oyala Thumatang National Park. It was getting late as we headed down the track. Upon arriving at Langi Lagoon, we were surprised 50 TLCC NEWS DECEMBER 2014 to find another group camped beside this lovely lagoon. National Parks booking system now worth 0/10 (you could say we were slow learners). After another useless discussion we moved onto camp at the Old Archer River Crossing just before dark. Thursday was another road bash back to the Developmental Road and then to Archer River Roadhouse. At several places road crews were working on the road which was in good condition. Arriving at Archer River we ordered the Archer River Special (hamburger with the lot no chips) for a late lunch and set up camp having our first chance to stop and talk to others on the trip. One vehicle had one side badly damaged after it had bounced on corrugations on a corner and left the road clearing a short path through the trees. Friday 29th we left the roadhouse and turned off the Development Rd onto the Bamaga Road which saw a big reduction in trucks and traffic. This road was also in good condition and we stopped at the Moreton Telegraph Station for morning tea before pressing onto Bramwell Junction Roadhouse for lunch. Finally, we excitedly photographed the Telegraph Track sign and set off on our adventure. As we were all relatively new TLCC members this was to be the first real 4WD trip. We arrived at our first crossing at Palm Creek. OK, I admit that my eyes popped out and my jaw hit the ground at the sight of the ten foot drop into Palm Creek. It took some time to find the easier option and we decided on an entry and exit plan. I remembered my training (thanks Paul et al) and Big Bertha (our 200 Series) did it easy. We all made it through comfortably building our confidence. Rod gave us a demonstration of a flying HiLux as he charged up out of the creek. As it was late, we camped for the night after we crossed Ducie Creek. Ducie Creek had comfortable entry and exit points. Although it was not flowing, it had two big pools of water to drive through. Before we had finished setting up camp, Rod had a campfire blazing confirming his reputation. It was a pleasant night but sadly, the banks of the creek and bush were littered with toilet paper.

3 Lagoon at Kalpower Campsite Old Laura Homestead Morning tea at Moreton Telegraph Station Crocodile nest near our camp at Archer Creek Next morning we set off with Barry and Christine in the lead with fairly straight forward crossings at North Alice Creek, Dulhunty Creek and Bertie Creek. As we reached the Gunshot Bypass, there was an excited conversation on the radios because we could see clouds of smoke in the sky with the wind blowing a fire our way. Not long after, Des had a stick caught under his Prado. It snapped the electrical cables and as a result all lights were now flashing on his dash. Barry our ever skilled engineer, made makeshift repairs to securing the wires and we continued on. Barry displayed his Army training when we reached the fire front, as he had already crossed the track in places. With Christine at the wheel and Barry on the UHF we drove through the fire. I was surprised how much heat came through the glass. There were many brown shouldered kites (birds like hawks) soaring above the edges of the fire watching for small animals to flee the flames. Arriving at Gunshot Creek we were surprised to see a Hilux at the bottom. The driver assured us he had done little damage other than popping a tyre off its rim. So why were they bashing away at the vehicle with hammers and tyre levers?? We opted to use Son of Gunshot, a tricky but less adventurous route which was a little upstream. We had lunch in an excellent picnic shelter at Cockatoo Creek and later reached a nice campsite at Sailor s Creek. After dinner we had another red hot campfire thanks to Rod. An early start on Sunday saw us complete the southern section of the Tele Track, then drive a short section of the Bamaga Rd to the Northern Tele Track into Fruit Bat Falls. Fruit Bat Falls can be really busy, so Rod planned for us to arrive early. We had the place to ourselves and enjoyed a pleasant swim and shoulder massages under the falls. There are good facilities including change rooms, picnic facilities and large parking areas. Barry noticed his radiator fan had been damaged. Adding this to Des flashing dash lights, we decided to head straight to Bamaga so the vehicles could be put in for repairs first thing Monday. We stayed at Seisia campground right on the waterfront and spent Monday organising repairs, shopping, seeing doctors, washing and other necessary tasks. In the afternoon, Marie and I set off to the tip. It was an easy drive. As we passed underneath a rich section of rainforest, it began to rain. This was the only rain we had on the trip. I was surprised by the number of small islands you could see in Torres Strait. We arrived back at Seisia in time for us all to go to dinner for fresh Spanish mackerel fish and chips, washed down with a few TLCC NEWS DECEMBER

4 200 series on northern Tele Track Austen 7 at Laura Twin Falls Des lookout for the fire 100 series leaving Palm Creek cold beers on the beachfront at Loyalty Beach. That night a fellow camper and birdie lured several bush stoned curlews into the light using recorded bird calls on his mobile phone. If you have been to North QLD you will know this bird as the one that screams in the night. On Tuesday, some of us took the ferry over to Thursday Island. It was originally an uninhabited island but was chosen by the QLD government to store coal to refuel ship as they pass on their way to Asia. It is now the administration centre of the Torres Straits. We visited Green Hill Fort and the cemetery and saw many graves of young Japanese divers who died in the days of the pearling industry. Graves of Torres Strait Islanders were brightly decorated and of great importance to their families. We also looked through the Cultural Centre with an excellent display of Islander craft, ceremonial clothing and handmade jewellery which a certain person could not resist. After lunch at the Grand Hotel we caught the ferry back to Seisia. The 100 Series had its radiator fan replaced first thing on Wednesday morning. The mechanic told Barry that 59 vehicles had been written off at Nolan s Brook so far this season. After a quick morning tea we set off for the northern section of the Telegraph Track. We were running short of time so we came onto the track just above Mistake Creek. The creeks here were very different to the southern section. All the creeks were slowly flowing and several of them had a white sandy bottom with clear water which reflected the brilliant blue of the sky. Since we were heading south at this stage, we had to work our way through the traffic on the track. We crossed Mistake Creek and Sam Creek without too much bother and went across Canal Creek into Eliot Falls and Twin Falls. We did not have time for a swim but we re impressed with the small rocky gorge the water had cut. There were good camping facilities here as well. We drove past the turn off to Fruit Bat Falls before hitting the Bamaga Rd. Unfortunately, the camp at Sailor s Creek was already occupied so we decided to do a road bash and head south to Bramwell Station Campground. Arriving late, we set up camp and made use of the restaurant with a huge serve of lasagna followed by an equally big dessert. After a peaceful night we headed back down the Development Road past Moreton Telegraph Station and Archer s River to arrive at Musgrave Roadhouse. After we set up camp for the night we had time to check out the freshwater crocodiles floating in the small dam behind us. As the camp filled up we cooked dinner and had to relax around another hot campfire instigated by Rod. On Friday, we continued along the Development Road to Laura where we made camp beside the pub. In the afternoon we visited the Quicken Cultural Centre which had excellent displays and information boards about the history and culture around Laura. We then drove ten or so kilometres south to the Quinkan Rock Art Galleries which are close to the road. The public galleries allowed us to see a sample of the Aboriginal culture with paintings of flying foxes, animals such as kangaroos and long tall spirit figures. Saturday morning we met Roy our local Aboriginal guide who took us deep into Quinkan country to view some richly decorated caves including a male initiation cave. At the two sites we visited, we explored several caves and Roy explained their significance, including the spirit figures, totem animals and people. Unusual drawings included a large horse that had thrown its rider and a diprotodon (a giant wombat like animal which has been extinct for at least 20,000 years). The cave artwork and Roy s explanation were inspiring. There are more than 2000 Quinkan art sites in the area, some dating to more than 37,000 years. UNESCO rates the region as one of the top ten rock art areas in the world alongside the Kimberley and Arnhem Land escarpment. We set off from Laura after an early lunch. Barry and Christine headed off for Cairns to meet up with family while Des, Rod, Chris and Marie headed for the Lion s Den for our last night. After a swim in 52 TLCC NEWS DECEMBER 2014

5 Creb Track Thursday island Wild horses come looking for food View from Cape York the river and a meal at the Lions Den s restaurant we sat back and had a chat about the possibility of driving the Creb Track while sipping on the last of Des port before hitting the sack. Thanks again Des. Sunday Sept 7th was our last day. It started with an overcast sky, not good for the Creb Track. We ignored the light shower of rain while driving south towards the Bloomfield Track. As we turned inland just before Wajul Wajul, the sky started to clear. What a fantastic experience this track was. It is more often closed than open by the Cooktown Council. The track winds its way up steep ridges and down again into deep gullies as it passes through the heart of the Daintree Rainforest. We stopped for morning tea and had a bushwalk to Roaring Meg Falls which must be thunderous during the wet season. Our lunch spot was at the campground about halfway along the track and we re greeted with a local Aboriginal Elder sending us a welcome with his clapping sticks. The creeks are free flowing and clear, the rainforest is thick, dark and vast and the views for many kilometres are inspirational. At one point we came over a ridge to see the track head over a higher ridge on the other side of the valley. This track climbed from 250 metres to 550 metres. I had to stop my vehicle on the top of the ridge and see where the track went down. The track has a lot of red clay sections and would be extremely dangerous if wet, some parties have been stuck in there for 3 days after the rain had stopped. We passed a Toyota Corolla which had broken its fan belt stranded in the middle of the track. I would hate to have to pay his towing/repair bill. The Creb Track finally came into the valley at the headwaters of the Daintree River. The valley was lush green with tree covered hills, fat cows grazing and sunlight streaming down. A spectacular way to end a fantastic trip. Thanks Rod for organising the trip and also the TLCC Driver Trainers who skilled us up for this adventure. Christine, Marie, Des, Barry and Chris. BRIEF OVERVIEW Highlight: Diesel Price: OMG Moment: Weirdest Moment: Lack of Etiquette: Creb Track DAMAGE REPORT $2.28 per litre at Bamaga Prado snapped electrical wiring Seeing Kieren Perkins a second time. A wild horse staring into the tent in the middle of the night. A chap doing the full sniff test on several pairs of shorts before putting one on. 100 Series blade broken on radiator fan HiLux shattered back window while parked and a worn out disc brake 200 Series chipped windscreen. Chris Taylor TLCC NEWS DECEMBER