Trip Route : Adelaide to The Tip & back, showing the campspots
How many outback campgrounds will let these guys in?
That t-shirt is a real worry, Tosh!
Now, THAT'S a knife !!
Time Zero...
First Iced Coffee
Quick re-tie at Pt Wakefield - the sentimental canvas tarp had ripped in the wind!
Kupsch bakery @ Crystal Brook - eyes bigger than stomach!
1st night - Glendambo campground behind Woodys roadhouse
Campsite at Glendambo, SA
BBQ dinner at Glendambo
Trying sat phone at Glendambo, SA
Glendambo campground
Can you see the sewer vents? Sure can smell them!! (Glendambo campground)
Fuelling up at Glendambo, SA
Road Trains at Glendambo, SA
Techo on the job
Nodding off - thank goodness for cruise control!
Bizarre scene from the bizarre Coober Pedy
North on Stuart Hwy. GPS pretty much said this for the first three days!
SA/NT border
Footy photo, crossing into NT on way North
Campsite out back of Kulgera, NT
Tosh posing with his multi-grip-inspired pot holder! Patent pending...
Campsite, Back of Kulgera, NT
Back of Kulgera, NT
Campfire, Back of Kulgera, NT
Had to secure guy-ropes during the night as the wind sprung up. Back of Kulgera, NT
Techo very proud of his 4-slice toaster. It later proved to be painfully slow and was shelved.
Bloody cold morning at Kulgera campsite
Trialling NT Iced Coffee @ Erldunda, turnoff to Uluru
Woo Hoo in the Territory!!!
Banana & bread at Stuart's Well
Stuart's Well, sth of Alice
Thru' the Gap at The Alice
Lunch @ Alice Botanic Gdns
Yum
Lunch at Alice Springs Botanic Gdns
Lunch stop at The Alice Springs Botanic Gdns
Western end of the Plenty Hwy
The Gem Tree Campground, Plenty Hwy NT
Campsite at The Gem Tree, Plenty Hwy, NT
Campsite at The Gem Tree, NT
Tosh's Terriffic Tortilla's (at The Gem Tree)
Leftover Chili con Carne on Toast for breakfast at The Gem Tree
First day in the shorts at The Gem Tree (premature, but...)
The Halfway Point to The Tip, Tarlton Downs Tower, Plenty Hwy, NT
At the Qld border, nth of Tobermorey, NT
Crossing the Georgina River near Urandangie, Qld
Modelling the cap from Urandangi Bush Resort (!?)
Campsite at Urandangi, Qld
Campsite at Urandangi
The Urandangi Pub, Qld
Urandangi Pub's beer garden
Urandangi Pub Beer Garden
Iced coffee outside Woolies, Mt Isa
Mt Isa countryside
Country greening up north of Cloncurry
Dustbowl campsite at Burke & Wills Roadhouse
Burke & Wills Campground
Unpacked, tent up, showered, kicking back...
What's Tosh got on the menu tonight? Not baked beans & pasta I hope!
Foreground: Penne and navy bean baked with crimson tomato jus. Background: Penne of sweet chilli tuna with sundried tomato pesto.
Burke & Wills Roadhouse
The Burke & Wills Roadhouse campground/dustbowl
The Purple Pub, Normanton Qld
Everything's big in Qld. Barramundi at Normanton, Qld
Great camping rig spied at Normanton
Do I HAVE to go into the bakery!! Normanton, Qld
The Old Boys' servo at Normanton, Qld. A relic run by relics.
Welcome sign, Karumba
Sunset Tavern & beer garden, Karumba Point, Qld
Tosh at The Gulf
Lunch at Sunset Tavern, Karumba (very average food)
Tosh lunch at Sunset Tavern, Karumba
Techo at The Gulf
Sunset Tavern and Gulf of Carpenteria view, Karumba Point, Qld
Our cabin for two nights, Karumba caravan park
Home Sweet Home at Karumba for 2 night R&R after a long drive from Adelaide
Cabin at Karumba
Trying to fashion new ideas to tame the rogue canvas cover on the roofrack...
Small dinghy; bloody massive esky! Must be stack of fish in these waters
I can't see a USB socket or a wi-fi antenna anywhere on this baby...
Tosh's perfect runabout
Pharmacy & Furniture!??!! Fishbreath Cafe?!!? What-the??? (Karumba)
The Gulf Country Caravan Park, Karumba
This one's for you MG......no Mt Gay Rum up here!!
BBQ with imaginative salad presentation
There's that job done and it's not even 8am yet!... Now what? This R&R is stressful. Karumba.
Karumba
Fire truck in someone's backyard in Karumba
Raptis Bros. seafood depot at Kaurumba
Ash's Holiday Units & Cabins, Karumba Point. Note the ironic windfarm turbine.
Ash's Units & Cabins, Karumba Point, Qld. Note the ironic windfarm turbine.
Neighbours' catch, Karumba
Who'd ride a bike way out here???
Dust in the sunrise. Driving up Burke Dev Rd nth of Karumba.
Dust in the morning, heading north out from Karumba
Gate to Mitchell River crossing, Dunbar Station
Gate to Mitchell River crossing at Dunbar - an ominous sign
View of the Mitchell River crossing point on Dunbar Station
The Mitchell River impasse at Dunbar Station. Too wide, too deep, too soft. Had to turn around.
Returning back through the gate after aborting a crossing of the Mitchell at Dunbar
The Lynd River crossing on the Burke Development Rd
Mitchell River crossing on Gamboola Station
The Mitchell River crossing at Gamboola Station. We made it across here, yippee!
One-way gate for cattle (and tourists)
Palmer River crossing at King Junction Station
Palmer River crossing, King Junction Stn
Palmer River at King Junction Stn (looking west)
Cattleyards of King Junction Stn
Vista from our Palmer River campsite on King Junction Station
Campsite on the Palmer River on King Junction Station
Campsite King Junction Stn
Tossing a line in - Palmer River
I don't reckon there's anything out there...
Met Herb, checking his nets for cherub in The Palmer River
Glimpse of historic gold dredge stuck in Palmer River
Historic gold dredge stranded in the Palmer River
Historic Gold Dredge stuck in Palmer River
Historic gold dredge stuck in Palmer River
Historic gold derdge stuck in Palmer River
Histroric gold dredge stuck in Palmer River
Leaving King Junction Stn
The Penninsula Development Rd - the main road to The Cape
Some bitumen bits gave welcome relief from corrugtions on the Penninsula Dev Rd
The first of the famous hamburger stops
Hann River roadhouse
Hann River Roadhouse
Drying tent flys at Hann River
The pass near Yarraden
Techo taking a quick shower at The Bend campsite, Coen
Campsite at The Bend, Coen
Tosh's Coke, with added preservative
The usual neat-and-tidy rules have been relaxed up here on The Cape...
Techo toiling with Technology at Coen
Wading back across croc-infested stream at Coen after a toilet break
Art in nature, Coen Cascades
Soothing a strained ankle at the Coen Cascades
The Coen Cascades
Vista from the Coen Cascades
Archer River crossing
Approaching the Mining Truck road crossing, heading into Weipa
Super-highway built by Rio Tinto for their heavy vehicles at Weipa
Wash-down at Weipa campground
Sunday Roast in the making... Weipa
Weipa Campground
Weipa campground site
Weipa sunset
Superb Sunday roast beef & three veg with gravy. Mmmm... Weipa
Shopping again (Weipa)
These might be the Menz Crown Mints in disguise! They turned out to be fantastic substitutes for the SA Menz Crown Mints!
Woolworths' bakery section; in the freezer
We only saw eight Pajeros up on The Cape. EVERYONE drives Toyota or Nissan. Here are two of the Pajeros, and another Mitsubishi ute, wrecked and left alongside the servo at Weipa
CORRUGATIONS
MORE CORRUGATIONS
Dustclouds
He's a biggie!
The Blues Brother...
EVEN MORE CORRUGATIONS!
Bramwell Junction waystop at the start of the Old Telegraph Track
Bramwell Junction
Preparing to start on the Old Telegraph Track, Bramwell Junction
The start of the Old Telegraph Line track, Bramwell Junction
The start of the Old Telegraph Line Track, Bramwell Junction
The start of the Old Telegraph Track (OTT)
Techo wading out to check the depth at Ducie Creek
Techo walking out of Ducie Creek angry 'cause Tosh left him in the water dodging his bow-wave
He's been sent out to walk through again...
Rest stop
Entrance to Bertie Creek
Washaway on the track, 6ft deep
Lean to the right, Techo !!!!
Gunshot. Looking at our entrance on the south side
Tosh testing the depth at the bottom of the Gunshot dropoff
Memorial to rescues past; Gunshot
Gunshot entries looking from the north side
Our Gunshot entry
Tosh, the terrifying wild beachtowel hunter
Cockatoo Creek crossing, looking south from our campsite
Fetching water from Cockatoo Creek
Tosh's good deed for the day - gathering & burning rubbish left by other careless campers
Cockatoo Creek
Exit to Cockatoo Creek (nth side)
Campsite at Cockatoo Creek, Old Telegraph Track
Fruitbat Falls on the OTT
In for a swim at Fruitbat Falls on the OTT
Fruitbat Falls
Natural spa at Fruitbat Falls
Pitcher plants at Fruitbat Falls
Indian Head Falls on the OTT
Indian Head Falls
Downstream from Indian Head Falls
Eliot Falls on the OTT
Walkway to Eliot Falls
Entrance to Canibal Creek crossing. Just round the lefthand bend is where Tosh came to grief and damaged the front bib on the bullbar
Entry to Cannibal Creek
Damage from Cannibal Creek entry ledge
You've got to be joking! I'm not driving over that!!
This looks dodgy to me...
I want my Mum!
We made it across the log bridge!
Got a bit of a lean up!!
Techo up to his shorts in an unnamed ford
Had to get a photo of an old telegraph pole
Celebratory apples after conquering the Old Telegraph Track
Pulling into the Jardine Ferry site (sth side)
Waiting for Jardine Ferry (sth side)
Chatting with 'Shoulders' while waiting for the Jardine Ferry
Some crazy people choose to ride to the Tip!
The ferry at the Jardine River
Errol's ('Shoulders') home-made rig
Jardine Ferry (sth side) $88 per vehicle (return)
Brushfires on the raod to Punsand Bay
Beachview from Cable Beach bush campsite near Punsand Bay
Beach view from Cable Beach bush campsite near Punsand Bay
Punsand Bay beachfront Cabents
Our Cabent at Punsand Bay
Relaxing and soaking up the view and relative luxury of our cabent at Punsand Bay, just 15km from The Tip
Needless to say, we didn't swim or fish at Punsand Bay...
View from beachfront cabent at Punsand Bay
Closeup of damaged bullbar bib from Cannibal Creek
Closeup of damaged sidestep from the OTT
Closeup of bent aerial from narrow tracks on the OTT
First attempt at a repair - later successfully replaced with some cable-ties
Bush turkeys at Punsand Bay
Techo blogging on the beach, Punsand Bay
Blogging on the beach, Punsand Bay
Shortcut track from Punsand Bay to The Tip
Corrugations again, even on the last track to The Tip!!
Great parking spot, Tosh! The Tip, Cape York
Looking west toward Punsand Bay from the cairn above the Tip
Cairn on rise overlooking The Tip
View overlooking the tip - you can see the marker sign at the water's edge in the bottom centre of the picture
Tosh & Techo's Terriffic Tip Trip hits target! Wed-5-Aug, 2009
Not getting too carried away, am I? Woo-hoo!!!
It's been a loooong wait, but oh so worth it!
Tosh took this photo of the very tippety-tip, where the mainland meets the sea
Phoning home
Techo checking phone coverage... Full marks to Telsta NextG!!
If you're interested...
Pioneering Jardine family residence ruins at Somerset, near The Tip
At Somerset House site
Somerset beach trashsite
Graves at Somerset beach
Grave at Somerset beach
Gravestone at Somerset beach
A typical beach view up at Tip territory (Somerset Beach)
Time for more running repairs before the trek home
Celebratory steak with potato & carrot fritters, beetroot, corn & peas
Jackey Jackey Airfield, Bamaga Qld. WWII wrecks are in the forest visible on the left
WW2 Aircraft Crash site nr Jackey Jackey airfield, Bamaga
WW2 aircraft crash site nr Jackey Jackey airfield, Bamaga
WWII wreckage near Jackey Jackey airfield
WWII werckage
WWII wreckage
Molten wreckage
WWII Fuel Dump near Jackey Jackey airfield, Bamaga
DC3 wreck near Jackey Jackey Airfield, Bamaga
Jardine River Ferryman
They're starting to improve the alignment of the Southern Bypass Rd
Corrugations on the Bypass Rd, Cape York are truly horrendous and relentless
Bugger! I left the turbo breather line off the air filter last night!
A modern day Telegraph Line marker. Optical fibre to the tip
Roadworks improving the Bypass Rd on The Cape - very needed
Tosh reckons this machine makes corrugations - he wanted to stop and destroy it
The Servo & Post Office at Coen
Campsite at The Bend, Coen on our homeward leg
Green ant nest in a Hakea tree, The Bend campsite, Coen. It's the size of a soccer ball.
The Coen river is a babbling brook during the dry season
Jardine Ferry from the north
Discovered bracket supporting cruise control unit had fatigued & failed over the corrugations
Makeshift cruise control bracket renovation - coat hanger wire & duct tape
Cruise control unit remounted as good as new !!
Note to self: “don't think of taking a Ford onto the Cape”. What were they thinking?!
Musgrave telegraph station toilet stop on the way back down
Lunchstop at Isabella Falls, Battlecamp Rd approaching Cooktown
Roadsign on Battlecamp Rd near Cooktown. This sign is clearly for people who HAVEN'T just driven down off The Cape!!
Very peaceful, shady campsite at Cooktown Caravan Park, out the back of town, with great amenities
Hey Techo... Fetch me slingshot, quick !!
Cooktown souvenir - folding toaster to replace the temporary handmade item
Bloomfield bitumen
Black Mountain leading out of Cooktown
Bloomfield River
Bitumen around the Bloomfield River
Causeway across the Bloomfield
The Bloomfield River
They put rocks in the speedhumps through the Daintree
Servo in the Daintree
Waiting for the Daintree Ferry
Waiting for The Daintree Ferry
Crossing the Daintree
Master Chef Bev plating up at our Cairns stopover
Windfarm near Ravenshoe, Qld
Campsite in Undara Lava Lodge's back carpark
Campsite in the Undara Lava Lodge's back carpark
Techo blogging while the bbq cooks... Undara, Qld
The Kookaburra who helped himself to our carrot & cheese at Undarra
A dewy morning at Undara
The Oasis Roadhouse at The Lynd junction north of Hughenden
Polly wanto to fill 'er up? Oasis Roadhouse, The Lynd junction, Qld
The Oasis Roadhouse at The Lynd Junction, Qld
Iced Coffee stop at The Lynd Junction, nth of Hughenden, Qld. The tent fly is drying in the sun after the dewy morning at Undara.
Porcupine Gorge near Hughenden Qld. The only bit of interesting landscape scenery for hundreds of km around!
Worthwhile and much needed rest stop at Porcupine Gorge near Hughenden Qld
Porcupine Gorge, north of Hughenden Qld
Sign entering Corfield, Qld
We missed the Corfield Cup race by two days!!
Panorama of Corfield in the middle of nowhere en route to Winton
This is the scenery we 'enjoyed' during today's looong drive to Winton
Another example of the prime scenery to enjoy en route to Winton
Campsite at Winton
The Muttaburrasaurus at Hughenden, Qld
The Lark Quarry dinosaur footprints' story
Lark Quarry
There's one in every crowd...
Three-toed footpring at Lark Quarry
Impressive building at Lark Quarry Conservation Park
Lark Quarry Cons Park
Lookout overlooking Lark Quarry Building
Inside the Lark Quarry footprint hall
Inside the Lark Quarry dinosaur footprint hall
Inside the Lark Quarry dinosaur footprint conservation hall
Footprints unearthed at Lark Quarry
Tour guide at Lark Quarry
Birds of the type we accidentally collided with later in the day...
Lunchstop en route to Windorah
Road to Nowhere on the track from Winton to Windorah
Solar collectors at Windorah Qld
Windorah pub
Antique servo in Windorah
Campsite at Windorah
Dusty camground at Windorah
Haddon Cnr
Haddon Corner (cnr Qld & SA)
Art in nature, Haddon Cnr
Techo checking GPS at Haddon Corner
The Dig Tree
Flys abound at The Dig Tree
Hopeful...
Dropping a hopeful line in The Cooper Creek at The Dig Tree
Blogging on The Cooper at The Dig Tree
The Cooper Creek at The Dig Tree
Campsite at The Dig Tree
Techo & Tosh at The Dig Tree
Dusk at The Dig Tree
Techo at The Dig Tree (twice)
Campsite at sunset at The Dig Tree
“Scenery” en route to Nappa Merrie from Windorah
Iced Coffee stop en route to Nappa Merrie
Back to the greenery of SA's mid-north
Windfarm near Snowtown, SA
One last drinks-&-chips after arriving back in Adelaide after a marvellous adventure
Home again, a little worse for wear
