You have read the book – now see the movie : Cape York 2015

After we return from each of our extended tours I go through our images and videos and combine them into a video, or in some cases into a series of videos. When we did the Big Lap in 2009 the material took up almost all of 4 DVDs.

Normally I have produced one long story for each trip which has not been easy to break into sections. But for the Cape York trip last year I complied twelve shorter videos, which when combined, ran for almost an hour.

I have put links to some small video clips in various blog posts covering the Cape York trip so I thought I may as well break the longer production into manageable portions and load them to You Tube, to make the material more easily accessible to my blog readers.

The end result is six videos, each of a bit less than.ten minutes duration. Here is a summary of the videos and the link to each.

Cape York Adventure 2015 – Part 1. Covers from home to Airlie Beach and a day cruise through the Whitsunday Passage to Whitehaven Beach.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/Gb-xM_mio00[/youtube]

Cape York Adventure 2015 – Part 2. This video tells of the section from Airlie Beach to Weipa and our explorations around Weipa

[youtube]https://youtu.be/s3l03Rt5bdc[/youtube]

Cape York Adventure 2015 – Part 3. You will see much of what we saw as we travelled from Weipa to Punsand Bay, our visit to The Tip and our trips around Bamaga and Seisia

[youtube]https://youtu.be/Q693fD5CiFo[/youtube]

Cape York Adventure 2015 – Part 4. This covers two separate day trips to Thursday and Horne Islands. The material is combined into one story.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/1G168MSeuik[/youtube]

Cape York Adventure 2015 – Part 5. Join us as we travel down the East Coast of Far North Queensland from Seisia to Cairns and then visit Cairns city and the rain forest areas of Daintree and Cape Tribulation

[youtube]https://youtu.be/LrKySa1q42w[/youtube]

Cape York Adventure 2016 – Part 6. This video wraps up our trip with our visits to Tully Gorge and the Central Queensland gem field towns of Rubyvale and Sapphire.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/q0-Aud4KUYU[/youtube]

We hope that you will enjoy seeing something of the scenery and points of interest that we encountered on this enjoyable and challenging journey.

Until next time,

Kevin

 

The East MacDonnell Ranges

Our plan had been to take the van into the East and West MacDonnell Ranges and spend nights in various National Park camping facilities. But on our first morning in Alice Springs I woke with cold feet, so checked the Weather Channel’s app to find that the temperature was zero, but felt like – 3. The forecast made it clear that there would be no improvement over the next week or so. So the imperative become to find somewhere with electricity.

Fortunately, both areas have bush resorts with caravan parks attached that have powered sites available. So the new plan is fixed. The Ross River Resort for two nights, then Glen Helen Gorge Resort for two more and then back into Alice Springs for a final two nights.

Emily Gap from the north or "other side" of the mountain

Emily Gap from the north or “other side” of the mountain

We have covered this area before, but had missed some attractions through rain that had derailed our plans. There is, however, nothing wrong with a revisit or two. So for a start we revised Emily and Jessie Gaps. One of the unique features of the MacDonnell Ranges are the gaps that cut through them. These gaps take the form of creeks that carry water from the higher ground on the north side of the range to the lower south side and ultimately to the desert. Both flow into the better known Todd River.

Aboriginal carvings of  sacred catapillars

Aboriginal carvings of sacred catapillars

When we were here four years ago Jessie Gap was full of water but this year both are dry, as is Trephina Gorge, which was to have been our base in the area, until the cold weather sent us looking for electricity. As an alternative, we had planned to have lunch there, but the road in was quite rough so we decided to put the van on site at Ross River and return later in the day.

Trephina Bluff overlooks the gorge

Trephina Bluff overlooks the gorge

Trephina Gorge is worth a visit at any time. Trephina Creek runs a twisted course between rust red rock cliffs under the watchful eye of precipitous rust red mountains, including Trephina Bluff that provides a backdrop for campers. The mountains are decorated with green vegetation which includes white boughed ghost gums that really stand out against the vivid red of the rocks.

A very dry Trephina Gorge.

A very dry Trephina Gorge.

Four years ago Trephina Creek was flowing, but this time it is completely dry. But the lack of water allowed us to walk further along the creek bed and gain a much better understanding of the area above the gorge.

Ross River Resort is like Gemtree Caravan Park, in that it is situated on a sealed highway part of which becomes a link between two parts of the very unsealed Binns Track. In both cases a section of the Binns Track ends at the highway and it is necessary to travel a short distance on the highway to reach the next part of the Track.

A rutted start to this section of the Binns Track

A rutted start to this section of the Binns Track

Ross River Resort is an older bush establishment sighted around the original station homestead with basic accommodation in older style cabins. About one kilometer away, on the opposite side of the Binns Track the very spacious camp ground is almost tucked in between two mountain ranges. Facilities are basic but clean and everyone is friendly.

Mountains on the drive to Arltunga

Mountains on the drive to Arltunga

In addition to places already mentioned we had on our list the N’Dhalia Gorge which is only a few km down the Binns Track from Ross River and the Arltunga Historical Reserve, about 40 km to the north. N’Dhalia Gorge was scratched when I baulked at a water crossing where the track crosses the Ross River just near the camp ground. I am not confident with water crossings and found later that this one was OK, but by that time it was too late in the day. Arltunga was a different matter.

Arltunga Visitor Information Centre

Arltunga Visitor Information Center

The old gold town of Arltunga was the first European settlement in Central Australia. Explorers found what they thought were rubies so a ruby rush started. But the gems were almost worthless garnets. Two of the disappointed miners decided to look for other minerals and found gold. South Australia now had its very own gold rush. South Australia had responsibility

Restored managers residence at Government gold processing facility

Restored managers residence at Government gold processing facility

for Northern Territory at that time. The gold find and subsequent development of the town of Arltunga lead to the SA government deciding to commit to Central Australia. They established the town of Stuart the name of which was later changed to Alice Springs.

Arltunga was 800 km from the rail head at Oodnadatta. Miners had to find their own way along the route of the overland telegraph line to

Restored police station and lockup

Restored police station and lockup

Alice Springs and then travel through the East MacDonnell Ranges to Arltunga, a further 100 km or so, often pushing their meager belongings in a wheelbarrow.

Because the area is so isolated, when the gold ran out the residents simply left and the process of deterioration commenced. Nothing was built in its place. Buildings were constructed from the stone of the surrounding countryside so have been easy to rebuild. There is an information center that does an excellent job of telling the story and also supplies excellent maps and other material.

The now closed Arltunga pub

The now closed Arltunga pub

Buildings have been restored at the site of the government ore processing battery while the police station and lockup look ready for the return of officers and miscreants. Gold mining was both alluvial and underground. Two underground mines are available for inspection by those who remember to bring a torch.

Another roadside mountain range

Another roadside mountain range

The drive from Ross River to Arltunga is superb. The road goes through a pass that follows the course of the dry Bitter Springs Creek and then runs along adjacent to the northern face of a most picturesque red mountain range. Turning northeast it parallels another range of a different hue, crosses a plain and reaches Arltunga at the foot of the next range of hills. The gravel road varies from a few areas of vehicle destroying corrugations to smooth surfaces, but most of the way it was like most gravel roads – light corrugations that can comfortably be taken at 60 mph.

The Binns Track south towards D'Halia Gorge.

The Binns Track south towards N’Dhalia Gorge.

The East MacDonnell Ranges tend to be overshadowed by their Western counterparts, probably because the latter have more marketable features that attract the “been there done that” and the “bucket list” people. But I am more an ambiance person. I like just being in the East MacDonnell Ranges, because of the atmosphere that results from the colour, form and variety of scenery that makes the place so unique.

A Drive on Binns Track

Feeding galahs

A flock of feeding galahs

After spending the morning doing general maintenance on van and car, we decided on a drive. Gemtree Caravan Park provides mud maps for local drives. We were given a choice of two drives but one was a bit long for the time available so we set out on the shorter alternative. Both included part of the Bins Track, a favorite with the hairy chested 4WD set. It starts near the western side of the Simpson Desert, finally joining the Stuart Highway south of Tennant Creek. The folk who helped winch our travelling companion from the bog on our way to Windorah said they intended to use Binns Track to get as far north as possible.

Strange diggings near the fossicking area

Strange diggings near the fossicking area

This section of Bins Track turns south just 8 km east of Gemtree and, like most gravel roads, was corrugated, but not badly so. The first thing for us to look out for was a fossicking area where garnet and zircon can be found and the bush camping area nearby. There were no obvious diggings, but the ground was littered with sparkling stones, quartz and the like. The camping area is in a lightly treed paddock with no facilities. But people come in significant numbers and stay for long periods, such is the lure of gemstones.

The mountains that were our destination

The mountains that were our destination

Back on the Bins Track we passed through several closed gates (that had to be closed agin after our passing through) and some Indigenous land where to leave the road required a permit. The road was basically a single lane track but that didn’t mean we had it to

Typical hill in this area

Typical hill in this area

ourselves. As we climbed a small hill and entered bush, on a very narrow section we met a large shiny black 4WD towing an even larger black and grey off road van. It looked a bit out of place. I pulled off the single lane track to make way and wound down my window to offer a greeting, but these luxuriously equipped adventurers just passed by with barely a glance.

Old mining equipment

Old mining equipment

Tailings from the copper mine

Tailings from the copper mine

The hole in the hill was probably the old mine

The hole in the hill was probably the old mine

Collapsed bore head tripod

Collapsed bore head tripod

At the end of our journey we found relics of an early copper mine. The trip had a title of “The Mad German’s Mine” but that was not really the objective. We were out for a drive through sweeping semi desert lands dotted with those rocky topped mountains so typical of this part of Australia.

Back at camp, between four vans we provided enough fire wood for a magnificent camp fire. I don’t know about the stars, though. I was too busy cooking the steak on the Barbie plate over the fire to notice.

 

 

 

Keeping the camp fire warm

Keeping the camp fire warm

A Changed Itinerary – Part 2

When I walked into the office at Tobermorey, two young people were standing near the counter, but there was no vehicle outside. It turned out that the couple had stayed at Tobermorey the previous night and had left that morning bound for Alice Springs, but 53 km along the way had rolled their car. They were both uninjured but were worried about their belongings that they had been forced to leave beside the road, when they accepted a ride back to Tobermorey in a road train. Except for the lady in the office all station staff were out mustering.

Tobermorey Homestead

Tobermorey Homestead

In remote Australia you expect help and you give help. So we unloaded our car to make as much room as possible and the young German student and I set off to collect their possessions. That’s how I know that the accident took place 53 km along the road. The car, an aging Toyota Prado, had rolled once and landed on its wheels. Their belongings had remained in the back and two surf boards on the roof rack were undamaged.  How does that work?

The wrecked Prado

The wrecked Prado

The young man’s English wasn’t perfect so I had not understood about the surf boards. Surf boards heading for the Red Centre? He told me later that they were going to Cairns via Darwin. Surf boards don’t make much sense in Cairns either, but he didn’t know that.

We were scratching our heads about attaching two long surfboards to my roof rack when three 4WD vehicles pulled up. They were camping road side before Tobermorey, but would be happy to drop the surfboards off the next morning. We spent the evening with the couple, Germans studying in Sydney, trying to keep our selves warm on a rather cold night by a camp fire.

If I ever accuse anyone of speaking bull dust I will now do so with greater authority. We encountered much of it on our way to Jervois Station, our destination for the second day of our off road trip. We left Tobermorey at about 9 am after saying our goodbyes to our young friends and almost immediately met the folk delivering the surfboards.

Plenty Highway Corrugations. There were plenty of them.

Plenty Highway Corrugations. There were plenty of them.

We stopped at the side of the road for morning tea. A station hand, driving a utility with all manner of equipment on the back, stopped to make sure we were OK. He was on for a chat and knew about the accident, as it happened on the station for which he worked. Roads go through and not around out here.

On a deteriorating road we passed the derelict Prado and soon started to come across bull dust patches. They had hardened with the rain so were not too much of a problem. For substantial distances half the road was corrugated gravel and the other half bull dust with heavy tyre marks embedded in it. Driving through it threw us around a bit but with reduced speed the bull dust gave a better ride than the corrugated gravel.

Ruth with ants nest

Ruth with ants nest

A little further on, after passing huge roadside ants’ nests, we reached the point where graders were working on a highway upgrade. Two graders, working in tandem were grading long stretches and

Jervois Station on the banks of the Marshall River

Jervois Station on the banks of the Marshall River

producing long sections of super highway. With the improved road we reached Jervois Station earlier than expected and settled in as the sole tenant in the red dirt camping area. Jervois Station takes its name from the

Our van viewed from the bed of the river

Our van viewed from the bed of the river

Jervois Range to its north. The camping area and homestead are on the banks of a wide, sandy and very dry Marshall River, which flows, when it contains water in sufficient volume, south to the Hay River which in turn flows into the Simpson Desert and disappears. Jervois is best known to Simpson Desertophiles who use it as a refueling point after completing a south to north crossing.

The dry sandy bed of the Plenty River

The dry sandy bed of the Marshall River

The final leg of this first long trip over unsealed roads was 220 km to Gemtree in the Harts Range. The name of our destination suggests gem stones, a commodity for which the area is world famous. Gemtree is a caravan park that specialises as a holidays location for gem hunters. But we will not be gem hunting. After five solid days of driving the time had come for a break.

The leg to Gemtree was a relatively easy drive. The early part of the trip was, like late the previous day, freshly graded, but as we progressed onto previously graded road the more previous it got the rougher it got, to the point where I was not unhappy to reach the sealed road just before Gemtree.

The administration building at Gemtree Caravan Park

The administration building at Gemtree Caravan Park

So tomorrow we may ask for one of the park’s mud maps and do a bit of a tour of the local area. Or perhaps not! But we probably will go out to find some wood to feed the fire place beside our site so that we can spend the last night of the Donohue /Plenty crossing under the incredible array of stars that are visable when there are few lights to interfere with the view.

 

We have produced a video that covers this segment of the trip and the segment that precedes it.

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=czHbkrloHVc