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

 

Cape York Adventure – Days 21 to 28 – Bamaga and the Voyage South

I had been wondering how I would handle reporting  our return over the same roads in my blog when the problem was solved in an unexpected way.

We had travelled down from Punsand Bay to Seisia on Sunday, with the intention of doing the Seisia to Bramwell Junction section the following day. That meant again traversing the Bamaga Road and I wanted to be well rested for it. Driving on those roads requires intense concentration and is rather tiring.

I did not sleep well on the Sunday night, so we decided to take a rest day. Early on Monday morning I walked to the camping park office to pay for another night and was

MV Trinity Bay approaching Seisia

MV Trinity Bay approaching Seisia

confronted by a sign that said, “Why drive back?” I really related to that question. And since it was on a sign for SeaSwift, the shipping company that services Torres Straight, I figured that they just might have vacancies on the ship back to Cairns.

So I went to their office, and yes, there was space for the car and van and yes, they had a cabin available. And just to clinch the deal, because departure was only four days away, stand by rates would apply. Done deal!

The crash site of a DC3 near Bamaga airport

The crash site of a DC3 near Bamaga airport

We filled in the intervening days easily. One was spent on the trip back to Thursday Island and during one other I got as much of the red paste off the car and van as possible. The vehicles were to be shipped as deck cargo. I didn’t want to arrive in Cairns with salt encrusted red paste all over the car and van. As it turned out we had a very smooth passage, so there was not much spray. A heavy rain

The plaque commemorating the loss of a Bristol Beaufort Mark VIII with all crew near Bamaga Airport

The plaque commemorating the loss of a Bristol Beaufort Mark VIII with all crew near Bamaga Airport

shower as we approached Cairns took care of any salt that had settled on the vehicles.

We also took the opportunity of visiting some of the WWII history around Bamaga. The current Bamaga airport was an air force base during the war so logically there are crashed aircraft in the area. Two have been retained and partially protected for posterity. To reach the crash site near the airport it is necessary to drive through an area of bush. Lying in the undergrowth there are thousands of rusting fuel drums. Imagine the logistical task of moving those huge volumes of supplies to such a remote area over 70 years ago.

The Jacky Jacky memorial is placed in a corner of the car park at the airport.

The Jacky Jacky memorial is placed in a corner of the car park at the airport.

There are two interesting memorials in the airport car park at Bamaga. One is to Aboriginal tracker and loyal companion to the ill fated explorer Edmond Kennedy, Jacky Jacky. There are a number of reminders of his bravery and loyalty in the northern area of the Cape. Indeed, I wonder if Loyalty Beach near Seisia is named in honour if his actions.

The wording on the Jacky Jacky memorial

The wording on the Jacky Jacky memorial

At the front of the small airport terminal, a monument to the victims of that aircraft crash several years ago in the Iron Range National Park near Lockhart River, has been erected. The doomed aircraft departed Bamaga airport and was lost before it reached its first stop on its run back to Cairns. The shape of the memorial is similar to many of the headstones that we

The memorial for the Lockhart River aircraft crash

The memorial for the Lockhart River aircraft crash

saw on graves at Thursday Island cemetery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MV Trinity Bay berthed at Saisia wharf

MV Trinity Bay berthed at Seisia wharf

We boarded MV Trinity Bay at about 11.00 am, settled into our cabin, lunched and then watched the container unloading and reloading process. The ship is fitted with a crane.The whole process of loading and unloading is handled by the ship’s crew, as there are no stevedore facilities at Seisia or Thursday Island.

Our car and van being positioned for lifting on board

Our car and van being positioned for lifting on                                          board

Passenger vehicles are loaded last at Seisia so they can be unloaded first at Cairns, so it was dark and we had finished dinner by the time vehicles were loaded. Ours was second last. Car and van were loaded coupled for towing. They had been driven onto a freight base with the front wheels of the car at one extremity and the wheels of the van at the other. That portion of the van behind the wheels was hanging

Up, up and away!

Up, up and away!

in space. Our pride and joy swinging into the sky before being deposited cross ways at the very front of the ship is a sight that I will never forget.

We had gone to our cabin for the night before we left Seisia but when we started to move I went on deck to watch the lights if Seisia disappear astern. Normally Trinity Bay heads directly for Cairns from Seisia, but had to return to Horn Island to load more containers, before returning south. We slept through the first couple of hours of loading containers but were awake for the last hour and for the departure from Horn Island at about 3.00 am.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/jLkYV09ct_k[/youtube]

Sunrise at sea

Sunrise at sea

A typical coral cay with light tower

A typical coral cay with light tower

When we woke at about 6.00 am we had rounded Cape York and had commenced our passage south. Unless we were crossing a large Bay we were close to the coast and could see most of its features. There was an increase in the amount of cloud with further increased, including rain, by the time we reached Cairns. But it was pleasant weather and most passengers spent their time on the open deck at the stern where we could select sunshine or shade and were sheltered from the wind, which was coming from the direction of the bow, helped, of course, by the passage of the ship.

There is a routine to shipboard life.  Breakfast was at 7.00 am, lunch at 12 noon and dinner at 6.00 pm.  Standard procedure is for the passengers to stand back and allow the crew to serve themselves first.  It is, after all, a working ship, not a passenger liner.  A cake would appear, freshly baked from the galley at about 9.30 am and happy hour nibbles at around 5.00 pm. Coffee, tea and biscuits were available at any time, but self service, of course.

The control area on the bridge. The sailor in the chair is the duty officer.

The control area on the bridge. The sailor in the chair is the duty officer.

Passengers on the open deck

Passengers on the open deck

On Sunday morning, the second morning on board, passengers were invited by the Captain to visit the bridge for a presentation on the operation of the vessel. We were given statistical information and details of the operation and navigation. Trinity Bay has two captains and two separate crew. They work in rotation, working for four weeks on duty and four weeks off. Automatic pilot was engaged so no passengers got to steer.

There was only one task for Trinity Bay to perform on the way south. On Saturday evening, just before dusk, the ship stopped in a sheltered bay near the Aboriginal settlement of Lockhart River, where we were met by a barge. Trinity Bay used its crane to load a refrigerated container and a fork lift onto the barge. The fork lift was used to transfer the contents of the container into permanent cold storage on the barge. The empty container and the fork lift were loaded back on board and we were on our way into the gathering darkness while the barge proceeded to Lockhart River with its frozen and chilled supplies.

Passed by a larger and faster ship

Passed by a larger and faster ship

During the night we passed the broad expanse of Princess Charlotte Bay, the scene of probably the greatest maritime disaster in Australian waters.  A pearling fleet of between 80 and 100 boats was totally destroyed when Cyclone Marino swept across the bay in 1899. About 100 Aborigines and 307 pearling crew lost their lives.

The silica loading jetty at Cape Flattery

The silica loading jetty at Cape Flattery

By morning we had rounded Cape Melville and when I went on deck before breakfast, we were off Berwick Island with Cape Flattery soon to be passed as we approached Cooktown.

Cape Flattery is home to a silica mine, the loading Jetty for which was clearly visible as we passed, but no ships were loading. The pure white of the silica deposits stand out in sharp relief from the surrounding vegetation. Not surprising since the deposits are 98% pure silica.

The coast south of Cooktown

The coast south of Cooktown

A little further south, and inland, is the Aboriginal community of Hope Vale that both supplies labour to the silica mine and is the home of well known Aboriginal leader, Noel Pearson.

We could clearly see the mouth of the Endeavor River but Cooktown is out of site behind Grassy Hill, the elevated area to which James Cook would climb to plot a route through the coral reefs as he planned his escape from the temporary sandbank dockyard  where the Endeavor was under repair by its crew.

Cloud over Cape Tribulation

Cloud over Cape Tribulation

Most passengers were looking forward to seeing the mountains of the Bloomfield Ranges and their precipitous plunge into the sea, but Mother Nature had other ideas.  A heavy rain storm came through and obliterated the view of the coast. Rain was still falling as night fell and we retired to the dining room for dinner.

Rain clouds hid Port Douglas as well but the weather had cleared

Ready for another load

Ready for another load

as we started to pass the northern suburbs of Cairns. The resulting improvement to conditions on the upper deck attracted most passengers out of the dining room to line the rails as MV Trinity Bay made her way down the long channel and turned in the basin to sidle into her berth.

Ready to drive away

Ready to drive away

Passengers with hotel accommodation disembarked, but about half of us, who were going to caravan parks, stayed on board for a third night, to allow time for vehicles to be unloaded. When we came on deck next morning the containers were all on the wharf and our vehicles were parked on an adjacent roadway in readiness for our departure. With breakfast over we were soon disembarked and on our way to our caravan park.

Cape York Adventure – Days 20 & 24 – Thursday Island

The TI ferry approaching Seisia wharf

The TI ferry approaching Seisia wharf

Travelers to the Cape York region normally have among their objectives to stand at the tip of the Cape, the most northern point on the mainland and to visit Thursday Island. We were no different. Having reached the Tip the next agenda item was Thursday Island or TI as it is known to locals. We visited TI twice.

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

On the day following the experience of standing on the northern most point, we drove over that mostly atrocious road back to Bamaga and then the additional 5 km to the TI ferry terminal at Seisia wharf. And that meant negotiating it again on the way back to Punsand Bay. The extra distance to Seisia is sealed, as are all the roads linking Indigenous communities at the Cape.

Looking towards the town from the ferry terminal

Looking towards the town of TI from the ferry                                       terminal

The ferry crossing takes a bit over an hour. For the first part of the journey the ferry is travelling in protected waters but then crosses Endeavor Straight where there is less protection, so it can be a but rough. The route then passes Possession Island, so named by Lt.  James Cook in 1770 as it was on this island, after passing through Torrens Straight, that he planted the Union Jack in the soil of the island and claimed the entire East coast of New Holland for King George III. He named the claimed area New Wales.

Part of the main street of Thursday Island

Part of the main street of Thursday Island

The ferry route then passes to the east of Prince of Wales Island, the second largest island in Queensland, after Fraser Island, and finally through the channel between Prince of Wales Island and Horne Island into the protected harbor formed by those two islands and Thursday Island.

Thursday Island was named by Captain William Bligh as he made his way back to civilisation from the mutiny to which he was subjected and for which he is famous. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Islands were named for the day on which he passed them in a search for water. There are no Saturday, Sunday and Monday Islands, so it is left to speculation that Bligh found water and then took a long weekend.

A gun at Green Hill Fort

A gun at Green Hill Fort

On our first visit, the bus for the TI tour was waiting for us, so we were straight into the program. The first and most interesting feature was Green Hill Fort. Built on a hill on the southern end of the island, it was one of many naval gun installations built around Australia in the 1890s when Australian officialdom thought that the Russians were coming.

One of the passages guarded by the fort

One of the passages guarded by the fort

The guns, although no longer usable, remain in place, each one pointing directly at a gap between the islands through which a threat could have come. Some of the passage ways tunneled under the gun emplacements have been converted into a museum, with displays that tell the story of the settlement and the island people whose interests TI administers. The impact of WWII and the involvement of about 800 Islander volunteers is a major feature of the displays.

A profusion of flowers at the cemetery

A profusion of flowers at the cemetery

Our next port of call was the cemetery. Traditionally, death is celebrated to a greater extent than that to which most of us are accustomed. Headstones are very ornate with a great deal of detailed information inscribed on them and flowers, both natural and artificial are used in great quantities and to great effect .

Thursday Island cemetery

Thursday Island cemetery

As I understand common practice, there is a graveside ceremony upon internment. Then there is a waiting period while the headstone is obtained. Most are shipped in from the south, mainly from Brisbane. On arrival, there is another ceremony for the erecting of the headstone, which remains covered until an unveiling and dedication is held at a later time.

Looking over the town to Horn Island

Looking over the town to Horn Island

In addition periodic ceremonies are conducted at the cemetery by various ethnic groups, so you can see that the cemetery is a centre of cultural activity. On the day that we were there, bunting had been hung by Japanese folk, probably in association with the graves of Japanese pearl divers buried there.

The tour then covered the other

Ruth checking the size of a diving suit

Ruth checking the size of a diving suit in the Green                   Hill Fort museum

main features of the four mile square island. A multicultural community of about 3,500 resides in this confined space. This would be rather uncomfortable living if it were not for neighboring Horn Island which is much larger, relatively flat and provides the airport, water supply and services such as garbage disposal. The port at which supplies arrive from the south is

Trinity Bay unloading containers at Horn Island

Trinity Bay unloading containers at Horn Island

also on Horn Island.

With our tour of TI at an end, we were transferred by local ferry to Horn Island.

Part of the display in the Horn Island Museum

Part of the display in the Horn Island Museum

An enterprising young lady named Vanessa came to TI a few years ago as a school teacher. Not necessarily in this order, she married a local and developed an interest in war relics on neighboring Horne Island. There was much military activity on Horne Island during WWII including a forward defense airfield which hosted both Australian and United States air, sea and ground operations.  After Darwin, Horn Island was the most attack place in Australia. TI was not attacked at all because over 100 Japanese pearl divers are buried there.

The restored WWII anti aircraft command post on Horn Island

The restored WWII anti aircraft command post on Horn Island

Vanessa and her husband have established a fine museum that tells in great detail the story of the war and the part that Torres Straight Islands played in it. There are also substantial amounts of material on local history and custom.

One section displays the pages of Brisbane’s Courier Mail that contain reports of events in the closing days of the Pacific War. We just happened to be there on the 70th anniversary of VP (Victory in the Pacific) Day.  It was quite fascinating to read the reports, 70 years after they were written, on the actual 70th anniversary.

The Thursday Island War Memorial

The Thursday Island War Memorial

The tour of the island included time in the museum followed by a tour of military installation sites and aircraft crash sites. Work is under way to preserve some of the better sites. The effort to preserve these relics for future generations is being driven by the enthusiasm of Vanessa and her husband.

Our second visit was a self guided tour. With time on our hands as we waited to board Trinity Bay a return trip to TI had much to recommend it. The senior’s concession fare made a second visit to TI a better financial proposition than an overnight stay, which is what a lot of people do to allow themselves adequate time on Thursday Island.

Sunset over Red Island that shelters Seisia harbour

Sunset over Red Island that shelters Seisia harbor

Our first objective was a cappuccino and as we had good reports of The Bakery, which is on the road to the town centre, that was where we headed, only to be met by a sign that said “Sorry. No coffee”. What? A coffee shop without coffee? Almost like a pub with no beer! But a short walk into the main street brought us to Uncle Frank’s Coffee Shop where we not only had our cappuccino but were introduced to deep fried banana cake. I hope I can find a coffee shop in Brisbane that sells it. I will become one of their most regular customers.

Barge activity in Thursday Island harbour

Barge activity in Thursday Island harbour

We spent the rest of the time available to us, until the 2.30 departure of the ferry, walking around town, shopping for a bag to take our gear onto the boat and buying souvenirs. The shops are mostly tourist orientated but some bargains were to be had. We lunched at Bobby’s Fish & Chips. We had fish & chips, of course. Bobby’s Fish & Chip shop is locally very well known.

Back early to catch the ferry, we sat in a shelter, looking along the channel between Horn and Prince of Wales Islands, at the distant outline of the Northern Tip of Australia, about 30 kilometres away to the south east. The ferry crossing back to Seisia was a repeat of the trip four days earlier. Our four crossings were smooth with very little movement in the ferry.

The army providing logistical support for a Prime Ministerial visit

The army providing logistical support for a Prime                        Ministerial visit

Torres Strait is named after Louis Vaz de Torres, who sailed, as second officer through the passage in 1606. The strait was named after him by Scottish geographer Alexander Dalrymple who discovered the existence of the strait from papers captured in the Philippines in 1762. His publishing of the material caused great interest and was part of the reason for the voyage of the Endeavor. Dalrymple was an aspirant for leadership of the expedition but was apparently passed over in favor of James Cook.

Island ceremonial masks on display in the new cultural centre

Island ceremonial masks on display in the new cultural centre

In their turn Bligh and Flinders sailed and explored the area, each naming various islands. There are said to be 274 islands, made up of three different types. Those immediately north of Cape York are part of the Great Dividing Range. Others are volcanic in origin while the remainder are coral cays. Seventeen have permanent populations. A couple of the minor islands have resorts.

We found the entire area to be most interesting. It has a rich history and a scenic beauty. Any group of tropical islands surrounded by reefs under clear blue seas will always be easy on the eye.

During the 1860s a pearling industry commenced that quickly shifted its focus to the shells of mother of pearl that was used to make buttons. The industry collapsed around 1970 when clothing manufacturers shifted to plastic buttons. It was the mother of pearl recovery from the sea bed that brought divers from many countries of the world to TI, particularly Japanese divers.

A SeaSwift barge at Seisia wharf

A SeaSwift barge at Seisia wharf

The outlying Torres Strait Islands are supplied by two barges owned by the operators of Trinity Bay. The barges ship containers and other freight that has been brought to Horn Island by Trinity Bay on to the other island communities. One of the barges has accommodation for passengers who can join the “milk run” around the islands. Each voyage takes about 5 days with the route determined by the locations to which freight is to be delivered. A real misery tour!