The very Tip!

We could hardly come all the way up here without going all the way. After a good night in the roof tent on a great camp site, with our own private facilities, (well- more or less!) we were refreshed. Right on the beach, our pitch has a private seating area, a food preparation area and a sink to wash up in- what more could we want?

Anyway, we took off towards Bamaga, a small town just inland of us at Seisia, and looked for the signs to the Tip. There were none. We started up the road we thought might be it, but before we had gone very far we stopped a truck and asked. Good job we did! Entirely the wrong road. He told us to follow him and he took us to the right road. Well- how were we to know that the locals call the Tip Pajinka?

So off we go- a pretty good road for the first five k’s. Then it started to deteriorate- huge holes and dips, took our speed down to 30k.(20mph). As we had 50k to do that wasn’t very good! From time to time we managed to speed up only to brake hard when we spotted a hole.

After about 22k we found a large tent by the side of the road, the occupants of the ‘Croc tent’ sell souvenirs of the Cape, and they come up here for eight months every year to make a living. We bought some postcards.

After that the road really did deteriorate, we passed through many streams, and in one place the creek actually ran down the road! There were deep ruts, huge holes of course, and it became so narrow that when we met other vehicles, of which there were a few, we had to find a passing place to get by. The rainforest was so thick we couldn’t see more that a foot or two into it, and of course the shadows didn’t help us spot the holes!

Eventually we arrived at the car park- just off the beach, and what a wonderful beach it was. If anything can be called unspoilt this can be- the bay ran for miles.

To get to the actual tip is half an hour’s walk up rocks and over the top. Not easy. A lot of people had been there before us, witness the many cairns on the way up, of course I had to add to them.  The views are stunning- we can see for miles, the Coral Sea and the Pacific to the east, and the Endeavor Strait and the Indian Ocean to the West.

There are over 100 islands to the north of us- this is the Torres Strait which takes us across to Papua New Guinea- some 150k north. Only 36 of the islands are inhabited, during the last ice age Australia was linked to Papua and Asia across here, and the islands are the tops of the mountains from that time.

Of course this is the ideal photo opportunity, not very often do we both get in the picture, but we had to this time. We walked back to the car along the beach, beautiful!.

Driving back we once again passed through the Lockerbie Scrub, a mix of Eucalypt woodland and Rainforest, which is one of Australia’s most important biological sites. It’s flora and fauna include a number of species that are only found here and in New Guinea- further evidence that they were once linked.

Returning to the Croc Tent we turned right towards Punsand Bay, another 11k up a very poor narrow track, through creeks and dips, with the ubiquitous holes to negotiate.

It was worth it! A lovely bay with a great camp site, and a little restaurant where we stopped for a drink. Just 2k off the coast here is Posession Island, where James Cook stepped ashore and raised the English Flag, taking possession of the entire Eastern coast of Australia.

A great day- well worth the trip, exciting at times, we are back to doing what we enjoy most

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