As we passed through Lakefield’s NP we stopped at the Lilli Lagoons both Red and White, as we approached the Red Lilly Lagoon we startled a flock of Black Cockatoos, I’ve seen Black Cockies before, but never in this proportion, it was amazing to see and hear for that matter. The Termite mounds are another amazing site, spread throughout the bush these appear to go on for miles, each one different in design to the next; they almost appear like little castles in the bush.

I forgot to mention the Platypus that we sighted at Yungaburra, we tood on the bridge for ages then finally they came out to play, it was an awesome experience to watch as an Aussie Icon frolicked around the waterholes.

Weipa became our next port of call for a two day break, this gave us the rest that was well deserved and the ability to stock up on some supplies and fuel, and this was the beginning of our higher budgeted costs as the prices on items were considerably more expensive due to freight into remote areas. We called Weipa Camping and Caravan Park home for these two nights and had great view of the ocean and a swimming pool for the kids to enjoy. The facilities here were quite good with plenty of hot water; although not 5 star it was better than the Porta Potty and shower bag.

Leaving Weipa we made tracks to Bramwell Junction Roadhouse, this is the start of the Old Telegraph Line (OTL) and a great place to stop and revive. Lunch was on everybody’s mind by the time we got there and so was the cuppa, so after refuelling the cars and ourselves we journeyed down to the entrance of the OTL the excitement was increasing as this is what we came for!

The first creek crossing at Bramwell Creek indicated that we could be in for a challenge as the approach was reasonably steep and clay based we slid into the mud squire as the wheels churned up the mud and water we made to the other side to find it a little chopped up also but we got to the top with ease and without making it harder for the next vehicle to attempt, we find at these locations we often come across people that are just not quite ready for this type of adventure, we hung around for a little to encourage them to do it and after a little enticing and promise to assist, in they went, we ran into these people many times on our journey and a new friendship has been formed.

After several smaller creek crossings we managed to find a spot and set up camp at the Dulhunty River, a beautiful spot with small waterfalls and fresh running water. There was a couple of tracks not used for a while as they were too steep and slippery and the base was a sandy white mud, Rob decided the high profile people spend big dollars on this kind of treatment so he decided to have a wallow in it. After lying covered in this white mud for about 15 minute his body was so settled that the vacuum under his back didn’t allow him to move, we thought this was hilarious as he struggled to “break the seal” this soon brought on the good old fashion Mud Fights with the kids.

Wednesday Morning we pack up to make way up the OTL. Bertie Creek was a little more than just drive in and out, this creek we had to pull a tight right-hander and travel along the creek before splashing down to cross and manoeuvring around potholes under the surface. We managed to pass through without incident and continue the OTL.

Morning Tea time we arrived at the infamous “Gunshot” we witnessed vehicles stuck in mud, bashing doors on trees as they powered the rigs through, throw a tyre or two off the rim, and all this was through the “chicken track,” we observed a couple of vehicles do the big drops with no complications but no one with a trailer, there were a couple of people on a far track working away at chipping the top off, this looked like the way to go, after assisting in the preparation and a couple of cars committing themselves to the drop we finally made the decision to pursue this entry point.

With kids and women out of the cars we blokes hit the track with trailers hitched and onlookers amazed, it looked more challenging than it actually was and we were back on the move again after being entertained for a while by other enthusiasts giving it a go. Elliot Falls was to become our next camp stop, we found every day, that the need to get into a camp site early was critical to having a “good spot” or a “this will have to do site.” So after setting up camp we backtracked to Fruit Bat Falls, this was a magnificent swimming area with the falls massaging your back as up stand under them, It was a great place to really give our Canon Powershots a workout with Mel using her D10 (Water proof) Powershot to record not only still shots but also video and she conducted a synchronised water routine for a bit on entertainment to all observing us from the dry.

After a refreshing swim we headed back to camp and wondered down the river to view more impressive creations, “The Saucepan, Eliot, and Twin Falls” all had a uniqueness about them that offered impressive photographic opportunities with our Powershots for us all. The night was clear and we all sat around the camp observing the night sky, we sighted 11 satellites travelling overhead and 7 shooting stars and singing songs until the sun went down to the point that the stars we almost as bright as the sun itself, it’s amazing the difference between sky watching in the city to the bush where there are no city lights to blackout the many stars there are.

Our journey continued the next day towards the Jardine River, we continued the path along the OTL and came across the well known wooden log bridge, rightly named “Cypress Creek” Lyn and the kids disembarked for photo opportunities (and fear) as I lined up the wheels to track along the logs quite a different experience to drive over logs rather than planks that’s for sure. The roads wound around through the sub tropic scrub before we reached Nolan’s Brook, researching before our trip we discovered this is the spot where many have floated and sunk when they haven’t assessed the creek first.

Our first task here was to get out and consider all options, there are a couple of approaches available with one out of the question (straight through) right-hand line gave the best option for no risk to getting our feet wet while the left-hand line gave a little risk and more skill, we took the left and found it to be a very impressive experience as water lapped over the bonnet of our vehicles, and also a little at my feet after one of the kids left their door ajar, fortunately it was only a little and it was fresh clear water. After draining the water out, we continued to the end of the OTL and setup camp on the high banks of the Jardine. This area was an ideal spot for crocs so we were all on Croc Watch while we stayed here although we were nice and high it didn’t make us complacent with our reptile neighbours. With no sightings here we had a good night’s sleep after a night of sitting around our first camp fire.

Thursday, Lyn’s birthday, we continued north to the ferry that allows us to cross the Jardine, we arrived at our destination of Loyalty Beach Caravan Park for our three night stay and a break from all the red dust that our journey delighted us with. Our site over looked the beach with the top end islands framing our view. We had dinner at the parks restaurant and we treated ourselves to a serve of Coral trout to celebrate Lyn’s aging moment, this was our latest night since hitting the road with us retiring at 10:30.

Friday we finally got the Tip, before hitting the Tip we explored the old resort “Pajinka Wilderness Lodge” built in the 1980’s it is now deserted and left to ruin. Retuning to camp we took to Somerset where the ruins of the old homestead still remain before following the track along the coastline to bring us back to the main road. We called into the Croc Tent where we all had a retail therapy fix with souvenirs and shirts purchased to show our conquests. Friday night we treated everyone to a movie night, playing Avatar on the laptop it took us into the night before retiring for another night.

Saturday was our day of rest, we did very little all day, we managed our photos and uploaded them to Snapfish for use with our blog and to create a book when we get home. We had our little fishing time in the afternoon, we got to the spot advised by one of the locals and found a couple of blokes already there, they pointed out a croc slide and the Croc Watch was on high alert again, still no sightings after a couple of fish caught and released. Sunday we packed up and headed south for the first time since our start of the journey. This proved to be an interesting track back but will share this a little more on our next blog, so stay tuned to find out more about our adventure in the top end of Oz.