Question about Cape York..is there a softer vehicle route or is it all macho

[albany_nomads]

Hi Folks
Whilst sitting in the lunch room today talking to a colleague about up and coming planned camping trips,.. he was looking at an old camper trailer magazine that I leave in the lunch room and he asked about the Cape York Track and he asked have you got plans to head up to cape York and I replied ahh yeh may be one day just that Albany WA is just about the opposite diagonal to Cape York  you cant get much further away on main land Ozzie

Just that he has a caravan and he asked me as long as you hit it at the right time of the year is there any easy way up there with your vehicle and van, without being one of these macho guys, crossing bonnet deep water creeks , getting bogged to your eye balls in mud with sump ripping eroded gully tracks like I see in the magazine....I had to laugh   .

Good question I thought..I said I pretty certain the Bamaga south and North bypass roads bypass all the crappy stuff on the Old Telegraph Rd and worst crossings but you're still face with corrugated roads though..but that said Ive never been there so couldn't swear to it.....and said look I'll fire a question to the web group i talk with , theres plenty of them that pop up and down for social events every year.

So the question:
Is there a less sump ripping, creek submerging, no winch required route up the peninsula or is it just real macho all the way
Kind Regards John

[Teabag]

Mate,

In short, yes. You can got to the Cape via the PDR (Peninsular Development Road) and up the Telegraph Road (not OTL) which is a well graded dirt road the you can easily sit on 80km/hr. It is really only the OTL that is the hard bit. Caravan can do it though would need to handle the corrugations.

So the question:
Is there a less sump ripping, creek submerging, no winch required route up the peninsula or is it just real macho all the way
Kind Regards John

[Matto]

Hi John,

Is there a less sump ripping, creek submerging, no winch required route up the peninsula ...

I'd say a resounding Yes to that.

A few years ago a couple of people from work headed up with their families. One couple were cape veterans, in a dual-locked old hilux with a heavy-duty camper trailer. The other couple had bought a Patrol and light offroad CIG CT 2 months prior, and hadn't even locked the hubs in yet. No snorkel, road tyres, etc.

They went up and back the Tele track. Whenever they got to one of the "serious" spots, they'd go for a look, then backtrack to one of the many bypass tracks, and go around that way. In some instances they needed to take a decent detour, but always got through. They weren't on a tight schedule, and were going more for the exploration and adventure, hence why they would drive in to gunshot to have a look, then drive back to go around.

Even on the "serious" ones, there's easier and harder lines. Take the infamous Gunshot, there's half a dozen different approaches and exits, which can be mixed and matched to suit your car. Nolan's is really the only one I'd be concerned about, and the trick there is just to let someone else go before you  . Or, just backtrack and bypass it.

I'm not sure I'd take a caravan up the tele track, but I'm guessing people do. There was a 4WDAction video a while ago where they took one of the new baby offroad vans up, and it was a bit squeezy in spots. If going up with a van, I'd probably recommend taking the Development road. As you say, it'll vary from "pretty rough" to "bloody rough" with corrugations. But it's nothing that a 2wd car can't do in ~20hrs from Cairns to Seisa. I think BarraBart holds the MySwag Race From The Tip Back To Cairns trophy.

As for the macho stuff, well, no one would buy a mag with a standard cruiser driving across a bridge, would they???   Although, in the latest video they were playing around in my backyard here, and were being guided by a bloke in a completely stock 80-series - no lift, no lockers, nothing. It went pretty much where everyone else went. Local knowledge, I guess.

Good luck - if you ever get up this way from the opposite corner, give me a yell! Aside - my bullbar came all the way from Perth (after being shipped into the country from Thailand - go figure).

Thanks!
Matto

Edit- beaten by Teabag (again)! Listen to that bloke, he would know considerably more than I would.

[olddigger]

Thanks for the Cape info. I had wondered exactly the same thing, but never been game to ask! Might put it on the "to do" list.
Is it fair to assume that taking a tent might make life easier than dragging an offroad CT?
And Matto, you're right about the bullbars from Thailand. I had one fitted in Perth last week.
Luckily they had what I wanted in stock, otherwise I faced a 4 to 6 week wait. I asked, innocently, if they came from the eastern states and was told, "No, Thailand." Must say that it's bloody good quality.
And I recently ordered a headstone for my late mother and was puzzled when they said it would be installed "probably February". Reason for the delay: They are made in . . . China!
I know Aussie manufacturing is on the wane, but surely we can still carve a few lines of letters into a slab of granite?
Cheers, Tony

[Bird]

And I recently ordered a headstone for my late mother and was puzzled when they said it would be installed "probably February". Reason for the delay: They are made in . . . China!
I know Aussie manufacturing is on the wane, but surely we can still carve a few lines of letters into a slab of granite?

Nope, I'm going thru this at moment. 3-4mth wait..
I asked why isnt it ready in 2-4 weeks? made in chinlee?
Oh no sir...
Ok, so wheres it made?
I dont really know.

[Matt02]

I saw a couple of funny things when we went up the cape last year (we did the macho Tele track thing) but makes me laugh when i recount them to others as it make the rest of us pretty soft.

First, had to help 2 young guys and a girls up near the Iron range turn off. There rear bumper had fallen off their bog stock - EL falcon. Yep they had made it that far before any trouble, don't know how much further they got tho, and the exhaust didn't look crash hot at the time either.

The second was we passed a Kia Carnival going past Hann River Roadhouse, heading north. The corro's on the PDR around this area were horrendous, but up she went.

Really, don't know why I paid all that money for a patrol and off road camper when you can do it in a falcon or Kia

But seriously, driven carefully it can be done by driving up the PDR, most sections were pretty good, in the middle of the dry there would be little to no water in the dips and could be done with most well maintained cars. It'll be a fair bit of wear and tear as the bloody dust gets into everything. But it doesn't have to be all macho.

Cheer
Matt

[McGirr]

After 4 trips to the Cape I have seen motor homes, normal caravans,a nissan pulsar, hire vans etc head to the Cape. As mentioned they all travelled on the by pass road ( development Rd ). It depends on what time of year you head up. Early in the season the roads are not too bad due to the low amount of traffic on the road. From May to July is best. It also depends on when the roads are graded as this can be at the beginning of the season or the end as cooktown shire are responsible for the majority of the road up keep. My first trip in 2003 we travelled in June and the roads were shocking. Corrugations caused alot of damage to vehicles with bullbars, dashboards falling off.

But the last 3 trips the roads were great. It is still a great place to see.

Mark

[Bird]

Corrugations caused alot of damage to vehicles with bullbars, dashboards falling off

I hate corrigations. I don't see how endless hours of them can be considered enjoyable... specially as you count the $100's of parts falling off, breaking, etc...

[Maîneÿ . . .]

I saw a couple of funny things when we went up the cape last year, but makes me laugh when i recount them to others as it make the rest of us pretty soft.

......we passed a Kia Carnival going past Hann River Roadhouse, heading north.

Really, don't know why I paid all that money for a patrol and off road camper when you can do it in a falcon or Kia 

So just maybe there is a chance for a Ssangyong Actyon 
Remember, the Actyon SUV has larger wheels and higher ground clearance than the 'ute'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozbs31x6aSg&feature=player_profilepage
	Small | Large

http://youtu.be/IT_FWReB29U
	Small | Large

http://youtu.be/80o6u0fubpE
	Small | Large

http://youtu.be/JMnUubLJgdA
	Small | Large

watch this one with sound off and with the missus out of the room

[Big Nath]

Another question for you guys, how far between servos. i have 80L on board and have the room to carry 40L. my R51 when loaded uses under 12L/100 (sitting on 120). try convince the cheese ans kisses to go next year!

Cheers!

[blkd4d]

Just got back from the cape . My father towed a avan up to Bramwell station and left the trailer there . Stock tank in challenger I think is 70 Ltrs he made it fine between fill ups. His avan seemed to handle the road ok but inside things moved alot ( fridge , microwave )

[98Pudge]

Didn't Wheels magazine drive an MX-5 to the Cape recently?

Somehow, I think you be fine CWkids.

[earle]

It also really depends on the year. We went to the cape about 6 years ago in a quite dry year. In our pretty much stock Rodeo dual cab we were able to do about the bottom 2/3 of the OTL with no worries,snatching or winching, we did bypass gunshot though. We came back on the developmental road and found it very corrugated. We found that the best stuff is on the OTL in terms of camping and landscape. Having been to the tip, if we were to go again we may not even go accross the Jardine as it was camping and exploring on the OTL that we found most enjoyable, not macho stuff. If we were to go to the tip and back on the developmental road only we would be a bit dissapointed.

[Bird]

Didn't Wheels magazine drive an MX-5 to the Cape recently?

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2010/11/01/133161_motoring.html

[Big Nath]

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2010/11/01/133161_motoring.html

 

Cheers!

[Matto]

I'm a big fan.

Thanks!
Matto

[jaycamrie]

Another question for you guys, how far between servos. i have 80L on board and have the room to carry 40L. my R51 when loaded uses under 12L/100 (sitting on 120). try convince the cheese ans kisses to go next year!

Cheers!

  servos and eftpos everywhere if your just going to the tip no probs