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General => Previous Member Trips => Trips, Tracks, Touring and Reports => 2014 members Cape York Trip => Topic started by: McGirr on May 01, 2014, 07:28:46 PM
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Some info I got about the road conditions for the Cape.
"A lot of people have been asking about the roads post Ita. To every one I said the dust needs to settle before I even know myself.
Now that the shortest term impacts are gone and the large scale cleanup is well underway, I can give you the picture.
First - Cyclone Ita only affected the area roughly around Cooktown (if you will head straight up along the Peninsula Developmental and don't visit the Cooktown area, you may want to scroll down to the rest of the roads).
Its path went from Cape Flattery to Cooktown, then Cape Tribulation, Port Douglas, Cairns and its Northern Beaches, before turning off the coast a bit south of Cairns and getting out of the area I can talk about.
But - there was a big difference in its strength - and consequently its destruction.
It crossed the coast at Cape Flattery as a category four tropical cyclone.
By the time it got to Cooktown, it had downgraded to category three, because it had already had to cross some land.
And soon after Cooktown it quickly downgraded further to category one, as it kept crossing the land (they need the ocean waters to keep their power I believe most of you know).
So you can picture, the most damage is between Cape Flattery and Cooktown, also in and around Cooktown, but much less in Cape Tribulation and south of it.
So the roads in the path of Cyclone Ita:
The coastal road from Cairns to Cape Tribulation is all sealed and open as is the inland road (Mulligan Highway) to Cooktown.
The coastal road from Cape Tribulation to Cooktown is not doable due to the Bloomfield River causeway not fixed yet since the cyclone (they ARE building a bridge there which will make things a lot easier - but I would not want to guess at this stage when it will be ready).
Bloomfield Road itself is open but there are washouts, and if you give it a few weeks, it will most likely be a lot better.
The road from Wujal Wujal to Cooktown is open, and CREB Track is closed as always this early in the season.
The Lions Den that was damaged and flooded after Ita is back in business and welcomes visitors again.
Cape Bedford and Cape Flattery are technically closed at this stage. Battle Camp Road is closed, Starcke Wakooka Track is closed and will likely be so for a good while yet.
The rest of the roads (as the cyclone season officially ended today, we can assume there are no more surprises coming):
Peninsula Developmental is open all the way to Weipa (even though Archer River could still play up this time of the year), and you can also get to Mapoon.
The road to Lockhart River and Iron Range is not closed, but the river and creek crossings are high, and could be too high to get through depending on the recent weather the day you go. And the same goes for Frenchmans.
The Old Telegraph Track is not good - from what I hear the creek waters are still high.
The road to the Tip is boggy in places but open.
And all that said - some of the things above can change very quickly depending on the recent weather - in the big picture, the later you visit the better are your chances."
Mark
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Hi all,
Update, have friend just returned from Skardon River, entered in via Heathland ranger station, OTL track from southern bypass to OTL near Cholmondeley Creek, lots of washouts along track section.
Road gangs working along the main road sections of the Peninsula, Telegraph and Bypass roads.
Washouts, pot holes and water lying in most creek crossing north of Weipa turnoff . Travelling north they saw a few cars but trip back ten days later saw heavy increase in vehicle and trucks heading north.
regards, Chris.
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Update from Tourism Cape York
G'day Folks, Tourism Cape York has just returned from a 6 day trip up to the top (Pajinka) via Lockhart and Weipa. The roads have been great, many were freshly graded. There are some sections of corrugation between Laura and Musgrave, and a bit further north, but we had one of the smoothest trips yet. We even saw a bunch of off-road caravans at Coen and Moreton.
We did get water on the bonnet going into Twin and Elliot Falls, so don't try it unless you have a snorkel! will post a short video when my passenger sends it to me.
a list of Park opening dates:
Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park- The southern section of the park is anticipated to reopen 30 May 2014. The northern section of the park is anticipated to re-open 30 June 2014. Closure dates are subject to favourable road conditions.
Palmer Goldfields Resources Reserve- It is anticipated to re-open 2 June 2014
Jardine River National Park, Jardine, River Resources Reserve and Heathland Resources Reserve- The South Jardine River camping area is currently closed due to flooding. The camping area is anticipated to re-open 13 June 2014.
Oyala Thumotang National Park- Heavy rain has caused roads to become impassable. The park is expected to re-open 14 June 2014.
Cape Melville National Park- The wet season closure has been extended for Cape Melville National Park (CYPAL) due to severe damage to the access road. It is anticipated to re-open 15 August 2014.
Keatings Lagoon Conservation Park- Due to the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Ita, Keatings Lagoon Conservation Park remains closed until further notice.
Mark
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Reports from last week had crossings on the Frenchmans track at chest deep, the Palm Ck exit was a disaster with only those on 37" tyres able to drive out, Cockatoo is almost a winch job on the exit, and for a bit of good news, last year's new far right entry at Nolans was doable, though the original entry had a hole chest deep on a 6'1" guy.
Gotta love a late wet. If reports are true, you're in for some fun >:D >:D ;D
For us unlucky buggers stuck at home, we'll be waiting for photos...lots of 'em :cup:
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If we have to we can by pass Palm Creek and cockatoo will be interesting.
not doing the northern OTL this trip.
Mark
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I received this info in an email today - Cape York News #029 (i do not own this information - link at the bottom)
"LATE MAY ROAD UPDATE
People have been asking about the roads, and although this time of the year the road conditions are changing fast, here is an update.
Peninsula Developmental Road is open and graded through Laura, Coen, Weipa turnoff.
The coastal road via Cooktown, Bloomfield Road and Battlecamp Road is still not an option (leave it to your way back and it could be open then).
Bloomfield Road is closed, CREB Track is closed.
Battlecamp is likely to open very soon (high clearance vehicles are getting through now).
Cape Bedford and Cape Flattery I hear will open soon.
The main road through Lakefield National Park is to open very soon.
The Starcke Wakooka Track to Cape Melville is closed but they are working on it.
The road from Musgrave to Pormpuraaw is open, but the one between Pormpuraaw and Kowanyama is closed.
Burke Developmental Road is open, and the road from BDR to Kowanyama is open.
The road to Port Stewart is open, Silver Plains is open, Running Creek Track is boggy and not wise without a winch or another vehicle.
The road to Lockhart River and Iron Range National Park is open, but obviously the waters are still up like everywhere else on the peninsula, and this road can become impassable quickly if it rains enough.
Frenchman's Track can be anything from boggy to impassable depending on the water levels in Pascoe and Wenlock, which are affected by the amount of rain in the days before you go.
Weipa and Mapoon are both open.
The Old Telegraph Track - people are winching through, so if you are not that extreme, it is not for you just yet. And that said, like elsewhere, things can change very quickly.
And finally, the road to the Tip is open, and the main roads in the Northern Peninsula Area are open."
http://www.cape-york-australia.com/ (http://www.cape-york-australia.com/)
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Yes it will be interesting trip with the southern otl. I factored in any hard spots and we will be doing a check of Palm Creek once we arrive at Bramwell Junction before we take the rest of the group through.
Back up plan is coming in through heathlands to Dulhunty River.
Regarding cockatoo creek, the entry in I expect to be rough as it has been undermined in 2012.
Being it on as we have Yogi's weapon to support us ;D
Mark
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The Bloomfield road / track from Cape Tribulation north is OPEN , however it has a 5t load limit on the causeway ... It has a few red clay sections that are still a bit slippery and work continues clearing land slips and vegetation from the Cyclone .. I know this as I was up there yesterday.
The CREB track is CLOSED and it could be quite a while yet before that gets cleared ..
Cheers
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And there I was thinking that the coach track would be the most interesting :D
Must say I'm not interested in chest deep holes >:(
:cheers:
Peter
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And there I was thinking that the coach track would be the most interesting :D
Must say I'm not interested in chest deep holes >:(
:cheers:
Peter
Peter
We won't be tackling that part of the OTL. All tracks will be looked at before we attempt any.
Trust Me ;D
Mark
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Peter
We won't be tackling that part of the OTL. All tracks will be looked at before we attempt any.
Trust Me ;D
Mark
.....and McGirr, being our intrepid leader, gets to boldly go first...... ;D ;D
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.....and McGirr, being our intrepid leader, gets to boldly go first...... ;D ;D
With the intrepid words " Follow Me " McGirr takes the lead and looks back with no one following ;D
Mark
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With the intrepid words " Follow Me " McGirr takes the lead and looks back with no one following ;D
Mark
.....and sees everyone pointing and laughing...... ;D ;D ;D
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With the intrepid words " Follow Me " McGirr takes the lead and looks back with no one following ;D
Mark
I thought that was after Yogi and Symon had already checked the track ;D
:cheers:
Peter
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You'll learn to ignore the Cape grapevine Peter. You'll be fine. Besides, you're in great hands ;) :cheers:
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With the intrepid words " Follow Me " McGirr takes the lead and looks back with no one following ;D
Considering you are the only person I know who has managed to get stuck going down a hill, it might be best to let Yogi through first.
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;D ;D
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Considering you are the only person I know who has managed to get stuck going down a hill, it might be best to let Yogi through first.
Lets not forget who was guiding me in ;D ;D ;D
Mark
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Mark VS the tribe has spoken and we are sending you in first at Palm Creek.
This is the exit:
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/31/da4y8ysa.jpg)
Mark
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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I notice you didn't show him the entry ;D
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I notice you didn't show him the entry ;D
If I did he would not come on the trip :D
Mark
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:o it'd be no problem for a Pajero >:D
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:o it'd be no problem for a Pajero >:D
Of course it won't be, we will let him keep thinking that ;D ;D
Mark
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PMSL :cheers:
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He is a great driver and he trusts me :D
Can't get any better than that.
Mark
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THE FOOL ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I was speaking to him today, he sounded confident.... shhhh.... don't spoil it!
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Reading this stuff is giving me great memories !!!
You guys will have a ball, enjoy.
Pics, pics, pics....
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So..let me see if I have this correct....
There are 2 ways I can look at this...
The trip leader (McGirr), experienced Cape traveller (JK) and one of the Tow vehicles (Symon) all think the Pajero should go in first.
Clearly the Pajero will be able to handle it and I go first then...
Or...
A bunch of Myswag (Gulf trip) piss pots (with videos to prove it....one of whom isn't even going !!!) think the Pajero should go first....
Clearly I run away and take the bypass road.
Now which way should I read this ??? ??? ???
MarkVS
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& the old sage spoke to the gathered " Don't Trust the Bastards " he said in a stern voice :angel:
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& the old sage spoke to the gathered " Don't Trust the Bastards " he said in a stern voice :angel:
I'm hearing you Speewa. I'm also here to decifer all the BS.... I've seen some of these guys in action.... hmmm..... who to trust?
Speewa maybe you should come along as we know you are honest and a man of your word hehehehe :angel:
KerryVS
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So..let me see if I have this correct
The trip leader (McGirr), experienced Cape traveller (JK) and one of the Tow vehicles (Symon) all think the Pajero should go in first.
Clearly the Pajero will be able to handle it.
MarkVS
Well said Mark ;D
But I think the adventure will be more the old coach rd.
Mark
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Cockatoo creek isn't looking too friendly...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxg6K8syXZI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxg6K8syXZI#ws)
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Normally it's the entry that's getting rocky but not sure on the exit as the video does not show it.
Mark
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MarkVS, The Pajero should fill that hole quite nicely and we'll be able to drive straight over the top.
We are mabye chickens, but have already decided to bypass this part of the track and meet you at Dulhunty.
Tina and Dave
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There will be options for people who want to bypass the crossing and come in from Heathlands to Dulhunty.
If its bad we might all be doing that. ;D
Mark
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MarkVS, The Pajero should fill that hole quite nicely and we'll be able to drive straight over the top.
We are mabye chickens, but have already decided to bypass this part of the track and meet you at Dulhunty.
Tina and Dave
The picture you see there Tina and Dave, I believe is the original palm creek exit. There is another Palm creek crossing about 100 metres to the right of this crossing you might like to check out before considering the alternative route. cheers rellbell
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Palm Creek, the original track taken this month. ;D
Bring it on ;D
Mark
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That's a lot of mud ;D, what does the rest of the crossing look like.
:cheers:
Peter
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Gunshot.
Jk jeep gunshot creek cape york 2014 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQER1f0xBhU#ws)
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A walk in the park. ;D
Mark
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FINALLY.
Cape york 2014. Old Telegraph Track (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDfsyg_lu1Q#ws)
Palm Creek looks OK, going to be a winch out on the old exit by the looks of it.
Gunshot looks easy.
Cockatoo is still looking a little tricky.
New exit at Canal looks easy.
Look at the erosion at Mistake Creek!
Logan's looks OK.
New entry at Nolan's, looks pretty good.
Still a lot of water around though.
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Yes still alot of water around as expected.
We may have to get the road builders out on this trip to trim a few areas.
The Palm Creek entry looks alot easier and we may trim the left hand bank a little. At the exit we will have Yogi winching us out.
Gunshot looks like the same entry as 2012 and will be easy just nice and slow.
Cockatoo entry will need some road trimming and you can turn left in the water and curve around the crossing as its alot shallower.
It was only a matter of time for the exit out of Canal Creek to change.
As mentioned people have the option of bypassing this but with the support vehicles and slow going we will be fine. The enjoyment of doing some of these crossings is a real buzz. There is enough people going who have the experience to assist in helping people do the crossings safely. No one wants to damage a vehicle.
I was talking to a guy heading up and we are still mentioned as the group who built a new track at Gunshot in 2011. We are famous ;D
See video below with Duggie leading the way with his chainsaw...I cant smell a burnt clutch ;D
Aussie Swag Campers - Gunshot Creek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_qqOEO-ALo#ws)
Mark
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My new car doesn't have one scratch on it yet. And I'm taking it to the OTT! Panel damage at Palm Creek worries me the most. It still has the camber to the left that the vehicle and camper can't help but slip in to.
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My new car doesn't have one scratch on it yet. And I'm taking it to the OTT! Panel damage at Palm Creek worries me the most. It still has the camber to the left that the vehicle and camper can't help but slip in to.
We may do some work on that part but we will check it first before it is attempted.
Mark
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Might need to bring a hoe as well as the shovel.
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Update from Tourism Cape York.
Hi everyone, I've just been informed that there has been rain from Laura all the way up to Aurukun, and some semis have been bogged along with a recovery vehicle. Also there is a big washout south of Coen. I plan to drive from Weipa to Laura by Tuesday so will post pics of any bad stuff- apparently the section from Coen to Archer is closed so give it a few days if you can. Safe travels
This will make things interesting but it will be 2 weeks before we hit this road and it will be open by then.
See this trip will be memorable :D
Mark
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FINALLY.
Cape york 2014. Old Telegraph Track (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDfsyg_lu1Q#ws)
Palm Creek looks OK, going to be a winch out on the old exit by the looks of it.
Gunshot looks easy.
Cockatoo is still looking a little tricky.
New exit at Canal looks easy.
Look at the erosion at Mistake Creek!
Logan's looks OK.
New entry at Nolan's, looks pretty good.
Still a lot of water around though.
Unreal, great video. ;D
Renno :cheers:
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It sounds like the recovery vehicles and people are going to earn their beers this trip. Look forward to the pics and vids. Have fun everybody. Very envious. ;)
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When will you guys heading up?
We are leaving Brisbane on 29th June. I was tossing up whether to go with almost new stock tyres but bit the bullet on Friday and dropped into Bob Jane's. Looks like it was a good idea to get new BFG A/Ts fitted tomorrow, maybe I should have gone the M/T's ;D.
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When will you guys heading up?
We are leaving Brisbane on 29th June. I was tossing up whether to go with almost new stock tyres but bit the bullet on Friday and dropped into Bob Jane's. Looks like it was a good idea to get new BFG A/Ts fitted tomorrow, maybe I should have gone the M/T's ;D.
We leave Cairns on the 21st June ;D
Mark
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Wave as you drive past on the way home then ;D.
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This will make things interesting but it will be 2 weeks before we hit this road and it will be open by then.
See this trip will be memorable :D
Mark
If it stops raining then they can recover the bogged trucks and open the road ;D .
:cheers:
Peter
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When will you guys heading up?
We are leaving Brisbane on 29th June. I was tossing up whether to go with almost new stock tyres but bit the bullet on Friday and dropped into Bob Jane's. Looks like it was a good idea to get new BFG A/Ts fitted tomorrow, maybe I should have gone the M/T's ;D.
We're leaving the same day! I'm guessing we'll end up bumping into echother somewhere along the way!
Cheers!
Jono.
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The Croc Tent just posted this on facebook:
"Just spoke with Coen Police to check on the alleged road closure between Coen and Archer River, the officer advised that there had been no actual road closure but confirmed that the recent rain had definitely had a serious impact on road conditions. He suggested that there were some quite deep ruts and washouts and a few muddy patches, but everything was drying out nicely already."
Fingers crossed they don't get any more rain though before you all head up.
Happy travels :D
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From Tourism Cape York
"Hi, I've just pulled in to Laura, the road north from Laura to musgrave is the worst bit mainly due to corrugation and pot holes, the rest had large ruts bc it's all chopped up, not good for towing things"
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/10/by6yhate.jpg)
It will dry out but will be a little rough. Will need to graded but this won't happen for a while.
The last time it was this bad is when I went in 2006 when a late cyclone hit the Cape. We went in September that year and it was like a ghost town up there.
Mark
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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The last time it was this bad is when I went in 2006 when a late cyclone hit the Cape. We went in September that year and it was like a ghost town up there.
Mark
we were up The Cape in September of 2006, i thought the roads were ok myself...lol...was definately not what you'd call busy up there though 8)
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More pics of the Development Road between Laura and Coen
Mark
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No dust..... :cup: :cup:
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Does this mean I’ll get the truck dirty!
Chris.
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No dust..... :cup: :cup:
Yes hopefully no dust.
Mark
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Does this mean I’ll get the truck dirty!
Chris.
Gee I hope there is a cheap scouts $5.00 car wash around when I get back. That will make their day ;D ;D
Mark
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Now you all see the real reason we passed on the Cape trip this year ;D ...............................MUD, the brochure didn't say anything about mud :o lol. It's time to give the new KM2's a quick test yogi ;D
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Looks like you guys are going to have alot of fun this year :laugh:
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Yeah .... looks like fun JK ;D All of the tracks I had planned to do are all CLOSED 8)
yogi
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Yeah .... looks like fun JK ;D All of the tracks I had planned to do are all CLOSED 8)
yogi
And Kerry has me cleaning the Pajero before we go... A least it'll look nice and shiney for the trip up to Cairns.
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Might shuffle some tyres around when we get to Cairns......
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Someone who just drove between Musgrave and Laura yesterday after the rain hit.
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/16/4uju2yhe.jpg)
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/16/ezypaqy2.jpg)
But there is no dust ;D
Mark
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Might shuffle some tyres around when we get to Cairns......
Tyres were shuffled prior to Mark arriving to help ;D
:cheers:
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Might shuffle some tyres around when we get to Cairns......
Geoff,
what do you mean by 'shuffle' ?
MarkVS
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Someone who just drove between Musgrave and Laura yesterday after the rain hit.
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/16/4uju2yhe.jpg)
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/16/ezypaqy2.jpg)
But there is no dust ;D
Mark
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Lovely, we will all have trucks and campers the same colour :cup: :cup:
:cheers:
Peter
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Lovely, we will all have trucks and campers the same colour :cup: :cup:
:cheers:
Peter
CM4X4NUT (Craig) will be SO dissapointed he cant take his.....nice...white...cruiser.....up there.
MarkVS
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CM4X4NUT (Craig) will be SO dissapointed he cant take his.....nice...white...cruiser.....up there.
MarkVS
He's not the only one
GG
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Well this is going to be one hell of a trip. With light rain still falling in Cairns and reports that some tracks are closed such as Frenchmans and parts of lakefield. The tracks will be very interesting.
The weather heading up is expected to clear but the rain along the coast is here for another week but expected to clear.
I have never seen rain / wet season continue this long since I have been in Cairns (17years).
Looking forward to the trip of a lifetime.
Mark
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Is anyone taking a boat...or liferaft maybe? ;D
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Sounds like you need the official photographer along again for this trip !!!
Will be lots of fun. Enjoy :). Looking forward to the stories.
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Can someone remind me why we’re doing this!
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Can someone remind me why we’re doing this!
The adventure, the challenge, the excitement, all that stuff. ;D
Mark
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A lady yesterday tried to cross on the tide river and ended up with the crocs lol
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A lady yesterday tried to cross on the tide river and ended up with the crocs lol
That was in Darwin ;D
Mark
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That was in Darwin ;D
Mark
My bad then, thought they said up past Cairns.
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My bad then, thought they said up past Cairns.
The crocs at the Cape only like Pajero owners ;D
Mark
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The adventure, the challenge, the excitement, all that stuff. ;D
Mark
I’m thinking maybe I should be taking the OKA!
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I’m thinking maybe I should be taking the OKA!
Bring it on ;D
Mark
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So who's thrown in some gum boots for all the mud now?...lol
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Thinking of bolting these on for the trip
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A tip if you are expecting to get a lot of mud on your camper or car.
Spray some cheap cooking oil where you expect the mud to gather and it will be easy for it to wash off.
Mark
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A tip if you are expecting to get a lot of mud on your camper or car.
Spray some cheap cooking oil where you expect the mud to gather and it will be easy for it to wash off.
Mark
this works well - we normally use inox but cooking oil would probably be the cheaper option, will look into this.
Thanks
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The roads have all dried out after speaking to Musgrave Roadhouse.
Thunderbirds are Go ;D
Mark
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A tip if you are expecting to get a lot of mud on your camper or car.
Spray some cheap cooking oil where you expect the mud to gather and it will be easy for it to wash off.
Mark
Great Idea but wouldn't it start attracting flies when it goes rancid? And how easy is it to clean off when done?
We leave Melb for the Cape in 37 days (not counting really) and cant wait!
Mark
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Great Idea but wouldn't it start attracting flies when it goes rancid? And how easy is it to clean off when done?
We leave Melb for the Cape in 37 days (not counting really) and cant wait!
Mark
I have never tried it but would do it if you are on muddy roads. My try it under the guards and see how it goes.
Mark
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I spoke to the local copper at Laura and he said they haven't had much rain in the last 2 days. The roads are drying out and graders are going.
P.S. 30cans XXXX, 34.90 at Uncle Dan's today!!
Tina
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I spoke to the local copper at Laura and he said they haven't had much rain in the last 2 days. The roads are drying out and graders are going.
P.S. 30cans XXXX, 34.90 at Uncle Dan's today!!
Tina
Thanks Tina for letting us know about the beer, oh and also on the road conditions. ;D
Mark
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Yep I spoke to the guys in the Weipa Post Office this morning and they said the roads are drying out and people are starting to arrive in town in greater numbers.
Have fun
Craig
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Just got this text to me, not sure if it helps
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Just got this text to me, not sure if it helps
We will be going the inland road to Maytown and missing the coast rd. Thanks for the update.
Mark
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girls
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We drove it today north to south on our way to meet the rest of the group in Cairns. Take care as there are a couple of muddy rutted hill climbs that would be hard work in anything under prepaired.
yogi
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Are you guys towing? We're leaving Melbourne in another week on the big lap (6 mths) - moving quickly to Cairns, then off to the Cape. We were intending to take the camper to the tip, but there has been quite a bit of water of late...
Cheers,
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Are you guys towing? We're leaving Melbourne in another week on the big lap (6 mths) - moving quickly to Cairns, then off to the Cape. We were intending to take the camper to the tip, but there has been quite a bit of water of late...
Cheers,
Even though I'm not on the trip I believe majority of the 13 vehicles are towing their campers with only a few without their campers and being recovery vehicles if required. As they left Saturday morning prior to your post they are most likely out of range at the moment to provide an answer.
Amanda
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Hi GU Duke,
The group of Myswagers left on saturday morning and as stated by Boo Boo most are towing a camper. they are not/were not doing the Bloomfield Track.
But I think your question was targeted to Yogi, No he was not towing a camper only a superbly modified 80 series Toyota wagon with heaps of fruit. He did the Bloomfield track from North to South and he did say that the road is in very poor condition and that if people were to tow a camper from South to North they would have their work cut out .
The South to North trip of the Bloomfield Track is by far a lot steeper than the North to South direction that yogi traveled.
Here is a link to the Douglas Shire in regards to the Bloomfield Track and the CREB Track.
http://douglas.qld.gov.au/sunshine-shines-light-damaged-douglas-road-network/ (http://douglas.qld.gov.au/sunshine-shines-light-damaged-douglas-road-network/)
cheers duggie
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We travelled from South to North on Sunday. All 3 of us were towing campers. Slow and steady did the climbs. Still a little slippery in places but all good. It is drying out more and more all the time. If we had been there a couple of days before then, we wouldn't have done it as it would have been too slippery.
All have big heavy soft floor campers, 2 Prados and a 200 series.
Cheers . Dave.
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Well I can give an update as I'm now in Weipa so have internet access.
The development road from Laura to Coen is in reasonable condition, a few rough spots here and there but overall pretty good. North of Coen to the Weipa turnoff is corrugated but the grader crew is on it.
The rest of the crew are on their way to Dulhunty today.
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Thanks for the responses guys. Sorry about the delayed acknowledgement - too busy packing the house up to be online!
It sounds like good news then! A couple of the posts above got me anxious about just how wet it is and made me wonder whether folks were changing plans with towing and tracks. Sounds like it should be a case of it's all OK with care and preparation.
Cheers,
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Lake field - North from Lakefield ranger station to Hahn and onto Musgrave Station is now open.
PDR
Road is in great condition except for sections from Laura to Musgrave (road crew working this area) few corrugations appearing on the corners so take care, water laying in most creek crossings and road dips, some dips getting pot holed. Red and black soil country around the turnoff to Captain Billy is slick smooth and slippery so tack care
On way up traffic was below average but as the school holiday approached the traffic increased, On my return trip Sunday saw twice the traffic as Saturday, I passed several convoys heading north with one group having over twenty vehicles in convoy.
Southern OTL in good condition, slow going in places, all creek crossings have water some fast flowing:
Palm creek
is most difficult, lockers or a winch will get you through. The group bypassed this crossing and went in via the ranger crossing. I drove down to have a look at Palm Ck, the old exit is impassable but I did hear that someone crossed it a few day ago, (I saw no evidence of the crossing)there is a an exit to the right of the original exit but would require lockers or winch to complete. I doubt if a trailer would make it through this crossing. There is a new crossing, a track leads to the right just before the original crossing; this crossing is now the crossing being used by most (I didnt check out this crossing out)
Gunshot
take the western entry, the group spent a bit of time rebuilding the entry, when we arrived there were about a dozen vehicle waiting to cross, about 3ks from Gunshot heading north there is a large bog hole, take the bypass track right around it don’t attempt as you will become bogged like one poor bugger that sank down to his door sill it took him over and hour to winch and recover his vehicle
Cockatoo creek
The group spent some time rebuilding the entry slope the entry is quite muddy towards the bottom, walk the creek first as it has some large holes in the creek base, water is fast flowing and about 700 mm deep where we crossed
Enjoy the Cape.
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Road condition as of 18Jul14
Lakefield probably the best road I have driven. Hardly any corrugations, even through a lot of the road hasn't been graded yet this year.
Palm Creek. Took the new crossing 100m East of the flogged out one. Drove through with no issues at all. It was steep, but the base was firm and the exit looked a lot slipperier than it was. We put through a stock Prado, Land cruiser and the mighty BT50 ;D
Gunshot Eastern crossing was being chewed up by south bound vehicles when I left there. It was a reasonably steep entry, but modded vehicles were trying to climb it, ripping it up and then pulling out the winch. Western entry as shown in the trip reports here was also chewed up and full of cut logs. A Land Cruiser was wedged in there with the tow hitch jammed against the bank and a log pushed out of the mud and wedged against the bull bar. Took 1 1/2 hours with a shovel to get to the recovery point so that we could then snatch him. A shovel and an door sill were sacrificed to the Gunshot Gods.
The western entry was probably the better option, but it was knee deep mud last week. Make sure there are no log traps there for you. There was also a radiator with a 2" round stick through it, so check twice.
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Thanks for the update Hoyks....we leave melbourne in 5 days for the tip going via the OTT.
So looking forward to it!
Mark
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In regards to Palm Creek - there may be a chicken track that people can use. When at the main crossing if you look to the left there is a track that follows the creek bank around for around 400m and then cuts across the creek where it is little more than a gully.
I didn't have much time so didn't drive it, but if someone is up that way I'm curious to see if it does link back up with the main track.
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No its a dead end track. The crossing to the right of the main one is still ok with a bit of shovel work to fill in the ruts.