Toowoomba to Cape York in Two weeks.

[Sicilianmama]

Okay I need as much honest, ruthless advice as you can give me. Basically as the title says, I'd like to go to the Cape or as far north as I possibly can in two weeks. I have a couple of questions though as I've never been further than Cairns and I'm a bit scared of the unknown. I'm allowing 3 days to get to cairns and 3 days to get home from there so will leave us with 8 days to play from Cairns upwards.

I'm not interested in taking the swan through creek crossings or from what I have read the OTT. Is it possible to get to the tip on the Peninsula Development Road? And is it safe to take the swan?
We don't have any winches or stuff like that, if we don't plan on doing any creek crossings or 4wding as such do we need to worry about getting them?

Pretty much I want to play it safe for our 1st time, I don't want to do anything that a car towing a caravan couldn't do, if that makes sense? I know I know, soft right?
So anyway my final question is, Is it possible? Or am I dreaming???

[JethroT]

Not dreaming, but I want some of the drugs you're on.

Seriously though, you could do the cape in two weeks, however you would be buggered.  As an example we camped at the following spots on the way to the cape Day 1 Mackay, 2 Cairns, 3 Cape Trib, 4 Cooktown 5 Musgrave, 6 Bramwell, 7 The Falls, 8 Seisha, then we spent a week relaxing and looking around.

We didn't tow a trailer, and only had to spend 5 minutes setting up the tent each night.  The roads were great and we were able to travel between 80 and 90 ks most of the way.   There were plenty of off road vans up that way, not sure If I would take the Jayco though, might be best to leave it at Lakeland.   

Personally if I had two weeks I would spend the time visiting Cape Tribulation, Cooktown, Chillagoe and the Atherton Tablelands.  You will get to see a lot more in a short time and you could take the Jayco.   

Just take it easy on the Cape Trib to Cooktown Road, however that's where we spotted a couple of Crocs below the falls at Woojul.  You do cross Emmagen Creek just north of Cape Trib but it's very clean water and not very deep, The locals drive their valiants and XD falcons through ok.
 
Regards

[cardinal28]

Yep - you could make the Tip going by the development road, but in saying that its impossible to say if the road would be good condition. It varies from week to week. This time of year with large volumes of traffic it can get pretty corrigated and rough. I dont want to scare you but mile after mile of rough corrigations can take its toll on equipment. I would be reluctant to take anything not fully off road up there, but on the other hand the road could have just been graded and in good condition. Do some homework and maybe ring places like Coen Police, Archer River roadhouse or local Councils to check on road conditions.
It is a good trip and worth the effort. Dont rush it and enjoy.

[Matto]

Hey Sicilianmama,

It's possible, certainly.

From TWB to CNS, you can do in 2 days if you need to. From CNS, you can get to Bamaga in a day up the PDR (again, if you REALLY want to - I think Barrabart holds the record for that drive). Of course, that's driving 12-14hrs a day.

SO - back to your time scale. I think it's rushed, but I think it's achieveable. 3 days transit from TWB to CNS is a good idea. So long as you have kids that can cope with 3 x ~8hr stints. It's a good compromise between the flat-out 2 day run, and having to set up the camper 2 dozen times just to get here. If you want a bit more comfort on the way up (if your finances allow it), it's lovely to be able to roll into a motel at the end of a long day on the road and not worry about having to set anything up. I've never had any trouble at all getting motel/caravan park cabin accomodation in Mackay/Gladstone/Rocky with no prior booking.

Which leaves your 8 days for the cape. The PDR is a dirt highway, built to go from Cairns to the cape (and Weipa). You've got to be careful with speeds on it, and it's usually corrugated to hell, but it's basically a decent condition dirt road for the semi's. No worries with taking a stock 4WD + camper - for that matter, no worries taking a stock sedan and caravan either.

If you wanted a bit more adventure, what you CAN do is head up the OTT, and just take the bypass roads around anythign resembling fun. Most of the creeks and gnarley bits you can bypass by popping back onto the PDR, and then pop back onto the OTT further up. Friends of ours did this a couple of years ago with a bone stock 4WD - they still got to see all the famous places, just had to backtrack to go back to the bypass roads.

If you counted on 5 days for that drive up to Bamaga, one day in Bamaga, then two days back to CNS via the PDR, I wouldn't think that would be terrible. It'll be quick, sure, and you'll miss an awful lot. BUT, for a first big trip, towing a big, wide camper, with kids in tow, you could do a lot worse.

Or put it this way - my theory is you're better off doing it and having the experience, than sitting at home sulking that you don't have 4 months off, so can't even contemplate it. Go up, find the spots you like, and come back later for a more targetted holiday if there's certain spots you fall in love with.

Question - taking another car with you? Or just you guys?

Good luck - it's an adventure!
Matto

[BigJules]

Time is a problem isn't it. I know a bloke who went to the tip and back from Sydney in 10 days, but I've always wondered if it was worth it.

If you've only got two weeks, then go, do what you can, or plan an alternate trip and try the Cape another time. For me it's always "next year for sure".

[Sicilianmama]

Thanks guys, it will just be us, Me, hubby, two kids (3 & 18 months) and my dad. Dad can only come for 2 weeks and one of the reasons I want to go is to take him as he wouldn't go otherwise, he's 79 and would never do it on his own, at the same time he is a lot of fun and is probably fitter and definitely more adventurous than me! So nope no other vehicle.
If we had more time I'd take longer but two weeks is the max so I wanna get the most out of it ask can. I mean sure we can wait and try to get more time but I don't want it to turn into a oh we will do it one day type thing. I figure we can go for two weeks and at least we have done it, then we always have the option of going again if we have more time.
Thank you I think a lot of my answers have been answered. So if we were to go on the PDR are you able to turn off to go check stuff out on the OTT? Then go back to PDR? Does the PDR go right tithe very very tip? What is the very very tip even called?

[JethroT]

If your dad wants to go, just go for it. 

You can get on and off the Telegraph track at different places, and I would recommend stopping at Fruit Bat and Twin Falls, great swimming.  You could also  leave the van at Bramwell Junction for a couple of hours and go for a look along the track then came back and pick the van up.

We set up camp at Seisha and did an easy day trip to the tip and had a look around Somerset at the same time.  The road was a good dirt road.  The Tip is Called Pajinka from memory.

Take plenty of Duct tape to keep the dust out of the van.

Regards

[asmithaxe]

If you dad can only go for 2 weeks, why doesn't he fly to and from Cairns.  That way you don't have to blast up and back, and you can spend the full 2 weeks going north from Cairns.

[Sicilianmama]

If your dad wants to go, just go for it. 

You can get on and off the Telegraph track at different places, and I would recommend stopping at Fruit Bat and Twin Falls, great swimming.  You could also  leave the van at Bramwell Junction for a couple of hours and go for a look along the track then came back and pick the van up.

We set up camp at Seisha and did an easy day trip to the tip and had a look around Somerset at the same time.  The road was a good dirt road.  The Tip is Called Pajinka from memory.

Take plenty of Duct tape to keep the dust out of the van.

Regards

Thanks

If you dad can only go for 2 weeks, why doesn't he fly to and from Cairns.  That way you don't have to blast up and back, and you can spend the full 2 weeks going north from Cairns.

No unfortunately that's not an option either.

[McGirr]

The facts from last yeas trip.

Seisia to Archer river in one day driving approx 8 hours.

Archer river to Cairns approx 8 hours.

That is taking the development road and driving to road conditions.

From there work out your time to get from Toowoomba to Cairns. You may have time to stop at Twin falls.

From twin falls you can do canal creek and sams creek on the otl and then take the by pass to the development road.


Mark

[Chris F]

My wife and I did a trip to Cape York (Honeymoon  ) from Melbourne in 4 weeks stopping at Fraser Island and the Cape for about a week each. We didn't get to the tip, only Chili Beach but we had a ball. We have since returned to Fraser Island for 2 weeks and we'll get back to the Cape to have a better look when we have more time. We don't regret stopping at Chili Beach and the Cape was still the highlight of our holiday. Actually it was one of the highlights of my life! And you have a few extra days.
My message is go and do it, take your time and don't feel like you have to get to the tip for the trip to be a success. Cape York is a magic place.