- Teewah Beach -

Straight after arriving back on the Mainland from Fraser Island we drove through the township, Rainbow Beach onto Teewah Beach which is South of the town. It's apart of the Cooloola National Park and offers safe swimming beach, great surfing and over 15km of coastline to set up camp.

(Teewah Beach, view from Double Island Point.)

We drove onto the beach and headed for Double Island point to check out the views from the lighthouse. It was a very popular spot with an awesome surf break and sheltered swimming. the views from the Lighthouse were spectacular!

From here we headed south down the beach to look for a camp.. which being a 15km "camping zone" we thought we'd find a camp without too much trouble.... How wrong we were! Being a Friday... it was packed... tents, tarps, 4wd's, camper trailers, kids, surfers, beach cricket, fisherman all seemed to be stretched out all along the beach. We were beginning to wonder if we'd find a semi secluded spot at all!

(Campers were squeezing in to get their peice of paradise.)

Eventually we did find our spot... and in our minds a bloody beauty! although a little close to some others, we had unlimited views of the beach and only had to walk 20 metres to the waters edge.

(Our camp for one night.)

It was a magical spot, although i'd definately consider next time what time to visit.

(I got up early to capture this lovely sunrise.)

- Fraser Island Adventure -

Heritage listed Fraser Island is just off the coast of Hervey Bay, it is the world largest sand island. Stretching 123km in length and only 22kms wide, this unique part of Australia lures adventure travellers to its shores.

With its long interrupted beaches, pockets of rainforest, over 100 freshwater lakes and the abundance of wildlife it is the perfect recipe for a fun filled 4wd camping trip.

After much planning and research we decided to take the car over for a 4 day adventure. We first had to get there, which meant booking the car on a vehicle ferry to cross the Great Sandy Strait. A 50 min ferry ride later we drove off the ferry and onto the island, passing through Kingfisher Bay Resort before reaching the start of many 4wd sand tracks. From the numerous self drive travellers and tourist coaches the track was quite cut up and soft in sections, so we had to let down our tyres a few times to make it much easier to drive.

(The vehicle barge to Fraser Island)

( 4wd Sand tracks are the only roads on the island)

Along the western side of the island there isn’t a great deal to see, so we headed inland passing by a couple of freshwater lakes and sand blows before reaching the eastern coast. This uninterrupted beach is a gazetted road, being the easiest & quickest way to reach the top tourist sites it can be more like a highway at times!

( 75 Mile Beach was more like a highway at low tide.)

(Sand blows were spectacular, some have engulfed entire lakes and forests.)


On our way to find our first camp for the night we came across the ship wreck of the Maheno. In 1935 the Maheno was being towed to a Japanese wrecking yard when she met her stormy end in a cyclone just off the coast. It was pretty awesome to see with the waves lapping against its rusty hull, providing an excellent opportunity for photos! We pushed on further north along the beach to find a perfect campsite complete with ocean views and a grassy spot to put up our tent! With a few wines and the sound of the waves, it could get any better than this... or could it??

(The Maheno shipwreck.)

(What an awesome camp spot, 1st night on Fraser.)

The next morning we woke to rain! Making it a very interesting while packing up! However in no time at all, the weather cleared and we were back into exploring the island. First we called by the pinnacles, a section of weathered dunes of contrasting coloured sands. Then called into Happy Valley for a look, it’s a tourist village offering an alternative accommodation to camping.

(Coloured Sands.)

Our next stop though was Eli Creek. It’s a freshwater creek flowing across the beach into the ocean with boardwalks along its upper reaches into the dunes. Here was also the place of our first sighting of a Dingo, who was just going about its business paying no attention to us at all. Eli Creek is also a popular spot to swim, as it is advised against to swim in the ocean, with rough seas and the occasional croc sighting.

(Eli Creek, great spot to explore.)

From here we headed inland, winding our way up into the rainforest and sand dunes to visit Lake Wabby. Lake Wabby is known as a Barrage Lake which means it has formed when a sand blow blocks the path of a natural spring. Eventually the sand dune will engulf the lake, making us feel very fortunate to visit while we still can! It was steep walk to get to the waters edge, however worth the effort as we plunged into its cool calm waters! When we finally got back to the car we slowly made our way back to the beach, getting stuck in the soft sand a few times on the track. We decided to drive further south to find a suitable campsite where we could make our base for the next few nights.

(Looking down to Lake Wabby.)

Just south of Eurong (Another resort village) we found the perfect spot. Nestle behind a small sand dune, with plenty of trees for shade we made our camp, putting up a few extra traps in case the rain set in again over night.

The following morning while getting ready for our next adventure 2 Dingo’s casually strolled past our camp. They’re believed to be the purest strain of Dingo and have become well accustomed to the presence of humans on the island. Everywhere we went there were warnings about Dingo’s, mostly not to approach and to make sure food etc is securely stored. One camp we saw looked like it had been torn apart by Dingo’s as there was rubbish everywhere.

After refuelling at Eurong we set off inland again to visit the most popular lake on the Island, Lake McKenzie. We’d have to say this is one of the BEST beaches in the world. It was amazing, pure white sand giving way to the crystal clear water… certainly an unusual paradise! The lake is a ‘perched’ lake which means it is only rainwater, no ground water or streams feed into this lake. The natural composition of sand and organic materials at the base of the lake, form a special layer preventing the water from draining away. We spent several hours swimming, lounging on the shores it was beautiful, however the crowds were starting to arrive so we decided to push on.

(Beautiful Lake McKenzie)

The drive from Lake McKenzie continued onto Central Station, which was once a logging community, however now home to National Parks Info Station. From here the track continued to wind its way through sand dunes, rainforests, and bushland. We stopped off at Lake Birrabeen and Lake Boomajin before reaching the eastern Beach again just south of Eurong.

The following day we spent relaxing in our camp, reading, walking along the beach and enjoying the fact we didn’t have to drive anywhere. The next day we packed up early and drove to the most southern point on the island, Hook Point. Here we caught the ferry to Inskip point on the Mainland.

We had the most amazing time on Fraser Island and would definitely go back to visit again. Not only is it a camping and 4wd adventure, it offers a unique beauty which you cannot find anywhere else. Let’s hope it stays that way for many years to come.


(The Barge to Inskip Point took only 5mins to reach the mainland.)

(CLICK TO ENLARGE MAP)

- CAPE YORK, Part 3 -

(A section of the OTT)

The following morning we packed up and hit the road heading back south via the Jardine River Ferry. 30km or so past the Ferry we followed a track that links up to the Old Telegraph Track, as we wanted to save back tracking to reach the Elliot Falls for a swim! Just getting there was a little adventure, navigating our way around large pools of water and huge ruts gouged out by countless 4wdrivers throughout the tourist season. It was fun and gave us a little taste of the challenges of choosing to reach the cape via the OTT. Eventually we arrived at Elliot Falls and to our surprise had it all to ourselves!! It was beautiful, rushing water cascading over the rocks. Around the corner from the falls we found Twin Falls which was more ideal for swimming & exploring!

(Elliot Falls)

(Beautiful Twin Falls...)






Another 7km south, we found Fruit Bat Falls, formed by rocks stretching the width of a small river. The water was very cold, however we couldn’t pass a swim under the falls, and it was such an awesome spot!


(Fruit Bat Falls)

Our destination for today was to make it out to Captain Billy Landing, location on the Eastern side of the cape, via a 30km track off the main road. We were excited about visiting Captain Billy landing as we’d seen some impressive photo’s and decided on the spot that we wanted to check it out, although we had heard reports it can be really windy!! The turn off sign also noted that there would be Speed humps for the entire 30km’s!! Great!! It’s going to be a slow bumpy ride!! After about 10km’s down the track the corrugations were bloody shocking and then….

CLUNK!!!

We’d lost all our steering!! We both jumped out of the car to find out what the problem was… and there it was; the idler arm on the left hand side had snapped clean at the joint. So there was no support or pivot point for the steering rods!! BLOODY HELL, here we were with no steering, obviously no spare parts for this kind of break down and the closest roadhouse was about 80km’s away! We slowly turned the car around and we fastened the steering rod up to the chassis to help support it as we slowly drove the car back the way we had come to the main road. Our plan was to get back to the main road, have some lunch and flag down a passing traveller for some advice and some spare wire.

We were lucky enough to have someone call past just as we had finished lunch and surprisingly it was another Toyota 4runner! The kind traveller had some spare fencing wire and we rigged it up underneath to hold the Idler Arm in place! So the next gruelling stage began, crawling and nursing the car 70kms south to Bramwell Junction Roadhouse. It was slow going, and every 10kms we stopped to check we weren’t doing any damage and that our rough bush mechanics wasn’t wearing and tearing! Eventually we arrived at Bramwell, set up camp for the night, had hot showers and bought a few Bourbons to sit and contemplate what our next move would be.

The bush mechanics fastening was holding well and instead of sitting and waiting for a tow truck and paying a hefty towing fee, we measured up that we could still drive the car. Nor did we didn’t have a time issue, so the next morning we headed off towards Weipa, the nearest place to get the car fixed, which was 180km’s away!! A risk we knew, however being school holidays we knew if we needed assistance, it wouldn’t be too far away. So we hit the bumpy road at 7am wanting to make reasonable time into Weipa. The drive was fairly slow and uneventful, still stopping every so often to check that everything was holding well under the car. The corrugations were a lot trickier to navigate and sometimes we had to drive on the shoulder of the road just to smooth out the ride. Finally around 11am we made it into Weipa!! Thank Goodness! We took the car straight to the mechanic and they begun the search for relevant parts while we booked into accommodation. We soon learnt that the only part available would have to be flown in from Cairns, and being so remote the plane came in to town once a week!! We were in for the long haul and thankfully had booked a room with an aircon, it was going to be a long wait!

By the end of the week the car was fixed, the wallet a whole lot lighter and we were back on the road!!! It was certainly a long week, but we managed and put it down to part of the adventure of travelling up the Cape York Peninsula, and we chose the easier way!

(Brendon happy to be back on the road!)

(Weipa Bridge)

(Taken at Musgrave Roadhouse on the way back)


By now we didn’t feel like doing much more exploring so we kept to the road heading south. Just outside Laura, we stopped off to check out the Aboriginal Art at the Split Rock Art site. It was pretty interesting with an awesome view and provided a nice break from the road. From here the bitumen began and we made good time back to our friends place in Mossman.

Back safe and sound, we had a wonderful 3 weeks away. The journey “Up the Cape” reached all expectations and provided us with countless memories and adventure! It was unbelievable and we would definitely consider doing it again! Perhaps with a group of mates and a boat next time!

- CAPE YORK, Part 2 -

We began the day early, purchasing our ticket for the ferry across the Jardine River, which is fairly expensive, however does include some bush camping, access to communities and the maintenance costs for the camp grounds. Due to the time of year the crossing wasn’t all that impressive, looking rather shallow and the ride was over in a matter of seconds. So before we knew it, we were back onto the bumpy corrugated roads on our way to Bamaga (which is the main community on the cape).

(The Jardine River Ferry)

At Bamaga we refuelled and decided to head out in search for a number of WWII plane wreck sites that were marked on our map. It was quite a surreal adventure as there weren’t any signposts. We just had to find our way by following a small track and bashing through the bush over logs etc. Gradually the track opened up into clearings strewn with old rusted aviation fuel drums, and then eventually we arrived at the plane wreck. I later read that this one was a Beaufort Bomber which came down not far from the old Jacky Jacky Airstrip. We also visited the crash site of a DC3, which had come down on its way from Brisbane to New Guinea in May 1945.

(The Beaufort Bomber WWII crash site.)

(DC3 remains from at flight enroute to New Guinea.)

On returning to Bamaga we took the road north out of town and made the 34km journey to the most northern tip of mainland Australia. The track was considerably winding and cut through a large pocket of Rainforest for most of the way. This surprised me as I expected the tip be quite barren and rocky, not with lush towering trees and lush vegetation! We finally made it to Frangipani Beach, parked up the car and went looking for the track to the tip. Thankfully a recent traveller had made a makeshift sign showing us the way!

(Makeshift sign to Direct travellers...)

We followed a rocky ridge heading towards the ocean. It wasn’t the clearest of days and we began watching a rolling cloud come in as we walked. It wasn’t until we made it to a lookout plaque before the rain came hurtling down on us!! Looking back it must’ve been quite funny watching us trying to shield our cameras from the rain under our shirts! The rain passed as quickly as it had arrived and we continued down to the waters edge to the sign declaring we had made it to the most northern point of the continent!

(Above 3 Pictures: At the most northern point of mainland Australia!)

Back at the car we drove back through ‘Pajinka’ which was once an Aboriginal Owned Wilderness Lodge. Now the buildings are just a shell and a lot of rubbish has been left behind. I’m sure there is more to the story since its closure in 2002; however it was a real shame to see this popular tourist destination still looking like a dump nearly 8 years on! Certainly somewhere the hefty Jardine River Ferry ticket money would be put to good use!

On the return track from the tip we passed so many travellers it was hard to believe we were far from civilization! We explored a number of camp grounds on the way back, however decided on staying in the seaside township of Seisia with the convenience of catching the Ferry to Thursday Island the following day! The remainder of the day we spent catching up on the laundry and reorganising the car.

Shortly after 8am the next morning we boarded “Straight Magic” for our 1 ¼ hr ferry ride to Thursday Island or T.I as it’s also affectionately known. It was an informative journey with the skipper pointing out the numerous islands and their historical significance. We passed Possession Island where Captain Cook first claimed British sovereignty over the eastern part of Australia in 1770 and islands of local pearling history as we rode the waves into the Port of T.I. Once on land, most of passengers decided to join the local tour, however we decided to explore around the island by ourselves. Walking down the main street you could swear you back on the mainland in some small outback town, however walking into the shops we were swept away into island life and the diversity of influences from nearby Papa New Guinea and surrounding islands of the Torres Strait. One shop in particular was filled with bright Hawaiian style printed cloth and clothing, worn mostly for festivals, special occasions etc.

After locating a town map, we headed up the steep Green Hill to visit the fort. It was built in 1890 and used as a defence centre for Australia, watching with 4 loaded canons over the nearby shipping channel and again in WWII keeping watch for invasions by the Japanese. It now houses the historical society museum of the Island, which we soon learnt that we had to go on the tour to have access to it!! Bugger! However the effort walk up the hill wasn’t all lost, as from here we got a spectacular view of T.I and surrounding islands.

(Awesome views from Green Hill, Thursday Island)

We continued on visiting significant buildings & places of the township and back through the shops for another browse. For lunch we headed to the Grand Hotel over looking the water, it was magic! We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the foreshore and watching island life. If we had more time we would’ve taken a tour over to neighbouring Horn Island where they offer insight into life during WWII and exploring the remnants of war bunkers and aircraft crash sites etc. However before we knew it we were back on the boat heading for the mainland. What a glorious day spent on T.I!

(Sunset back on Seisia Beach)

- CAPE YORK, Part 1 -

To me travelling Cape York is a ‘must do’ when travelling around Australia. It’s one of the ultimate Australian 4wd adventures, rich in history, challenging, isolated and has a rugged outback appeal which lures enthusiasts back time and time again. And we were no exception! You can traverse the Cape a number of different ways. The easier way, the hard way or most tend to mix it up a little without any intentions! And this is exactly what happened to us!

After picking up some last minute supplies, we left Cooktown via Battle Camp Rd. Battle Camp Rd is known to be rough and can be completely impassable during & after the Wet. We soon got a taste of what was on the horizon, with the amount of corrugations, bull dust and the flooded creek crossings we encountered along the way. This is part and parcel of “doing” the Cape and we loved every minute of it!

(Roadtrain throwing up the dust on the way up Cape York.)

We crossed Laura River and stopped for a break at the Old Laura Homestead, marking the entrance to Lakefield National Park. We stopped of at numerous campsites in search for a good spot to fish, however being late in the dry most were down to shallow pools of stagnant water. We chose to stay at Kalpower Crossing, not only was it shady with good facilities, it offers peaceful views of the river.

The next morning we explored more of the National Park almost reached the ocean in search of a decent high bank to fish off. After getting some advice from a couple of fellas we met on the road, we tried our luck in a favourable waterhole for just over an hour. After a couple of teasing splashes, we soon realised today wasn’t going to be our day. We were soon back on the main road heading north 170km of dusty, spine tingling corrugations, we eventually pulled into camp at Archer River Roadhouse and the luxury of a hot shower!

(Old Laura Homested, Lakefield NP.)


Just after first light we were back on the road again navigating our way out to Iron Range NP, via the Aboriginal Community of Lockhart River. The road was in good condition after recent road works making the journey relatively smooth. We made an early camp so we didn’t miss out at very popular Chilli Beach! It was blowing a gale, but that didn’t hamper our spirits, after setting the awning and an extra tarp as a wind break we soaked up the sun over a good book. We were sitting on the palm tree lined beach, sounds of the ocean and the view of islands scattered across the horizon, what more could we ask for?

(Bren, soaking up the sun... what a place!)

(Our camp/windbreak, Chilli Beach.)

(Palm trees @ sunrise, Chilli Beach, meters from our campsite.)



From Chilli Beach we could return to the main rd, via the way we came or by taking a 50km “shortcut” via the Frenchman’s Track, saving us about 90km of back tracking. The Frenchman’s Track can be quite challenging as it is not maintained, nor is it sign posted and depending on the time of year can be totally impassable! The major hurdle would be the Pasco River crossing, we learnt this from our handy guide book, it reads “caution deep river crossing, should only attempted by experienced 4x4 drivers only”. The crossing was only 16km in from the turn off so we decided we’d drive in to check it out and see if it was within our experience to make the crossing.


We made our way in over a fairly reasonable track, a few washouts, patches of the usual corrugations and ruts. Eventually we reached the Pasco River, we jumped out to investigate by wading across the river (about 0.6metres deep) to check out the steep & rocky embankment on the other side. After assessing the conditions we decided to go ahead as this would be our only major 4wd adventure while up the cape & not wanting to hammer the car as we still had a long way to go! We crossed the river successfully dodging a large boulder without a problem, then put the car into Low range and slowly navigated our way up the rocky slope! It was exciting, wheels spinning, and redirecting the wheels a couple of times saw us comfortably to the top no worries!

(The climb after the crossing.)

(Pasco River Crossing.)

(Looking back down the hill.)

(Bren, after the Pasco River Crossing.)

The track continued with deep washouts, ruts and creek crossings keeping our speed around 30 kph! One crossing in particular was a little deceiving with the first section slightly deeper and the water pushed over the bulbar for a few seconds before levelling out into shallower water. Thankfully no water came in under the doors! After crossing the almost dry Wenlock River we finally reached the main road! What an adventure, 50kms worth and it took us about 3 hours! We then pushed on to camp at the Jardine River ready to cross by the river ferry first thing in the morning…

TO BE CONTINUED>>>>>>

(Wenlock River, Note the sign... "we were here in a boat...")