cape2cape — Motorcycle Adventure

Day 21 – Moreton Telegraph Station to Cape York.

Finally after 20 days on the road, Cape York, or “the Tip” as it is referred to locally, was within reach. After a cool night at Moreton we headed off early with the sun barely over the horizon and casting dappled light on the road making it difficult to read the surface. And after the last 2 days of relatively easy riding we expected the same to the Tip but it was not to turn out that way and we copped the lot, unmarked water crossings, sand, gravel, tight bends, mud and oncoming traffic that did not give way. We all managed to handle the conditions and apart from a few near misses we managed to all stay upright.

First stop was Fruit Bat Falls where we had morning tea and coffee at this very pretty spot. After this we left the dense forest we had been riding through and found ourselves riding over heathlands almost the same as we had started with in WA. After a few k’s this gave way to dense forest became more like a tropical jungle as we moved forward. We crossed the Jardine River on the ferry late morning and made Bamaga for lunch. We were certainly now in the tropics with lush tropical vegetation covering everything. From Bamaga we headed to our final destination. Although only 34k’s from Bamaga it was to be quite a journey with a lot of surface water on the road, a number of water crossings including one deep one, mud and deep wheel ruts. We managed our way through these and eventually reached the Tip where we congratulated ourselves on our success and took the obligatory photos.

After 21 days on the road we had covered around 6100k’s and according to my GP our average moving speed was 75kph. Out of the original 8 riders, 5 made it unscathed, 2 nursing injuries (Miles and Clarkey) and 2 very proud riders managed not to fall once (Mark and Terry).

Tomorrow we rest at Loyalty Beach near Seisia and then we start our 4 day ride to Cairns to the end of this epic ride.

Posted at May 22nd | 11 comments | read on

Day 20 – Musgrave to Moreton Telegraph Station (297k)

We woke to find a heavy dew over our swags and everything that had been left out for the night. Packing up was quick as we had not needed to unpack the cooking equipment, the toilet, the shower, only our swags.

We watched channel 7 news as we ate breakfast at the roadhouse and then hit the road. Miles decided to strap his wrist as it was sore from his crash the day before but he was fine to ride.

We headed off North on the Peninsular Development Rd towards Coen through dense open forest. The road was mostly dirt with some short sections sealed for overtaking and a lot of roadworks to repair sections damaged in the wet. Towards Coen the country became much hillier as we headed into the Great Divinding Range and we were soon in mountainous country.

We stopped at Coen for a cuppa and discovered that “Grunters Beastro” had an expresso machine which delivered excellent cappucino’s and expresso coffee. While enjoying this treat Liam discovered that the rear sub-frame on his bike had cracked all the way through. Bruce managed to solve the problem with fencing wire and it was not long before we were off again.
About 70k north of Coen we reached the Archer River Roadhouse were we refuelled and ate lunch surrounded by a busload of grey nomads. From there we rode north through much the same country until we reached the Moreton Telegraph Station our destination for the night. As we were staying in ready made tents we were set up in no time.

It is now our fourth day in FNQ and so far we have avoided any encounters with denge fever carrying mosquito’s or ticks but have been unable to avoid another form of pest which appears to be rapidly increasing in numbers to plague proportions, the GN’s. While one or two GN’s are quite easy to deal with, they are increasing in number at every stop we make, infesting all food places and accommodation. There were dozens of them staying in Moreton and they got a real surprise when “Borat” walked through in his mankini . A few of the ladies got a bit carried away as “Borat” told me later he was manhandled by a couple who whispered in his ear that he was sexy!

Posted at May 22nd | 1 comment | read on

Day 19 – Mitchell and Lynd River Junction to Musgrave Roadhouse (348k)

Day 19 started just after midnight when a couple of pigs, a dingo and a scrub bull decided to pay our camp a visit. All without incident although we did put on a few lights to ensure that the pig hunters who were nearby did not inadvertently fire a few shots our way. After a short time all was quiet and we had a peaceful night.

Morning saw us up early as usual and after breakfast cooked by Les we were on our way West on the Burke Development Rd to the turn off of the Mt Musgrave Road. We had a bit of trouble finding the start of the road as there were roadworks on the junction but once we were on it we soon found ourselves at the Mitchell River ford where we stopped for morning tea and coffee.

The Mitchell was still wide although we were a fair way upstream but the ford was dry. It was not long before we encountered what was the first of many wet crossings. The road traversed through forest interspersed with pastures and of course cattle grazing, although not as many as we encountered yesterday.

After Mt Mulgrave station the country changed and we found the road winding up and down through hilly country which was fun to ride over. At Palmerville Station the road literally disappeared and we found ourselves going through the back yard of a house. The road reappeared and from here to the Peninsular Development Rd turned out to be a great ride through dense forest with plenty of twists and turns and more water crossings. Miles managed to come off in one, ironically a tributary of the Kenndy River.

Riding in front he came over a ridge to find an unexpected water crossing and although he made it by aquaplaning across he slipped on the other side fortunately without doing himself any harm. The final big water crossing was nearly the undoing of Terry, Mark and Clarky who came across it unexpectedly and went through it faster than they preferred but without any of them coming off.

Once we reached the Peninsular Development Rd it felt like a highway in comparison but no where near as much fun to ride on. We reached the Hann River Roadhouse for a late lunch. From there it was a short haul to the Musgrave Roadhouse where we set up for the night at the camping ground.

Posted at May 22nd | 1 comment | read on

Day 18 – Karumba to the Junction of the Mitchell and Lynd River (397k)

We left Karumba Point after a breakfast cooked by our hosts at the End of the Road Motel, a very good spot to stay. We refuelled before we left Karumba Point and managed to purchase a replacement swag and sleeping bag for the ones lost yesterday. Our photos were taken by the lady storekeeper who handed out free bags of sweets to Micko and Bruce and Miles scored a free can of Mr Sheen, the best bike cleaner in the world.

We then headed north west from Karumba on the Burke Development Road towards the Mitchell River. We spent most of the day crossing open grassland and woodlands. There was a lot more wildlife than we had seen in the past, roos, emu’s, eagles, brolgas, pigs, a croc, a goanna and heaps of cattle. Fortunately no one hit anything although there were some close shaves.

There was a lot of cattle on the move and yarded at various stations that we crossed and a lot means thousands.
The road was dirt but generally good, although heavily corrugated in parts and we could see where it had been recently flooded with the mud having dried into deep ruts. There were quite a few water crossings although at most the water level had dropped and the crossing was dry. We arrived at our camp site around 3pm and were soon set up for the night.

As we got closer to our destination we considered staying at the nearest accommodation, a resort that quoted $2000 a night per person and a minimum of 2 nights. Even the internet billionaire who is rumoured to be travelling with us balked at that price.

Overall a good day no falls and no injuries although Miles did have a rather terse discussion with a couple of pig hunters who did not appreciate him turning up. Liam turned up from his swim in the river with his bike covered in mud but denied he had fallen off.

Posted at May 22nd | no comments | read on