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Date: May 2004
Location: Cape York, Queensland Australia
You don't need a 4WD for an adventurous ride to Cape
York.
Of the 343km between Cairns and Cooktown,
there's now only a 50km stretch of dirt road. The drive north is a pretty comfortable
ride. The trip on the inland road takes around three-and-a-half hours. A trip
taking in Cooktown, Lakefield National Park and Laura is guaranteed to give you
a taste for travelling in Cape York and whet your appetite for the big trip to
the tip, but that's another story.
We started the journey with the spectacular scenic coastal and rainforest drive
from Cairns to Mossman
then headed inland to Mount Molloy (don't miss the authentic Mexican food here!)
and then took the Peninsula Development Road to Cooktown.
You'll see spectacular views over wilderness country from the Byres Town Range
Lookout and make sure to stop off for a coffee at the Palmer River Roadhouse,
which has a quirky museum filled with mining relics, ancient snakeskins and relics
of the early settlers.
By mid-afternoon we reached Cooktown, perched at the mouth of the Endeavour River.
History buffs, you've come to the right place. The town is best known as the historic
site where Captain Cook beached his ship after striking a reef. It's a quintessential
tropical North Queensland small
town, with mango and frangipani trees lining ultra-wide streets.
To get my bearings, I joined Cooktown Tours run by local expert guide Mal
Coventry who escorts the 90 minute Historic Town Tour in his comfortable air-conditioned
coach. The tour takes in the historic buildings of the town, the Lighthouse and
magic view from Grassy Hill, the exotically planted Botanic Gardens and fascinating
Pioneer Cemetery containing the graves of the earliest settlers.
Cooktown's newest attraction is the $1 million Nature's Powerhouse, whose
striking contemporary architecture is nestled among giant granite boulders in
the Botanic Gardens. It is a museum and gallery of international standard.
Here you'll find exquisite illustrations by Cooktown's renowned botanical illustrator
Vera Scarth-Johnson, of Joseph Banks flora and fauna discoveries. There's also
the weird and wonderful reptile collection of a colourful local, Charlie Tanner,
who once kept a 3m crocodile in his backyard, and a caf set amongst the gardens
serving delicious food and coffee.
Mal Coventry's alternative tour takes you out of town to see the surrounding countryside.
Highlights are the Annan River, the mysterious Black Mountains (a 1,000 foot-high
stack of massive granite boulders) and the rustic Lion's Den timber slab pub,
where you can enjoy a cold beer and sign your name on the pub walls just as thousands
have done before you. Other tours with Mal take you to the spectacular coloured
sands at Elim Beach and to Laura, home to Aboriginal rock art, which is so impressive
it has been named by UNESCO as one of the world's top
10 rock art sites.
If you choose to travel unescorted to see Laura's rock art rather than opt for
Mal's tour, you'll need to contact the Adventure Company Australia which
manages the area in which the paintings are found. Other tour operators run Great
Barrier Reef fishing, diving, snorkelling and seaplane tours from Cooktown
Harbour.
If you'd prefer a self-guided tour, don't miss the Cooktown Museum, the
Endeavour River Gallery and the bushwalking trails of Mount Cook. A half-day trip
to swim in Trevethan falls is also recommended.
There's a good range of accommodation, a couple of motels, caravan parks with
cabins and camping, guest houses and self-contained units. Top of the range is
the four star Sovereign Resort on Charlotte Street, which is air conditioned,
has a pool and a great restaurant with a breezy deck perched high for maximum
people-watching. My favourite spot for breakfast was the Cook's Landing Kiosk,
a little caf on the water. From the nearby jetty, you'll no doubt see two very
special locals, a pair of huge gropers, each weighing around half a tonne.
If you've got a 4WD, head inland about three hours to the vast ant-hill studded
wilderness of Lakefield National Park. This is real adventure country,
great fishing, crocodiles and a birdwatcher's paradise.
The best time to travel to the Cape is the dry season (May
to December) as roads can become
impassable at other times of the year. And remember, take your time because the
journey is the adventure.
For more information:
Tourism Sunshine Coast
Tel +61 7 5452 2555
- By Sue Fuller
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