Cape York- Loyalty Beach to Old Telegraph Station

Ken had come all this way to explore, so lazing around on an up-market banana lounge for a few days was never going to be an option. We hooked up with Byron as planned and we were whisked away to Seisia Wharf the next afternoon to catch a bucket load. Well, Ken managed a queen fish and I had a Spanish mackerel out of the water but it chewed it’s way to freedom. Apparently quite a few bull sharks lurk under the jetty, adding even more anxiety to reeling your catch to the deck.

Some pre-season rain showers rolled in the next morning, so we did what any adventurers would do – go look at WW 2 plane wrecks. Bamaga was a crucial airport during the war and clearly on occasion, returning planes had been shot up so badly, that they didn’t make the runway. After the war, everyone just went home. The fuel dump was abandoned ‘in- situ’. There must have been 200-300 empty 44’s scattered in clumps along a kilometre stretch of track.

Byron again lured Ken into another fishing expedition at a ‘secret’ location, By all accounts, Ken learned all he needed to know about low range four wheel driving in a few short hours of ‘prac’. I took the opportunity and a sparkling sea to take a few snaps.

The next few days slid by. Byron had offered to take us bird watching at another ‘secret’ location, but the 5:30am start didn’t quite fit in with our ‘busy schedule’. Another day trip and we found ourselves at Muttee Beach on the west side of the Cape. For the history buffs, it is the site of the last remaining radar defense installation from WW2. For your generic tourist, another fabulous beach…and curse those crocs!!

Our final day was spent on a half- day trip to nearby Thursday Island. The boat ride over was alleged to be a highlight, but it was just a one hour water taxi, the nearby islands just in the distance. With a stiff breeze across the bow, we saw more sea spray through our windows than sea.

Thursday Island is very laid back. A one main street village with a backdrop of military history on the hill behind.

Now, cafe reviews are as rare as hen’s teeth on this website, but I have to give a shout out to Island Stars Cafe at the bottom end of Douglas Street. Not only was the coffee top shelf, but the large home made cookie/biscuit/cake I had with it…… I started off thinking, “I’ll save the other half for ‘Ron’, but I could not stop at half. Every last morsel was consumed. I confessed as much to the girl behind the counter, who assuaged my guilt by admitting to doing exactly same thing, but without the guilt (lol).

One last sunset over the ocean and we were ready to start the journey south, early the next morning. A big drive ahead, we were back at the Jardine ferry by 8:30am. Driving on the PDR is like childbirth. The corrugations swear you off ever doing this again, but a good stretch of tar dulls that memory…till next time. Emboldened by his crash 4WD course, Ken decided that we were going to have a tilt at Elliot and Twin Falls after all. It was only a few ‘k’ further on than Fruit Bat Falls, and along part of the famous Telegraph Track. This was the most challenging section of the run, and apparently, this video clip “is going straight to the pool room!”

Only a short work from the carpark, and completely different from Fruit Bat Falls, this is Elliot Falls. Water cascading through a narrow gorge made for a strong current, but a swim was still doable.

Twin Falls was literally around the corner and the prettiest of them all. Unlike the roar of Elliot Falls, this one fell gently and calmly. Prising a rock oyster was easier then getting Ken out from under the lip of the falls, but we had to keep going.

When we finally arrived at Old Telegraph Station mid afternoon, we had missed the season by a single day – closed till March 2026. All we could get was water and some suggestions by the caretaker about where we could spend the night.

As luck would have it, a large gravel pit, every free camper’s Plan B, was only10klm further on, and that’s where we ended up for the night. It had been a big few weeks. We’d be back-tracking for a couple of days. Time to regroup and re-energize for our adventure.