Just back from the Cape
We made it back in one piece.We travelled the old telegraph track,but missed the last three creeks on the south side of Jardine River. These were Mistake Creek, Canninbal,and Nolan Brook. (Looks like a second trip comin' up soon). We bailed due to some minor mechanical problems and got a fix at the top end. Then we picked up the Track North side and went to the tip. If you are planning this trip make sure you have new or near new tyres, snorkel, diff. guard and a good supply of shock absorber top rubbers, maybe an engine mount just in case! We never ran out of power and managed all obsticles as you would expect a Jeep to do. I got bogged in a dumb sand hole and had to be snatched only that once. The stoppage was an embarassment because of missing the line on a minor hole after we had conquered what appeared to be extra hard terrain, 10metres muddy down sides without a return except on the other side of the creeks which were steep, wet and muddy!. Any questions about trip will gladly answer!!
Diesel
I did this trip last year and loved it. You missed three
of the best creek crossings!, but as you said you'd like
to do a second trip (me to). Did you visit Wiepa, Pennyfarther
chilli beach as these were the high light of my trip. How was
the fishing?. We've just planned our next big trip which is to
The Kimberleys can't wait!
my 4x4 pictures:
http://www.community.webshots.com/user/mudlux
diesel Registered User
Posts: 2
(7/10/02 9:30 am) Reply
Cape
Yes,
It was great and we had a ball ! No we missed Chill Beach, we detoured to Weipa at the Archer River to get some repairs, this put us two days behind. While we were at Weipa we met some people who had moved from Chilli because it was too windy to camp and they said leave it out for this trip! (WE were back on shedule by leaving it out.)
The fishing was ordinary, however one of the people on our group caught a barrumundi at Hahn River camp ground on the way back, it took him 10 minutes and there was no point in catching more as it fed everybody and we only had a small waico fridge, (they dont fit in small waico fridges)! The fishing at the top was not happening ! even the locals could not get any ! The local fish shop ran out of fish for four days and ordered some from the south! When the boat arrived we got that usual cod stuff, like a big fish finger..lol..!! We have some things to do with the vehicle (one is a snorkel) before we go again, possibly xmas vacation if finances are ok by then. Yep missing those creeks was a dissapointment , but after we spoke to some people at the top we decided just as well ! apparently the water in Nolan Brooke was over 4 feet deep in places at the time! without a snorkel it would be dangerous for our daily driver.. With this in mind we are setting the diesel up to get through this depth of water ! The only thing which is a pest are the corrugations ! taking the Telegraph Track cuts off many kilometers of these, but the corrugations were responsible for all the damage to the vehicles, not the telegraph track !! If Jeep could create a vehicle which you could drive these conditions without damage it would be a Jeep to buy. The Rubicon does not impress me, all Jeeps are made to travel the testing ground at the Rubicon ( a 22mile stretch of track, total course) this was over four hundred kilometers of track and trail, not a clever little obsticle course !! We had seen 80 series being towed (transfer case problems) another with broken radiator parts, another 80series with engine mounts and some serius welding was needed at the top end, 100 series with bent front axle (being escorted back), brand new Pajero out of action (two months old) waiting for suspension repairs before they could return home. Hilux with a split floor pan, explorers with torn out shock absorbers, Jeeps with broken engine mounts (two petrol models) and we were only at the top for four days !! even a Landy Disco lost its tail light assembly, vibrating out on the corrugations, it was picked up and returned by a passing group member. The Disco (brand new) appeared to be the best on the trip we saw. It really did it all and drove home via the palmer river goldmines track(maytown) with out any problems ! lets see that happen a second time and I will consider them more!! , it could have been just luck ! We lost top rubbers on the shock at the front (four times) minor stuff like windscreen ,trim and body damage(sills!! hmm I need nerfs too), then spun wildly out of control on the corrugations when a bolt snapped on the rear shock absorbers!! the axle flying about at will. Conditions change from time to time, one of the vehicles we went with had been before, he said he had never seen it so bad and it was the worst so called trail in Oz he had ever encountered ( that was a trail with a name, not just bush bashing 400klms !)) We were glad to have our diff guard from snake racing, it was one less thing to worry about, we got to test it on the first creek (Palm Creek) first major), a large rock had been unearthed about five meters from the top of a steep muddy climb, it had to be hit with momentum or you did not get through (thanks rhino). Imagine getting to the first creek on the Track and doing a diff. that would have been a dissappointment! Too much to photograpgh too much to mention, it is a be there and see it experiance, too much to write about without specifics , I am happy to tell my story, but the track could be different as we speak. One thing I will say is when they say DIP on a sign ! Hit the bloody brakes hard and fast, we got all four wheels off the ground more than once and catapolted out of holes (some five meters deep) in a very unclassy action on many occassions..lol..!! cya.
Registered User
Posts: 225
(7/10/02 9:49 am) Reply
Re: Cape
I wouldn't head back there at xmas time wet season
apparently during the wet the jardine floods to about
1km wide and flowing fast.
It's a shame about the fishing we had a 11ft tinny and
managed to catch about 20 differnent species of fish.
From 4kg golden travally (took me 20min to pull in), 9kg
spanish mackeral, 11kg tuna, burrumundi and australian
salmon just to name a couple.
We had four vehicles with
us (80 series, 75 series & two hiluxes) and had no major
problems (one broken engine mount & one flat tyre) but
the conditions didn't sound as bad as yours.
Chilli beach is ment to blow wind 365 days a year, the three
days we had there were perfect not a breath of wind, I think
we were lucky for the whole 4 weeks we were up there.
Next time though I think I'll head up around may before it gets
over crowded.
my 4x4 pictures:
http://www.community.webshots.com/user/mudlux
diesel Registered User
Posts: 4
(7/10/02 1:43 pm) Reply
cape- the funny bits of terror
I reckon December will be ok ! It has been in draught for a few years and we are fitting a snorkel anyway..lol..!! I have to tell ya though that our power window stuffed up on drivers side before we left and I did not have time to fix-it.! I thought this is ok.! we have really good air cond.huh ! After leaving Bowen camp ground our air. cond. stopped working..wow..! so I thought I will get it fixed at Cairns- nope.!(could not) We also took a trail or two on the way and when I woke up the next morning at Cairns I had two flat tyres !! GSA Goodyear ! So this was not a Good Year so far. The weather was overcast and cool enough to proceed so I fixed tyres with ARB kit and headed off through coastal Daintree road ! By the time I hit the hard stuff in Daintree I had staked another tyre and slow leak in the fourth in the first deeper creek we crossed and by now it was looking like a shower of rain was headed our way. Although the tyres had only done 20-30,000k I tossed them at Cooktown and got some new 235/75/15 BFG's plus a spare.So we are all ready to head off for the adventure. We hit the corrugations just north of Cooktown and had to put a kilometer between the vehicles because of the dust, and we were choking, every time a vehicle passed, it was up windows on passenger side and back then down as soon as the dust settled ( about a minute later ) dont forget my window was stuffed before the trip !! We travelled another 30klms out of Cooktown and the top shock absorber rubbers dissintergrated !! it felt like some one hitting the underside of the car with a sledge hammer and we had to stop !! fortunately one of the other vehicles had some spares !! Lucky !! not so !! about 30klms further along and his top shock rubbers blew !! and we had not gone more than 60klms from cooktown!! (all brand new shockys) So at Coen (limped in) we got an ample supply of top rubbers. When we fitted the new tops we found the bottom of his had blown out the neoprene bush (drivers side) of his vehicle, that is when we went to Weipa for a fix!! If it ended there it would have been ok! At the top we all went over a huge dip and no-one got time to radio back because they had their hands full, his front shock blew apart and stabbed his cv boot narrowly escaping were the brake lines ! $120 later an engineer at the top fabricated the fix with a machined piece of steel !! We should have got the other one done..,hey..! On the way back 30klms past Bamaga the other one blew out..we had to rip it out and he drove back without his front shock on one side and a crushed and damaged one on the other. A little later my back shock ripped off the mounting bolts ( dont forget we were limping along at what we thopught was unbreakable speed with his shock missing) the Jeep spun sideways and nearly left the track !! I had to scunge through a tip on a cattle station to find some 8mm bolts to re=assemble mine.. It was all fun after that, we then caught the Barra and got back in one piece.. These are the things I guess you dont hear !! but while you find yourself in the mechanics and the tips and workshops there are many others alongside, that is where I met the 100 series and the 80 series in for repair Branwell cattle station. This stuff has not spoiled anything for us however we live in the bush and used to drive a Sierra soft top (dust incorporated). We still had a ball and only missed three creeks... we will return to complete these real soon !! diesel
Registered User
Posts: 227
(7/10/02 2:07 pm) Reply
Re: cape- the funny bits of terror
December is the best time for fishing but you'll
need to fly in, the guy that fixed the cars reckons
during the wet he'll fill a 44gallon drum in one day.
Good luck.
my 4x4 pictures:
http://www.community.webshots.com/user/mudlux
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