We did our annual Cape York Peninsula road trip early this year, in June instead of October. It was early in the dry season, the roads were in great shape and we travelled to Lakeland, Laura, Lama Lama National Park, Coen, Wenlock River, Aurukun and Cooktown. All our interviews are up on this blog – and here’s an assortment of pictures from this wonderful part of the world.
Pictures by ABC Open’s Suzie Cray, ABC Far North legend Phil Staley, Lyndal Scobell from Cape York NRM, and me.
How big is far north Queensland? A bit bigger than Victoria.Getting around by road up here can take time. The distances aren’t huge, but the roads can be a challenge.
We have some good sealed highways, but once you go bush, you’ll be driving on dirt and if it rains, you’ll be experiencing things they don’t tell you about at driving school. And you won’t find servos or burger joints every few kilometres, as you do in the big smoke. The next fuel stop could be hundreds of km up the road, and it’s likely to be one of FNQs famous road-houses.
C 1 at the Hann River Roadhouse
As you head north from Laura on the Peninsula Development Rd, you come to the Hann River Roadhouse. Fuel, food, comfort stop, somewhere to stay. There’s good fishing in the Hann River, and good camping spots in nearby Lakefield National Park.
Hann River Roadhouse is home to Laura, her daughter Georgia (who goes to school on the phone with the School of Distance Education http://cairnssde.eq.edu.au/wordpress), a very hungry emu, and a pink chook. No. I wasn’t hallucinating.
Pink chook Hann River. Sometimes she's two-tone
AUDIO: MEET LAURA, GEORGIA AND THE EMU AT HANN RIVER ROADHOUSE
C 1 Cassowary meets Aussie the emu
Hi Mum. I just met this weird looking bird
The Mojowire 