Cape York - To The Tip and Back - Loyalty Beach, Punsand Bay and Seisia

Loyalty Beach

10 – 12 July 2016

We drove along the Northern Bypass Road – by far the worst so far. There were some long sections of severe corrugations after a fairly good dirt section and even a long bitumen section. For a good part of the way it was again better to drive in the gutter. We arrived at the Jardine River ferry crossing and stopped to have a look around before paying our fee ($129 return for car and trailer) and crossing the river. Visitors are reminded that alcohol restrictions apply in Northern Peninsular Area lands - which covers most of the area north of the Jardine River.

Waiting for the Jardine River Ferry.

Once across we headed for Bamaga still not sure where we wanted to stay. We drove in to Seisia and had a bit of a look around and picked up some supplies at the supermarket then continued on the short distance to Loyalty Beach. This campground is in a bush like setting and is very spread out. We picked a spot with ocean views, but back from the beach.

Another encounter with a Palm Cockatoo.

We had a visit from our friends and discussed our plans to drive up to “The Tip” and call into Punsand Bay for a look. In the morning we set off but didn’t get very far. The corrugations were dreadful and we decided that, as we were going to stay at Punsand Bay anyway, we would save the drive for the next day.

We headed back into Bamaga and then over to Seisia jetty. There were lots of people fishing there and we did hear some success stories.

Taken from the Jetty.

In the morning we packed up and picked up more supplies (including fresh bread from the bakery in Bamaga) ready for the next few days. We had booked for two nights at Punsand Bay. We asked at the caravan park before we left about a road the “crazy woman” (my GPS) was suggesting we take and were told we must ignore her advice. Apparently all GPSs suggest the road that takes you through a swamp where even locals have been bogged! Lucky we asked.

Punsand Bay

12 – 15 July 2016

We took the back road (but not the one through the swamp) from Loyalty Beach which cut off much of the rough main road. It was little more than a track in parts but a nice drive until we rejoined the main road, which was rough in many parts.  We stopped at the Croc Tent which sells souvenirs and provides local maps. They had a huge selection of t-shirts – many of which we saw being worn in the camp ground over the next few days.

The campground at Punsand Bay is very big and sites there are allocated. We had a spacious site, with shade, back from the beach. There is a bar and restaurant that does wood fired pizzas every night and offers an a-la-carte menu some nights. We enjoyed pizza with our travelling friends Ruth and Boyd. The big attraction at the campground, apart from the wood fired pizzas, is the swimming pool. You can’t swim in the creeks or ocean because of the crocodiles so a pool is a well-used asset.

Civilization in the form of good coffee, drinks and pizza at the Corrugation Bar.

In the morning we set off for “The Tip”. The drive was beautiful, through some pristine rainforest and took about 45 minutes from the campground. Again there is an alternative route that takes you through swamp land – or deep soft sand – depending on the time of year.

The road to the tip through beautiful rainforest.

When we arrived at The Tip there was a tour bus there, as well as lots of other vehicles. We set off on the walk over rocks to the most northerly point on the Australian mainland. We timed it right – when we reached the sign signifying we had arrived, there was only one other couple there. We took each other’s photos and had some time taking some other photos. Amazingly there was mobile reception so we posted photos on social media and sent some to friends. As we set off back down the track there were heaps of people on their way out. Good timing on our part for once. We spent a bit of time on the beach before heading back to Punsand Bay. There are no facilities at The Tip - no toilets or picnic tables, or anything to encourage visitors to stay and enjoy the surroundings.

Interesting rock formations at the very tip of Australia.

We made it!

The beach at the beginning of the walking track to the tip.

There are some very nice views to be had from the track.

The car was a mess when we got back.

Our final day at Punsand Bay was spent relaxing. We figured we deserved it after all the driving on rough roads. We decided we would go back to Seisia for one night before tackling the road south again.

Drinks on the beach with Ruth and Boyd, very pleasant.

Just in front of where we were having drinks, charter flights come and go.

The beach at Punsand Bay.

 The non driving day was a good choice from a birding point of view. The park is crowded for most of the day but there is a quiet time, mid morning when most of the campers have either packed up and moved on or gone off to explore. I took the camera and had a walk around getting shots of Tawny-breasted and Graceful Honeyeater, Brush Turkey, Varied Triller and Bar-shouldered Dove. Mick.

Graceful Honeyeater.

Tawny-breasted Honeyeater.

Bar-shouldered Dove.

Varied Triller.

Brush Turkey

Seisia

15 – 16 July 2016

Because we didn’t have far to go, we didn’t rush our packing up, but instead made a leisurely morning of it. We were pleasantly surprised to find, when we reached the turn back onto the main (Pajinka) road at the Croc Tent, that the road back to Bamaga had been graded. Yay! That made the trip even quicker.

We made our way to Seisia and checked into the caravan park, again right on the beach. Because we were early we were able to secure a beach front hut. There are a number of these along the beachfront. There are really just a corrugated iron roof over a sink and bench, with some power points and a small fence around, but it was a really nice way to say goodbye to this part of the country. The floor is sand so it felt really tropical.

The view from our 'beach hut'. It was Friday afternoon.

We headed back into Bamaga to stock up again – fuel, groceries and alcohol. The pub bottle shop doesn’t open until noon. Because it is so remote everything is very expensive, but the variety is good. We stopped on the way back to the campground to look for Palm Cockatoos as Mick had been told about a possible spot – but they weren’t there. Instead he found them right where we were camped. That was a nice surprise.

Feeding on beach almonds.

My best shot of the local Palm Cockatoos.

Of course it rained in the evening, so we grabbed a burger from the take-away at the caravan park and enjoyed a couple of Friday drinks with a view. The huts are shared facilities and we were lucky that our neighbours were quiet types. As is common in many communities, horses and dogs roamed freely, including through the park. We were woken in the night by the sound of a horse (or was it horses) foraging in the neighbours food. There were signs warning not to leave food out.

Sunrise at Seisa.

In the morning we rose early for the long drive south, with Moreton Telegraph Station as our proposed destination.

Cape York - To The Tip and Back - Weipa, Merluna Station and Moreton Telegraph Station

Merluna Station

27 – 29 June 2016

Oh what a beautiful hot shower! The first one for a week. Merluna Station is a 169 000 ha cattle station. It is largely undeveloped, and there is only one road in and out. The owners have turned the workers quarters into accommodation and opened up an area for camping. We were able to select a shady spot with access to power.

We found a shady spot close to the camp kitchen.

We completed the necessary housekeeping tasks – cleaning, washing, and sorting gear – and ended up quite exhausted. We almost had the place to ourselves, with only one other family camped over the other side of the shed to us.

Mick had talked to owner Michelle about birdwatching spots and she gave us permission to visit the lagoon. We drove down there in the morning and spent a while at this lovely spot. Mick was hoping for the Trumpet manucode, but was out of luck.

There was also a chance of Spotted Whistling-ducks at the lagoon but they weren't seen either.

There were lots of Brown-backed Honeyeaters present.

After lunch we opted for a swim in the on-site pool and watched the crowds arrive. Not really crowded compared to some places, and with plenty of room for everyone to have their own space, there were at least 7 other vehicles, most travelling in groups and many with children.

We headed out for a walk later in the afternoon when it was a little cooler. There are three marked walks that take you along the now dry, creek. We found Numbers 3 and 2 and enjoyed a pleasant stroll through the bush.

There are a couple of dams at the bottom of the camping area that are good for birding. I went down with the camera a couple of mornings and saw Kingfishers, Cuckoos, Honeyeaters and Finches. The fences were popular with Rainbow Bee-eaters and White-breasted Woodswallows. White-winged Trillers, Bar-shouldered Doves and Red-winged Parrots were also encountered. My main target was Palm Cockatoo and I heard one call on the first morning we were there. I wasn't able to see and photograph one until our next visit after Weipa. Mick.

Water lilies in the dam.

Lots of Cuckoos around, this is a Little Bronze-Cuckoo.

Agile Wallaby near the dam.

Red-browed Finch race temporalis.

Rufous-throated Honeyeater. Many young ones around but no adults.

I was keen to see my first Trumpet Manucode but Spangled Drongos gave me lots of false alarms.

Male White-winged Triller.

Female White-winged Triller.

White-breasted Woodswallows all in a row.

On Tuesday morning Mick went out early for another walk and spent some time down by the dam, at the bottom of the camping paddock. We also took a walk up to the airstrip in the hope of seeing the Bustards that are sometimes there, but not this time.

The mornings were mostly foggy and cool but days were quite hot.

Lunch and another swim were in order as the day heated up. Merluna is a nice spot for a few days to rest and rejuvenate. The facilities are good and the owners and staff friendly. There are some trees in the campground for shade, and a shed with power available.

A flock of Galahs feeds in the paddock nearby. A pink iris shows this one is a female.

The late afternoon light on a feeding Rainbow Bee-eater.

A pair of Sacred Kingfishers were never far away.

White-breasted Woodswallow.

Yellow Orioles are quite common.

White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike in a fig tree.

We set off for Weipa on Wednesday morning. It’s about 100km from the turn back onto the main road and took us about 1 ½ hours. The road was in fairly good condition but the dust necessitated slowing right down for oncoming traffic, and stopping completely for road trains.

Weipa

 29 June – 3 July 2016

We arrived in Weipa in time for lunch. The caravan park was busy, with most sites already taken, and we were glad we had booked a few days before. The small (and only) shopping centre in Weipa, is a short walk from the caravan park so we visited each day to pick up supplies. There is a butcher, bakery, café, chemist, bottle shop and supermarket. We also discovered the community op-shop. This little shop had the best range of books I have seen for a long time, and priced at just 50c each, I stocked up.

Weipa is a remote mining town and port. The orange ore is bauxite, used to make aluminum.

Filling their holds with bauxite.

The café at the caravan park is open for breakfast and dinner, so we dined out for our wedding anniversary, It was just a short stroll from our site, with drinks in hand, for a nice take-away meal, at the tables adjacent to the beach.

A Forest Kingfisher on the TV aerial of the cafe.

Black-necked Stork fishing in the early morning.

Young Black Kite on a mangrove tree near the beach.

Black-backed Butcher birds can be seen around the park.

While in Weipa we visited a number of spots where birds are likely to be found. We drove the dirt tracks around Lakes Patricia and McLeod, down to the fishing spot at the Mission River as well as out to Uningan Reserve. This reserve is mentioned in a number of guides, but we were told that the walking tracks had not been well looked after. A number of turn-offs lead to locked gates – presumably Rio Tinto land, but we didn’t see the promised tracks or picnic area.

Sarus Crane at the disappointing Uningan Reserve.

The best birding was when we were able to watch the frigate birds flying over us at the public jetty, on their way to roost. It is not possible to see then up close as the roosting site is on Rio Tinto land. Mick was happy to get some record shots over a couple of days.

It was wonderful to watch wave after wave of Frigatebirds come in to roost at sunset. Unfortunately the light was very challenging for in flight photography where very high shutter speeds are essential. I must confess that I am just crap at in flight shooting anyway and have an incredibly low keeper rate so that didn't help either.

The main target species for Weipa were Great Frigatebird, tick, and Spotted Whistling-duck. Despite several trips to likely spots no Spotted Whistling-ducks were seen. Bummer! Mick.

A Black Kite playing the flute. Lake Patricia.

White-bellied Sea Eagle wondering if I'm too big to eat. Lake Patricia.

Lesser Frigatebird.

Great Frigatebird, a new bird for me.

Great Frigatebird.

A big attraction for those of us who live on the east coast is watching the sun set over the sea, so time on the beach each evening was a must. There was always quite a big crowd, and some nice photos resulted.

People starting to gather to watch the sun go down.

Great Egret fishing at sundown.

Sunset in front of the caravan park.

We were fortunate to be able to get a campsite booking at Eliot Falls in the Jardine River National Park for later in the week, so we decided to head back to Merluna for a couple of nights, before heading north again.

Merluna Station

3 – 5 June 2016

Back to Merluna and the peace and quiet after busy Weipa. There was only one other couple when we arrived, and surprisingly some showery rain. This is very unusual for this part of the country at this time of year. Very late in the afternoon, we heard the distinctive call of the palm cockatoo. Mick set off with the camera, ever hopeful, and he was finally rewarded with some good shots.

The magnificent Palm Cockatoo.

We enjoyed two very relaxing nights before setting off again – headed further north.

Moreton Telegraph Station

5 – 7 July 2016

Wompoo Fruit-pigeon. The fig tree next to our camp was visited by a variety of great birds.

At last, I found a Trumpet Manucode!

These are very active birds and they really tested me and my camera gear.

A juvenile Yellow Oriole.

Yellow Oriole adult.

We set up camp near an enormous fig tree that was fruiting profusely. What a great tree to be camped next to! Most of the day it was host to squadrons of noisy Figbirds and these were joined on and off by a variety of other visitors, frugivorous and otherwise. In the fig I saw White-bellied and Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes, Yellow Orioles, Trumpet Manucodes, Great Bowerbirds, Yellow and Graceful Honeyeaters, Wompoo Fruit-pigeon, Large-billed Gerygones (nesting) and a Collared Sparrowhawk. Brush Turkeys and a pair of Orange-footed Scrubfowl foraged under the tree especially early morning and late afternoon. I have probably forgotten some but you get the idea.

The thrill of seeing my first Trumpet Manucode was slightly tempered when I heard its calls. A bit like the croak of a tree frog and nothing resembling a trumpet at all! Mick.

Male Australasian Figbird.

Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Race yorki.

We decided to kill time at Moreton Telegraph Station until we could go into Eliot Falls (in the Jardine National Park). Moreton Station offers various levels of accommodation, but not the fuel or take-away meals available at roadhouses. It was a good place to stay with lots of green grass and a walk along the creek and by the lagoon. We were fortunate in arriving early we were able to pick our own powered site. It just happened to be right by a tree that was a prime spot for the avid birdwatcher. It was here also that we ran into our former neighbours from Merluna, and met some new folks. All in all a nice couple of nights.