Opinion: Cape York is changing

After yet another jaunt to Cape York, I’ve gotta say the Cape remains the premier long-distance destination for adventurous four-wheel drivers in Australia. Yep, places like the Simpson and the Kimberley are on many people’s bucket list, but the Cape remains a firm favourite, as it has for the last 30 to 40 years.

I say that after not only being to Cape York this year but also having wandered the Victorian High Country, crossed the Simpson, wandered many of the Beadell Roads of the western deserts, the Pilbara and goldfields regions of WA, and the Flinders Ranges in SA.

Thinking about that, I’ve been pretty lucky in what has been a hell of a COVID-disrupted year; but, anyway, back to the Cape. Nowhere, absolutely nowhere, excites the travel bug of four-wheelers more than the thought of heading to Cape York!

And this year is going to go down as a big year for changes going on in the Cape. Some good … some possibly not so good!

Of course, the upgrading of the 600km-long Peninsula Developmental Road (PDR) between Lakeland and Weipa continues apace with less than 200km remaining to be sealed. Many four wheelers may lament that progress, but the locals and the long-distance truckies servicing the region are loving it. When we drove the route, even the unpaved sections were a breeze and well-maintained.

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Closed for years, the beach at Running Creek is now open to camping

What also surprised me was the amount of bitumen north of where the Cape York road leaves the PDR and strikes north to the Jardine River ferry and the top.

There were a few corrugated sections along the ‘Bypass Roads’ but work along these sections is ongoing. And rumours of a bridge over the Jardine River are still just that, but there are a lot of tour operators and the like pushing for it. It’ll happen one day, but I’m not sure when!

As we reported a month or so back, Bramwell Station near the top of Cape York and the northernmost cattle station in Australia has been sold, or at least it seems to have been sold. Latest reports are that the current owners, who have owned the property for 20 years, are in discussion with the Queensland government about the purchase price. Rumour has it that even if National Parks take over the property, the tourist facility and campground at the homestead along with the Bramwell Roadhouse, situated at the junction of the OTL track and the Southern Bypass Road, will remain operating much as before. We can only hope so!

But the really great news for adventurous four-wheelers looking for an alternative to driving the main road north, the route through the old Running Creek Station property and now Lama Lama Aboriginal land north of the Lakefield-Musgrave Road is now open to travellers. In fact, the road which was once a track is now in pretty good shape, but the real icing on the cake is that the Traditional Owners who have now taken over the ownership and management of the country, are allowing camping along the nearby beach front.

It’s a fabulous area and one which has been closed off for many years, so when you head north to the Cape, take the opportunity to experience this great part of the east coast of Cape York.