To Bramwell Junction Roadhouse

Today was another reasonably early start to my trip. The usual packing up was completed by about 0715. It was time to check over both the Bravo and Karavan to ensure nothing was out of place as well as check the oil and coolant on the Bravo. All was good.

My departure from the riverside campsite, about 3 kms north from Coen was at 0730. My destination for today was to Bramwell Junction Roadhouse which was about 230 kms along the way. 

The road started well with some kilometres of sealed road. One tends to really enjoy the black top when it is there. There are often short strips of several kms to allow vehicles to pass without dust. The 60 or so kms of gravel were quite rough and in places it was smoother to drive in the table drain alongside the road. I took a little more than 1 hour to cover this part of the road due to the state of it. 

A welcome site was the Archer River Roadhouse. As I drove in, I discovered a Kimberley Karavan there. They were a couple from near Gosford that I had met somewhere near Airlie Beach some weeks ago. They have been to the top and were on their way south. They told me they saw Max and Sue, from yesterday’s meeting, in the river park near the roadhouse.

As there is a distinct and expected lack of cappucinos around, I decided to have several Big M iced coffees.  They will have to suffice for a while.

I then set off again thinking it would be a long hard drive if the road remained in the same condition as before Archer River. As it turned out the rest of the days road conditions were good to excellent. All still gravel but mostly in wonderful condition. After leaving Archer River, I observed the turnoff to Chilli Beach/Lockhart River and a bit further on to Weipa.

The next stop was at the Moreton Telegraph Station beside the magnificent Wenlock River. The Telegraph Station is nothing more than a camp ground and a place to view some photos taken of the Station in its heyday along with photos of various floods. 

The Wenlock River is described as one of the finest rivers in the Cape. The road crossing beside the Telegraph Station was one of the consistently wet crossings until a bridge was put across in 2001. It still goes under in a flood but not for long. 

On leaving the Moreton Telegraph Station, I still had another 40 kms to drive. Again the road was great to travel on. There are numerous vehicles travelling both ways. At the Moreton Telegraph Station, the manager told a few of us that he had been told by a manager of the Cook Council that there were more vehicles counted, by an automatic counter, in July than for the whole of the winter of 2009. All the roadhouses are saying it is getting quieter now but still busy.

After a while I arrived at Bramwell Junction Roadhouse. I had a nice hamburger for lunch and a cool drink. I refuelled the Bravo and decided to stay the rest of the day in the camp ground here. It is only $10.00 for me but then again there is not much here except for a clean shower and toilet and a nice shelter with table and bench. There are several others here doing the same.

These little roadhouses are often related to the historic Overland Telegraph line than ran through from the late 1800s until about 1987 when the line was decommissioned and replaced with modern microwave links.

After I had lunch, I parked the Karavan and unhooked the Bravo. I had been told there would be a little interesting creek negotiation over Palm Creek by a team of motorcyclists as well as those who do not respect their vehicle too much. So I drove from the campground about 4 kms to the location. I missed the bikes but soon there were several four wheel drives. They crossed the creek by initially sliding down the approach, which is very steep. Then through the very muddy water and a reasonable climb up the other side. Both vehicles sustained damage to their side steps by dropping and dragging over a very big rock. Then I returned to the campground and reconnected the Bravo to the Karavan.

I had drinks with Roger and Cathy Walker and their son, Scott, and his partner, Rebecca. They both work in Bamaga. Roger and Cathy are friends with the Corrish family at Goondiwindi. A small world out here. 

So off to bed at a reasonable hour.