Weipa to Lakeland

An early start this morning. I had to pack everything up and that does take a little time. Eventually I left the Weipa camp ground at 0745.

My thoughts were that I would drive to Coen and call it a day there. The road was exceptionally good from Weipa to Archer River Roadhouse. I stopped there and had a break as it was almost 2 hours driving to there. An iced coffee satisfied me, but I am hanging out for a great cappucino!

Left Archer River and the road was not so good. However, I think I have either become accustomed to the corrugations or they were not as bad as going up. I made Coen to the Exchange Hotel, known as the "Sexchange" Hotel, for a light lunch and a large squash. While ther some motorcyclists on trail bikes came in and one said, Ï think we chatted waiting for the ferry at Jardine River a few days ago." I seemed to have them come from out of my dust and pass me quite a few times. They are from the Gold Coast and seem like nice fellows.

My next break was a Musgrave Telegraph Station Roadhouse that is a fairly busy establisment. Another Iced coffee and a break. I met up with the motor cyclists again and one told me thay were tiring. I set off before a stock road train as I seemed to be a bit quicker than him and I did not want to eat his dust. The Road was not too bad with some good and very bad patches.

Nest stop was a fair bit further on at Laura which was the end of the Cooktown line and was removed in 1961 due to lack of use. Not much else at Laura except the Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Anyway, I decide dit was only another 68 kms to Lakeland and that woiuld be the end of the gravel. So I made it through to Lakeland with no problems and still almost no dust in the Karavan. 

Now it was time for an easy dinner of rissoles and nice frozen vegetables and, of course ,a red wine to wash the dust down.

So I now have completed, without any major problems my trip to Cape York and back to the start of the only road up, the Peninsula Development Road. It has been very memorable and rewarding to me and I will cherish these memories. One thing I am sure of is that it is not as big a challenge as faced our forbears or even those who tackled the trip proably 20 years ago. I really believe if one took their time in the average family car they would get to the tip of Australia. If they rushed it, the car would go out on the RACQ recovery truck!