Elim and Eddy?

Sorry Boo,

I am struggling to understand some of your questions, but I just stayed at Cooktown and there is a lot to do for a couple of days and is a nice place, so staying wouldn't be an issue.
It can be hard to take anything "off road" if the conditions are not right, so it is hard to answer that question.
I tow a van and heading up to the Cape, the roads are full of dips, so rushing is not really an option imo. Can tell you though the roads up (to Weipa so far) are really good, but as always very dusty.
Cheers

Heres someones trip report.

Elim

Its 40km bitumen to Hopevale, then a 20km 4wd track to Elim. I havent been there, but would suggest its a well used track/road, and the Jayco with decent tyres and possibly reduced pressures would be ok, same as on many dirt/stone/sand/4wd track running.

I have driven to Elim without my camper trailer and AFAIR it is a quite good road all the way.
You can even drive onto the beach to the coloured sands without lowering tyre pressures as it is damp .

I did not drive around to the camping ground, but as it is on an exposed headland, my guess is it would depend on the wind direction and strength.
Regards Philip A

The last few kms to Eddy's place are red clay and can get a bit slippery if wet. After they got clobbered by that last cyclone, the road conditions would be anyone's guess, but if you couldn't tow a jayco in there, nobody's going to get through. I'd allow three hours from Cooktown at least.
Pretty sure you'd have to stay there. I can't remember anyone else having camping spots available and there isn't any 'parks' around there.
Eddys 'role' is land owner. You pay him to stay there and in return he lets you stay there. He is an amazing character to get to know if he (and/or his one eyed dog) take a shine to you. He took us all over his country, spearing for crays, fishing spots, freshwater lakes, his birthplace etc.
Enjoy.

G`day Boobook,
It`s a couple of years since I was there, the road was good gravel except for the last klm or so to the camp area, the downhill to beach level is a bit water washed but ok if you take it steady. I took my van as did lots of others.
Eddy is an elder of the area and a great bloke who would be in his mid 80`s now I reckon, he actually owns the land and doesn`t like "squatters" as he calls free campers.
He charged us $10.00 per night.
There are basic toilets and showers and fresh water but no power, lots of shade and you can camp within a couple of meters of the high tide mark if you time it lucky.
The camp area is sheltered from the wind by the hills & forest of Cape Bedford except for maybe a Northerly.
It is well worth the drive over to the other side of the cape and drive the beach or scrounge the long line of washed up rubbish, there are enough thongs to start a shoe shop LOL.
The low tide leaves about 300 > 400 (maybe more) meters of shallow ( less than knee deep) water from the beach so if you have a boat you have to leave at high tide and return at the next high tide, 11 hours or so later, a bit tricky in the dark I can assure you LOL.
Worth at least a few days stay.

Enjoy,

Scrubby.

We visited both Cooktown and Eddy's Camp in Sept 2013. We took our 22' Sunland Longreach caravan right into Eddy's, with minimal problems. The sand was a bit soft the closer we got, and once we'd checked in, but low tyre pressures and 4wd got us in and out. Mind you, our van weighed 3500kg! It's a beautiful spot, and well worth the visit. Hubby & son went fishing out off the sandbar on low tide and came back with a nice feed!