Cape York minus the tough stuff

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Yes Siringo, it is quite possible.
All of the drama takes place on the OTT (Overland Telegraph Track) and the main route, the Peninsular Development Road is a breeze. Now mostly sealed, it is traffic able in regular two-wheel drive cars.

Thank you for asking Siringo.
I also want to visit the Cape and I also do not need all the associated testosterone raising dramas either.
I just need to cover that one to complete my 'all points north south east and west" odyssey.
Enjoy your trip, drama free.
OBJ

Hi Siringo, check out all the pix in every place along the route from say Cairns/Cooktown to the tip. There is a trek or 3 to look at too. eg. https://www.exploroz.com/treks/cape-york-via-bypass-roads.
Any dirt south of Weipa is kept to good 2WD standard. North are the two Bypass Roads which keep to the ridgelines and so avoid creek crossings. Have done the Cape in 2008 and 2016 and it is being trashed. Too many 4WD with h huge tyres gouging out the Old telegraph track and not just at Gunshot, and too many people loving the place to death with rubbish etc etc. Better get up there sooner rather than later.

Hi Siringo

Yes you don’t have to be a hero and wreck your vehicle just to say you went to those places.

We have done it solo and took our Ultimate Camper with no issues what so ever and we drove the PDR ( Peninsula Development Road).

Yes we drove into Gunshot and Nolan’s and witnessed 2 vehicles ruined just for the sake of saying they did it. The first was a tricked up Ranger with a very young driver at Gunshot while the second was a DMax at Nolan’s when he got stuck with over a metre of water through his car.

It might look remote on a map but you are never alone up there, with lots of people doing the trip and unfortunately most drivers are rude and inconsiderate and drive like there is no tomorrow, so you must be on your guard all the time, as we nearly got cleaned up twice with cars passing on corners and through walls of dust. We found that the longest time between groups of cars was around 10 minutes, so like I said you are never alone.

Make sure you have a snorkel as a lot of the time you will be driving through lots of thick dust. On your snorkel, make sure you use a snorkel sock and have a couple of spares as well as cleaning fluid and oil to clean your sock on a daily basis.

There is lots to see, so do not rush your trip. One place we liked was Weipa and spent 4 days there and did a number ventures from there. As for staying at the actual Cape, you have a number of options but we loved and stayed at Loyalty Beach, great little park with lots of room, while if you want up market camping and squashed in like sardines you could stay at Punsand Bay, but this was not our cup of tea.

I heard the other day that there is only now around 200 kilometres of dirt left, broken up into lots of sections. It’s a great trip and you will enjoy yourself.


Happy planning

Stephen

Hi Siringo,

There is a Facebook page called Cape York’s Awesome Adventures, it might be worth looking at. Most of the Peninsula Development Road is now sealed all the way to Weipa. The road to the tip is called the Telegraph Road up to Bramwell Junction, (not to be confused with OTT), then the Barmaga Road. This road can be quite corrugated, but is definitely doable in a two wheel drive in the dry.

You do not have to do the OTT if you don’t want to, and even if you do, there are bypasses around gunshot.

Macca.

Wondering if anyone is aware of any good books about the history of the area up there?

We did it in 2017. We went in early August.
We drove a BT50 and towed a Jayco Eagle Outback campervan. We had some minor issues with the Jayco (non-return valve for the mains water), broken door latch. The camper's suspension and body held up well, contrary to popular opinion.

We drove to Weipa then across to the Telegraph Road. We didn’t bother with the OTT and opted for the Bypass Roads, but did go into Captain Billy Landing, Portland Roads, Chili Beach (with one L), Fruit Bat Falls, and many other memorable places. The PDR was heavily corrugated and generally crap. The spoon drains on the side of the PDR came in handy for a bit of corrugation relief. The Telegraph Road was better. We were very careful and were very conscious of having suitable tyre pressures.

Drive to the conditions and don’t be in a hurry. Stop at the Quinken Art Site just before Laura. Without a doubt, this is the best trip we’ve done. We traveled alone.

Lots of roadworks back then with bits of sealed stuff too. I’m not sure how much is sealed now. We were always happy to come across the roadworks because it meant some respite from the corrugations and bulldust.

Don’t be intimidated, there are no real technical 4x4 challenges getting there, it's just a gravel road in when conditions are normal. The side trips can be a different kettle of fish though. Just do your homework and have a great trip.

You won’t have any problems on the main run up to the top with quite a few nice spots on the way.Having said that I have been up there 3 times and the best spots by far are off the beaten track.I have done the O.T.R. solo including Gunshot and Nolan’s which is a much more interesting run and my favourites were out to Viryla on the west and Cape Melville on the east on the way up.I drive a 2001 Troopy that so far has never let me down.Drive to conditions and it is no big deal.

Thanks everyone for the great advice & help.

I'm going to try to put 6 weeks aside as we're going up from southern Vic, I think that should be enough.

Thanks again.

Hi,

I find that it is mostly cowboys who want to prove themselves that are also more likely to post those videos on Youtube. We also have numerous videos but it is mostly on beautiful campsites, crystal clear water etc.
To answer your direct question, yes if you run on the development roads, you can certainly do it in a car. Corrugations will be your biggest challange, and if you have LT tires and you reduce pressures that would be your best medicine.

And then to answer your indirect question; you can also venture in on certain parts of the OTT. As example, we have not done any damage towing a TVan up and down the OTT. Careful investigation at creek crossings, etc. mean there is almost always an easier way. The cowboys usually just thunder in or go out of their way to post on Youtube the hardest way.

Enjoy