Heading up to Cape York

As you already know, the Cape is not really caravan country. Personally I'd leave it at Cooktown. After that it's basically camping country. There is more formal accommodation availiable at various locations but can't help with those. One option may be to go up on the boat from Cairns or Cooktown and hire a holiday unit etc up there. You'd have to book early as accommodation doesn't appear to be easy to get.
Have a great trip, you'll find the Cape quite different to most of the rest of the country.

Hi Maurice

07 40695417 Cooktown Tropical Breeze (this one will stow caravans)
07 40695107 Cooktown Peninsula Caravan Park
Cooktown would be the place to stow the caravan, it's bitumen all the way from Cairns via the turnoff near Mossman. Also, if you don't want to go back to Cooktown to pick it up maybe the Caravan Park in Lakelands (that you maybe going through from Cooktown to get to the cape) might be able to help you?
Check out how conditions on battlecamp road are before you if you intend to go that way to the cape. In 2002 it was terrible and I heard it was graded in early July 2004. Just our luck we choose to come back through Lakelands to Cooktown last year.
All accomadation styles at the towns and homesteads along the way can be catered for on the trip to the cape now, but tenting is usually the norm. Can recommend the steaks at Musgrave Station, ours were really nice and good sizes too for the price.
Best to get Ron & Viv Moon book, Cape York "An Adventures Guide", well worth having this handy book.
Have a great time.

Cya
Tripp'n
:)

maurice
with a fair bit of care and some luck you should be able to get to weipa with the off road package equipped van but you will need to drive pretty slowly say 80 kph max and really take your time and let the tyres down to say 28 psi as the development road is very bl**dy stoney and sharpe and a bit rough in places and heavily loaded tyres just dont like it - we blew two BFG all terrains in 100 kms on the trip to weipa towing a Kimberley camper plus tinney on top with a 3.0 l td nissan patrol in 2004

and you can always turn around and go back if you dont like waht happening on the development road - but people do at times tow well equipped strong vans to weipa

if you want to really look after the van then dont go past cooktown as the others say but if you do go to weipa then thats it mate definitely no further in the van if you want to keep it in one piece and yes give the battlecamp road a miss unless its been recently graded - worse bl**dy road i have ever driven on at an average 15kms per hr over millions of corrugations in 4wd to ease the strain on the vehicle

so good luck good trip
see you greg

Maurice F,
How far you want to tow the van is up to the decision you make after weighing up all tha local info you can get when the time arises. There are plenty of caravans in Weipa. Past Weipa is probably break something country, but again that is up to you.
Cheers,
Bros.

Maurie I have a friend who a couple of years ago took a Phoenix Skorpion with a Disco with a full set of diff locks through the Daintree to Cooktown then to Lakeland Downs and then on to Weipa. On his return he left the Peninsula Development road and crossed the Mitchell River at Gamboola and made his way to Karumba.
At the time he told me I hadn't been through the Daintree but after going through there I certainly wouldn't attempt it. Since then he bought a larger van a Trackmaster and tried to do the same trip through the Daintree the same way but he was defeated on the concrete patches as he just couldn't get traction with the heavier van.