Cape Melville, Ninian Bay, Bathurst Bay
Submitted: Monday, Jul 04, 2005 at 18:58
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Austravel
Hi,
Just returned from a trip up to
Cooktown to
Cape Melville, Ninian Bay and
Bathurst Heads. The road up through Starke is pretty rough and takes at least a big full day or 2 days as we did. Kalpower has been handed back and the rangers tell me that soon there will be a charge to access previously free areas or access denied. Not sure of costs but it maybe similar to other areas owned by the locals. Though must stay wasn't at all impressed with
Bathurst Heads compared to
Cape Melville and Ninian Bay. Still a nice area but not on par with the other two. Couldn't believe the damage and rubbish left at the
old mine barracks (some call it an old resort), some people shouldn't be allowed to travel!
If you need any other info on this area based on our trip let me know.
Regards
Reply By: BLUEBAG53 - Monday, Jul 04, 2005 at 23:17
Monday, Jul 04, 2005 at 23:17
Thanks, will chat soon.
Regards,
Bluebag53
AnswerID:
118873
Reply By: Eric from Cape York Connections - Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005 at 06:53
Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005 at 06:53
It always amazes me how people go some where and throw rubbish every were.
Beats me.
All the best
Eric
AnswerID:
118894
Reply By: bundyman - Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005 at 07:36
Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005 at 07:36
Yeah in 2000 when I first went to
Bathurst Bay it was stil relatively unheard of (used) and there was no litter to be found anywhere. However when I went back a year latter the place was in a terribel state and I was disgusted like you. There was over 50 people camped on that beach compared to 12 (including 4 of us) at the same time the previous year. I predicted back then that they'd close the place down very soon. Some people must think that no matter where you go that a regular garbage truck service comes every monday morning.....%$^$^ing morons!!!
I gather there isn't mush left of the old resort now. It had pretty
well been raped when I was up there. How nice a spot though. I could live there very easily.
Glad you had a good trip.
Cheers,
Hughesy
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118895
Follow Up By: Austravel - Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005 at 10:11
Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005 at 10:11
Agree I could easily do the place up and live there. It's really trashed now though. Glass broken, walls smashed, bikes have destroyed the floor coverings in the main building, rubbish everywere including in all the
toilets, everything worth anything has been pinched, people have sh*t all over the ground and not even covered it up. That's just the tip of it.
In the bay itself there is little shade and some people have created tracks up into the nearby
hill causing quite a bit of damge doing so.
Guess we'll see what happens regards to access pretty soon.
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Reply By: pauls - Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005 at 21:42
Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005 at 21:42
Hi
I was recently at Kalpower but didn't go as far as
Bathurst Bay /
Cape Melville (due to time constraints). Is the road from Kalpower onwards any worse than the road from
Laura - Kalpower or is it much the same.
Paul
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119001
Follow Up By: bundyman - Wednesday, Jul 06, 2005 at 06:09
Wednesday, Jul 06, 2005 at 06:09
Not sure what its like now but in 2001 from Kalpower Stn to
Bathurst Head took around 3-4 hrs and I thing its less than 100km. Manily putting along in 2/3 high. Its just a track - not a formed road like from
Laura.
Cheers,
Hughesy
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374200
Follow Up By: Austravel - Wednesday, Jul 06, 2005 at 11:21
Wednesday, Jul 06, 2005 at 11:21
Hi Paul,
As Hughesy stated the Laua road is a formed road but very very rough. The road into
Bathurst Head is much better in
places. That said you can't go as fast as on the
Laura road but it's much smoother, very few corregations as compared to the
Laura run. The last approx 15-20 k's of the
Bathurst Head road turns into a track but still pretty good. Don't really need 4x4 just the clearance. The road into
Cape Melville is quite a bit rougher so just need to go slower, but nothing major about any of the roads just keep the speed down.
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