A coupla trips in FNQ

The missus and I recently did a 6 week run to Cooktown and back...the 3 yearly visit the rellies thing. We didn't just want to follow the bitumen all the way so decided to take a few diversions. The first diversion was to Irvinebank. We left the Kennedy Highway near Innot Hot Springs and took our time travelling over the range (all gravel and some of it pretty damn steep) via Evelyn Creek Conservation Park and the Wild River to the tiny village of Irvinebank. This is a beautiful little spot with lots of history about the early settlers and tin mining, and well worth a stopover for a day or 2 (free camping is available near the pub). We joined up with the Herberton-Petford road to exit on the Burke Dev Rd at Petford. Some great camping along Emu Creek between Irvinebank and Petford.
Then we turned right at Petford and headed to Dimbulah. Decided to head to Cooktown via Mt Mulligan. This is another great drive with some spectacular scenery and lots of history in the Kingsborough, Tyrconnel, Mt Mulligan areas - but there are some disturbing signs starting to appear when the owners/operators of one of the stations has erected a sign suggesting that you will be trespassing if you drive on....this is crap - the road is a gazetted road and I checked with the local police and the MRD to ensure I wasn't in the wrong. Back to the area....camping is available at both Kingsborough and Tyrconnel the former is where we stayed and it was great value for $5 per night including a few hours chatting with old Ike who owns the place. It is a former gold mine. Also some great camping along the way at places like Cooktown Crossing on the Mitchell River.
All in all these are great, albeit not very difficult, drives that are OK for campertrailers.
I would be happy to send the Oziexplorer track plots and waypoint files to anyone who might be interested. Just give me an email address.
Cheers
Pete