Kids and Cape york

kids will be fine, we took our 3 year old daughter to the cape with us and it wasn't a drama at all. just make sure you keep drilling into them about crocs in the water and how they can't go wandering down near it or they might get eaten. we camped by the river at Pennefeather in a tent with the resident 14ft croc seen there 2 days in a row, just kept our daughter close to us the whole time.
DVD player is fantastic for the long days driving, it will keep the parents sane. ours never left the fourby and was only used for days where lots of klms were to be covered (great for the highway driving sections). just make sure the kids don't spend all their time watching it and spend some time running around in the bush and swimming in the creeks where safe to do so to burn off the energy.

yes we did, just in a normal touring tent on the ground all of the time. one couple of friends even cleared all the stuff from the back of their ute at Pennefeather to erect a dome tent on the back they were so scared of being eaten. LOL but they also normally slept on the ground in a tent most of the time, just not at that location.

Our boy has been camping since he was 3 weeks old, he is now 7 and can teach most people a thing or 2 about camping.

The younger they start the better.

Our boys were 4 & 8 when we first went to the cape.
They are now 23 & 27.
The younger one does not remember that much, but they loved the trip and they came back with a wealth of experience, not only of the country, but also in learning something of themselves and the family.
That trip was when we found out that the youngest has no fear, and still hasn't. Thought nothing of handling pythons at Punsand Bay, while the older one tends to be bit more cautious.
We talked through all of the crossings, and where to camp, and how to solve the few mechanical problems, and what they learned in how to approach life problems is still doing them good service. The eldest is now doing a masters in engineering and the other a doctorate in science, and the perserverance they learned mainly from camping as a family has got them through.
Oh, yeah, it will be dusty and dirty, as it is out west and up north. We always worked on the principal that they were clean once a day, mostly. :o)
Take your time at the OTL creek crossings, a few are safe for a play in the water, breaks the trip for them and a lot more fun than a DVD player. Even the big kids get wet sometimes.

We went up this year with my 2 daughters, 15mths old and 2.5 years old.
No dramas. Obviously had to keep a constant eye on them when near any non-croc-safe water (especially in Lakefield). But really, when they are that young you need to keep them well away from deep water anyway as they can't swim.

Kids are fine.
We went two years in a row, our youngest was 2 and then 3, loved it.
few things only:
1) be croc smart
2) take all medicines including antibiotics (talk to your doctor), there are no chemists up there. With kids an iinfected middle ear can ruin your holiday. (there is a hospital in Bamaga but I had to wait three hours in the emergency department just to get some betadine)

It will be great fun
Cheers

Your kids will make the trip. You may not realise it at the time, but in 15 years time it will make some of your fondest memories. Our boys are 20 & 18 & we just did a trip recently to SA & the NT that we did 10 years ago with the kids. I must say that it was better with the kids there.
The best piece of information I think I can pass on is to throw away all the electronic gadgets & put time into your kids. On a big day we would drive for an hour or 2 with both boys in the back & then stop for smoko. Then the for next leg, the wife would sit in the back & one of the boys would move into the front. After the next stop we would rotate them.
WE used this method for many trips of up to 2 months & swear by it.
In Alice Springs, a few weeks back, 2 families beside us in the caravan park were complaining about how much their kids played up. One family had 2 DVD players & 20 or so movies for their 2 kids & that wasn't working. They didn't understand that kids want their parents more than anything else in the world.
I'll bet mums butt was always firmly planted on a front seat.
You will reap what you sow