Is Alcohol on a trip to Cape York OK or is it restricted.

Thanks that's solved any debate.

Cheers Scoof . :-)

Scoot. Don't worry too much about it. When I was up there at the beginning of August this year. A six pack of light beer was $36.00. @ Bamaga. Like everything else, if you do not take it with you - you have to pay for it. Mostly everything has to go up there by Barge. ULP was $198.9 /L. It's a short season for them up there.

That sign is actually out of date. We queried it when we were there last August and were told it is now 1 carton of any strength beer. In other words, a carton of "super" is now allowed.

They said they would probably update it at some stage... maybe...

Cheers
Gerry

Thanks Steve , $6.00 for a light beer olch.

So I drink Coopers pale ale so is that Mid or Heavy 4.5 % or is that policed so much.Did you get checked when you were up that way or hear of anyone being checked.

The sign says nothing about having a case of Jim Beam , Ha Ha .

Cheers

No Scoof, the sign doesn't say anything about JB. JB is neither beer nor is it wine. It is a spirit which is not allowed.

regards,
Dion.

Gerry P. When I read a sign like that, I will believe that it is what it say's.
Two year ago when I went though Halls Creek WA. I was stopped and the 4X4 was checked. The fella in front of me had Twelve 4 Lts Casks in his boot. He was standing by the Police wagon in CUFFS.
" Better safe than Sorry..." Steve. B...

This is an exert from Donks1s link above.

(Collapse content)Specified Roads and Facilities – Bona Fide Traveller Exemption

Certain roads and public areas which are included in a restricted area have been declared as “specified roads and public facilities”. A bona fide traveller exemption applies to specified roads and facilities whereby someone passing through can carry more than the prescribed amount of alcohol allowed in the restricted area, provided they meet the following criteria:

* a reverse onus of proof applies and travellers will have to provide evidence their destination is not the restricted area; evidence can include a booking for accommodation outside the restricted area or a drivers licence showing an address outside of the restricted area;
* alcohol is secured in the vehicle, is not externally visible and is not removed from the vehicle while travelling on a specified road or using a public facility; and
* vehicles may only stop in emergency circumstances or when attending a specified public facility such as the Doomadgee Roadhouse or Bloomfield Falls car park in Wujal Wujal.

While you are travelling through a restricted area on a specified road do not turn off the road if you are carrying in excess of the carriage limit as the exemption does not apply anywhere else in the restricted area. Heavy fines apply.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the same as a permit to Coburg peninsular and Wiligi Outstation and some other permitted area's in Arnhemland, you may enter a restricted area so long as you do not open consume sell or openly show your cargo, if you breach these conditions then you get what you pay for.

This is a copy of the permit for Wiligi Outstation.


PERMIT TO ENTER AND REMAIN ON ABORIGINAL LAND
AND AJOINING SEAS.

The person or persons to whom the permit applies:




Phone number and address of authorised permit holder:


Authorised Motor vehicle description details:

Registration number. Make Type & Colour.
----------------------------- -------------------------------------------
------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------
------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------

Duration of authorised persons to remain on aboriginal land:

From: to inclusive.
(Please note all nights booked must be paid for)

Purpose of stay: -----------------------------------------------------------

This permit allows the bearers to bring alcohol to Wiligi outstation, please note that NO alcohol is to be opened or consumed on the road, as you are travelling in an alcohol restricted area, once you enter Arnhemland.

The bearers of this permit must not leave the track or go to any other areas, without the consent of the traditional owners.

Signature of permit holder or holders agreeing to permit details:



Authorisation given by:
Reuben Cooper Traditional Owner Signed-----------------------

Phone 08 89790069 Date--------------------------
Fax as above phone first
wiligi@bigpond.com

Visitors must comply with all sections of the aboriginal lands act.
Permit holders enter aboriginal land at their own risk and agree to undertake and bear all such risks.
Authorising traditional owner may rescind this permit at any time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We took 8 cartons of beer, 1 carton of scotch, 1 carton of JD and 1 bottle of JD after speaking to a local copper, he told us stick to the rules and all will be OK.

Cheers Steve.

What a shame penalties like that don't apply for drunk driving, assault, robbery with or without violence etc etc

Cheers Pop

Thanks for the reply's , sorry about the delay been away .

Cheers Scoot . :-)

Read my post directly above.

Cheers Steve

Steve, thanks for that, looks as if i may be able to visit....................

Read my post directly above.

Cheers Steve

Hi,
I suggest you ring the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation in Queensland and get the latest details.

When I last checked you could have a carton of Mid strength beer or Mid strength Spirit mix up 4.5% and two litres of wine. But no heavy beer, spirits or fortified wine.

I'm building drawers for the back of the wagon and I'm sure I can build in some false compartments for some extra supplies.

Regards
Geoff

Jethro T

Thanks for the info. I might just expand ion how easy it is to become uncertain.

Sometime back I checked the written material and as I recall the website of the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation before deciding it was all too hard so Cape York would be a dry trip, if at all. I did that after seeing an advertisement in a 4x4 magazine. Ringing the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation is fine but that is part of the problem.

Scenario. You have been travelling away from home for a while. More often out of mobile range than in it. Being on holiday you stop reading the newspapers of everything going wrong in the world and try and tune in to things going right. You have a rough recollection of the "rules" that applied before you left home and did not think they were a problem for you. You then see these signs along the side of the road and are left wondering and uncertain. Have the rules changed? Is your recollection right? Is this an old sign as in outdated or a new current sign? Do the signs really mean what they say? In the case of the NT ones at least apparently not (unless you stop and read the very fine print). This happened to me on my last holiday and no doubt to very many other people.

What is mid strength beer? Coopers Pale Ale is at the moment 4.5%. Sampling one right now. Is that mid or is that high? Can I take a carton of that to Cape York or not? These are rhetorical type questions and don't need answering. They are to illustrate a point.

Being a fairly cautious type I will err on the side of not carrying grog at all or going elsewhere when faced with regulations that leave me unsure whether I will "offend" or not if carrying a carton of beer while on holiday. It simply is not worth the hassle.

Needless to say whether I holiday in Cape York or not will make absolutely no difference to any illegal supply of alcohol in that region.

On another note I thought having to show ID and have it recorded at Alice Springs to buy one carton was very 1930s. Once it used to be a really great place.

Flynnie

I thought you said you had read all the replies.

If you had read Domks1's reply properly you would have read this section.

Specified Roads and Facilities – Bona Fide Traveller Exemption, this is from the Queensland Gov office of liquor and gaming regulations.

Specified Roads and Facilities – Bona Fide Traveller Exemption

Certain roads and public areas which are included in a restricted area have been declared as “specified roads and public facilities”. A bona fide traveller exemption applies to specified roads and facilities whereby someone passing through can carry more than the prescribed amount of alcohol allowed in the restricted area, provided they meet the following criteria:

* a reverse onus of proof applies and travellers will have to provide evidence their destination is not the restricted area; evidence can include a booking for accommodation outside the restricted area or a drivers licence showing an address outside of the restricted area;
* alcohol is secured in the vehicle, is not externally visible and is not removed from the vehicle while travelling on a specified road or using a public facility; and
* vehicles may only stop in emergency circumstances or when attending a specified public facility such as the Doomadgee Roadhouse or Bloomfield Falls car park in Wujal Wujal.

While you are travelling through a restricted area on a specified road do not turn off the road if you are carrying in excess of the carriage limit as the exemption does not apply anywhere else in the restricted area. Heavy fines apply.

It doesn't get any clearer than this, If you had read all the replies you would have noticed that I had posted this exert above.

Steve

Steve

As I said I had read all the replies and guess what?

I have re read your comments and mine and am surprised you made the above post.

Learn to live with people having different views and perspectives and ways of expressing things and actually read what they write.

If you had read my posts you would have seen:

"A while back I looked at the Cape York regs and decided they were so draconian that if I ever went north of Cooktown (been there several times) it would be a dry run. My main concern was leaving the track would leave one rather exposed to the regulations."

You say "While you are travelling through a restricted area on a specified road do not turn off the road if you are carrying in excess of the carriage limit as the exemption does not apply anywhere else in the restricted area. Heavy fines apply."

Despite your apparent inclination to argue I would submit that the two statements, yours and mine, are quite similar.

I rest my case!

Flynnie

Driving off the track is the same as trespass, trespass is the same in any language.

It is a no brainer IMHO.

Cheers Steve

I agree. Until Europeans arrived our indigenous people did not have alcohol in any form in their culture. Exposure to it can be compared to Captain Cook bringing influenza and the common cold to the south pacific islands - catastrophic.

The alcohol ban is the wish of many aboriginal communities and if respected is not a problem. It is the onselling of alcohol to members of indigenous community that is the real issue and that is easily covered.

I transited the GCR in 2007 and stopped for the night at the Warburton Roadhouse. To cross the GCR I needed two transit permits from the respective aboriginal land councils which I duly obtained. At Warburton I was told by an extremely officious WA Govt servant running a camel survey that the beer I'd brought out to drink was illegal and worth a $5000 fine. The permit didn't say anything about this at all and nowhere in the permit did it say that I was not allowed to drink a beer while 'in transit'. I showed her the permit and asked if she could back up her claim. She couldn't!

The point of all this is that the permit itself is what you go by. Forget the signs on the side of the road - read the permit. It tells you exactly what you are allowed to do,

What I really liked is that the Land Council was trusting me to be responsible with my alcohol. Their main concern is that alcohol could be made available to their community from outside sources seeking to make a good profit. I bought my beer for me and only me. If I'd strayed off the path of my transit then I might have had a problem. It also has to be remembered that onselling alcohol to anyone, without a licenceto sell it, is illegal anywhere in Australia. This law should be enough to cater for those who want to pass on alcohol in prohibited areas.