The experience of standing at the most northern tip of Australia at
Cape York ranks in various bucket lists as one of the “top things to do in Australia before you die”. This trek note provides the way and is designed as a day trip from
Seisia including a visit to
Punsand Bay, Cable Bay, and out to
Somerset and
Fly Point including the return journey. In all, almost 5 hours of driving time.
To reach
the tip, you'll firstly head out to
Bamaga then north up the main track passing
the Croc Tent at Lockerbie
Junction. If you stick to our route you'll be coming past this
junction again so you have the choice of stopping now or later, or both (there's plenty to see).
The road that leads to
the tip of
Cape York ends before reaching it so you'll need to get out and walk the last few hundred metres. The walk is very exposed and whilst it is
well trodden, it is a natural path along dirt and later a rocky headland (no climbing involved). The walk is suitable for most people but sturdy footwear, sunscreen, and a hat is recommended but whatever you do, don't forget the camera and perhaps a tripod! Do not be tempted to swim here. You might however, like to walk back to the
carpark via
Frangipani Beach that lies to the west of the rocks.
The rest of our trek note route will allow you to visit the best of
the tip in a day trip, so leaving the car park you'll head west out to
Punsand Bay and then onto Cable Bay. Our trek will then guide you out to the Lockerbie
Junction and Croc Tent, where you should stop if you haven't already. Here you can choose to head south back down the main track to
Bamaga and
Seisia or continue with our day tour and head up to
Somerset and the beautiful
Fly Point. You'll only backtrack 6.2km of track you've already done between
the Croc Tent and
Somerset Junction but the visit out to the east coast of
Cape York is very special. Be sure to ask the locals (at
the Croc Tent) for a mud map and information about the 5 beaches run too. This side trip is not detailed in our trek note as things can vary so much we think its best you get local info but essentially you drive along the beaches, crossing the headlands between each one, drive through a tree tunnel, and cross a dune or two, and head inland past a few lakes. If you do this you might like to plan a night camping on
Somerset Beach at the Aboriginal-owned camping ground, although many people manage to fit all this into a one-day trip from
Seisia, so its up to you. If you do
camp, be aware that there are
toilets but no other facilities and fees are payable at a self-registration shelter.
If you stick with our trek note, you'll leave
Somerset and head back to
Bamaga and
Seisia the same way you came having completed a full day. After completing this adventure you might like a quieter day in
Seisia for some fishing or you could pick up another one of connecting trek notes and head out to the old
Bamaga airport area where you can see WW11 plane wreckage (link to come end Nov'13).
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
Environment
Cape York is the name of the most northern point of the Australian continent and is often referred to as "The Tip". In fact, the whole peninsula of land that lies above the 16°S latitude is called
Cape York Peninsula - this narrow peninsula is bound by the Coral sea to the east the Arafura sea and Gulf of Carpentaria to the west and the Torres Strait to the north. Locals however, refer to
Cape York "proper" as the area north of the
Jardine river.
TrekID: 490