The Torres Strait Islands and the end of the tour

The tip of Cape York is the Northernmost point of mainland Australia, but there are bits of Aussie that are even closer to Papua New Guinea and the equator.

For the history and geography of the islands, read the Wikipedia article here.

The way the tour was organised, the bus took us to Seisia Wharf, near Bamaga, and we took the ferry from there. We could only take one piece of luggage each, that fell within the Qantas cabin allowance. Once we were on the ferry, Grant turned the bus, with our main luggage, towards Cairns and had a day-and-a-half to drive back what had taken 9 days to cover when Northbound.

The wharf was obviously a popular fishing spot.  One of the anglers caught a good meal while we were there.

There were several terns fishing for smaller fry.  We think they were Common Terns, but this has yet to be confirmed.

The Thursday Island ferry arriving at the wharf.

Debbie accompanied us on the Ferry to Thursday Island.

Due to the whims of European navigators, four of the islands are named after days of the week; Tuesday Island, Wednesday Island, Thursday Island and Friday Island. So every week in the Torres Strait has a long weekend. ;-)

Our tour of Thursday Island did not take long. It's much smaller than the neighbouring Prince of Wales Island and Horn Island. We were taken to Green Hill Fort. It was constructed between 1891 and 1893 in response to the “Russian scare" of 1885.

Will it still work after 140 years?  Or did the guide tell us it was WW2 vintage?  I've forgotten.

Modern communications providing a nest site for an Osprey.

A Rainbow Lorikeet that didn't hide from the camera.

More interesting (to us) than old guns was a visit to a pearl farm on Friday Island. We were provided with very elegant snacks, and shown how the oysters are 'seeded' to generate pearls.

The water taxi that took us to Friday Island

Being taught how to coax an oyster to generate a pearl.

Our night in the Jardine Motel was without Internet. The motel's wi-fi was not working. Because of the Ospreys, maybe?  However, the room was comfortable.

Bougainvillea growing on the motel wall.

A very insensitive view of history greets the visitor.  Torres was the first European, but the strait had been navigated by Melanesians for thousands of years before he arrived.

The next morning we boarded another ferry, this time bound for Horn Island. Off the ferry and onto a small bus for a tour. The museum was small but informative. 

You simply can't get away from our name in North Queensland.

An elaborate example of the headdress worn by the dancer in Bamaga.  The museum did not explain why the wearer is looking so grumpy.

The island had an airfield in WW2, which attracted Japanese bombing so we were taken to the remains of a heavy anti-aircraft battery.

Plenty of sandbags for protecting the gunners.

A heavy AA gun.  The guide is opening a bag with an example of the ammunition used.  Hopefully just a empty case!

A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

The airfield is still there, but used now for more peaceful travel. The Qantas flight to Cairns was part of our tour. 

A sparrow?  Yes, but what kind?  This is a Eurasian Tree Sparrow at Horn Airport.

As he had promised, Grant met us off the 'plane and we boarded the Outback Spirit bus to the Shangri-La Hotel for our last night.

A welcome surprise was a reunion with Blythe and Karleen. The manager of Moreton Telegraph Station had driven them to Weipa, an almost 2 hour journey, to a doctor. They were reassured that it was nothing serious and required only rest, but in remote areas of Australia doctor = hospital. Blythe was accommodated at the local hospital, which managed to find a bed for Karleen, as well. From Weipa, they were flown to Cairns.

They were full of praise for Outback Spirit. Not only did the station manager personally take them to the nearest doctor, the company sorted travel and accommodation and helped with their travel insurance claim.

The final night dinner was thankfully not an emotional weep-fest, but a few email addresses were exchanged.

Our room at the Shangri-La overlooked the Cairns marina.

Moreton Telegraph Station and Bamaga

The station was built as part of communications with far North Queensland when messages had to travel over physical wires. It continued in use until 1987. Now it is an Outback Spirit lodge.

It doesn't have the personality of the other Outback Spirit lodge, Lotus Bird Lodge. There is no billabong. There are no wallabies. But there are birds. The personnel are every bit as friendly and there is a 24-hour coffee machine! The wi-fi has to be accessed just outside the laundry.

The bird on the right is the closest we got to seeing a Palm Cockatoo.

The rooms were comfortable, but in motel-like rows rather than individual cabins

Pleasant, open eucalyptus forest

A pleasing extra at the station was a large outside fireplace, so we could enjoy pre-dinner drinks around a campfire.

Mike had brought his ukulele with him and gave us a song.

A full day at the station was most relaxing. To encourage us to go on an afternoon walk we were promised an ice-cream!

A plant we have not yet identified.

A St. Andrew's Cross spider with its very distinctive web.  It has 8 legs, like all spiders, but chooses to align them two-together so it looks like only 4.

Masked Lapwing

There were several of these Pale-yellow Robins around the station.  Not gaudy, but certainly not shy.  This one is perched on a hose fitting.

The grounds were well populated with Australian Brush-turkeys.

The Wenlock River is reputed to have the highest diversity of freshwater fish of all Australian Rivers.  But we saw none at all.

We were super-careful when crossing this bridge.  As you can see, there is no pedestrian lane.

What is the sign so high up in this tree?

"We were here in a boat 14th March 2003"  It's a record of a gigantic flood.

Why would anyone put a 'phone box here, in the middle of the Peninsula?  One suggestion was that cellphones probably don't work here!

A Four o'Clock Moth

The next day, the sensible but sad decision was taken for our new friends, Blythe and Karleen, to leave the tour. Blythe had contracted a cold and spent most of the previous 2 days in bed. In the event, we met up with them again at the end of the tour. See the next post.

Back on the road to Cape York, there was a pause to admire some more Magnetic Termite mounds and a swimming stop at Fruit Bat Falls. The geography of the river guarantees that there are no crocodiles at the swimming location. Bill was very keen for a swim, but access is over natural, uneven rocks. Now that he has swapped contact lenses, which are OK for swimming so long as the head is kept above the water, for spectacles, he needed help to get in and out.

Our crew, Debbie and Grant, posing in front of a termite mound and the tour bus.

A carnivorous pitcher plant near Fruit Bat Falls.

There are crocodiles in the river, but they can't get at Bill in the pool at Fruit Bat Falls.

The uneven rocks continue under water and bill grazed a toe. Debbie applied first aid, liberally applying antiseptic cream. You never know what germs may be circulating in the tropics.

The Jardine River is big enough to warrant a ferry.

The further North we got, the more World War 2 featured in the history notes. The Japanese army never landed troops on mainland Australia, but there was fierce fighting in Papua New Guinea, which is not very far away. Bamaga's war story is the DC-3 aircraft that crashed en route to New Guinea. The remains are still visible.

Bamaga was established after World War II by people from Saibai Island in Torres Strait, after Saibai Island was devastated by abnormally high tides.

After dinner we were treated to an example of Torres Strait islander music and dancing. The young man dancer wore a mask with long feathers in a semicircle around his head. This emphasised his head movements, especially looking to right and left. The teenage girl dancer sat, apparently resentful at the world, until it was her turn to dance, when she performed very well.

The Torres Strait islanders are distinct from the mainland aboriginal peoples. For example, they farmed crops, rather than gathering wild plants. The islands are part of Australia, but the islanders have their own flag. Note that it is the flag of the people, not the territory. See Wikipedia's explanation here. 

The reason for staying in Bamaga is to access the Tip of Cape York, the northernmost point of mainland Australia. The road doesn't quite reach the tip. The explorer must walk the last 1km. Our itinerary describes the walk as “Difficult. Rocky, uneven. Extreme slopes at times.” Eve decided that she would give the walk a miss and settle for the end of the road. In recognition of the path's difficulty, Bill used his hiking pole.

Eve was made very comfortable, with a canvas chair and a picnic table in the shade, overlooking a beach. While the rest of us picked our way carefully over the rocky terrain Eve alternately read her book and admired the view.

Part of Eve's view.

Rocky, uneven?  Oh yes.

At the Tip of Cape York

Proof that Bill made it to the Tip.

Since we were in the neighbourhood, we were taken to Somerset, once the official residence of John Jardine, Police Magistrate and Commissioner of Crown Lands. There are a few graves left, adjacent to a very pleasant beach. There is no resemblance to the county in England.

On the way back to Bamaga we stopped at the Croc Tent, the furthest North souvenir shop. We bought a few gifts for grandchildren, including a colourful shirt and some “crocodile eggs”. These look like eggs that, when soaked in water, break open to reveal a 'baby crocodile' that continues to absorb water and grow for about a week.

Lunch was later than usual after such a busy morning. Debbie and Grant prepared a BBQ at the delightfully named Injinoo Lookout.

To Moreton Telegraph Station

Leaving Lotus Bird Lodge was a wee bit of a wrench. We had been so well looked after, and the wildlife was abundant.

Most of the day was devoted to travelling. There was still a good long way to reach Cape York itself.

We stopped in Coen. Not a major centre, even by local standards. The population at the last census was 320. The main reason to stop was probably to have a coffee break, but there was a small museum and an active bird population.

What a great name for a museum

History in bottles

Unsophisticated humour.

Before we set off, Bill made a list of ten bird species he would really like to see. Coen produced one of them. Alas, it was the only one of the ten we saw in the wild.

The Sahul Sunbird (until recently named the Olive-backed Sunbird) is a small nectar-feeder that occupies much the same ecological niche as a hummingbird.

Galahs are found all over Australia

Another hour's driving saw us lunching at the Archer River Roadhouse. It occurred to us to wonder how the Peninsula Development Road generated enough custom to support the business, but then there is no competition anywhere near.

Another example of apostrophe abuse.

We suspect it is an old sign and no longer enforced. There were no campers, guests or dogs tied up.

Our destination for the night was Weipa (rhymes with creeper). It exists because of the bauxite resource, which is shipped from Weipa to aluminium smelters elsewhere in Australia. The smelter in NZ was not mentioned. More posh accommodation at the Albatross Bay Resort.

Sunset from the resort.

The main attraction of the tour's Day 7 was a cruise. To fill in time we were taken to Rocky Point, where the sea shore was populated by wading birds and the sky by terns.

Great Egrets usually pace slowly through the shallows when looking for food.  This one took a much more active approach and is seen here pouncing on a small fish.

A Striated heron

A Lesser Crested Tern

There was time for some shopping; the tour recognises that we wrinklies need to pop in to a pharmacy now and then.

No royalties, alas.

The cruise was described in the itinerary as “on the Embley River”. It would be more accurate to say “across the Embley River from Evans Landing and up Robets Creek”. We were promised wildlife, including big salt water crocodiles. It certainly delivered. Mud banks in the wide Embley River were home to a couple of large crocodiles. Robets Creek was much narrower, though still a very navigable mangrove-lined waterway. More crocodiles had their resting places here, and many water birds. In addition to those illustrated below, we saw a Sacred Kingfisher, oystercatchers and stilts.

The tour boat returning from its earlier cruise.

4 metres of reptile on an Embley River mud bank.

They were not noticeably smaller amongst the mangroves of Robets Creek.

A Great Egret hunting in more typical style

A Great-billed Heron

There's only one species of pelican in Australia, the Australian Pelican.

Not just water birds.  This is a Brahminy Kite.

Yet another Great Egret, this time in flight.

Sacred Ibises

Robets Creek is used as an anchorage by a few commercial fishing vessels. We wondered whether the wrecks we saw were the result of tropical storms, but the creek is fairly well sheltered, or as a dumping ground for unwanted vessels.

Back at Evans Landing a flock of unfamiliar birds wheeled overhead. Ashley, the Aussie birder recognised them at once as frigate birds. Determining which species they were was not easy.

Almost certainly a Great Frigate Bird

Then it was on to Moreton Telegraph Station, now an Outback Spirit lodge, and some more cosseting.