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, 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.

Lotus Bird Lodge

The lodge is in, or adjacent to, Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park. It's a lovely location beside a large billabong (lake) crowded with plants and water birds. Some of the latter, and a small mob of Agile Wallabies, were clustered near the dining area when we arrived. Such a delightful welcome is orchestrated by scattering food for the wallabies at the same time every afternoon. The birds are on the lookout for any morsels they can grab.

An Agile Wallaby and her joey

A Bar-shouldered Dove

The accommodation was in very pleasant cabins, each one named after a bird and suitably illustrated. Ours was “Jabiru” aka Black-necked Stork. Reliable wi-fi was available in the dining area, and occasionally the signal reached our cabin. The fact that there was any wi-fi at all in this location was impressive.

"Jabiru" with its deck

A machine dispensed espresso coffee 24/7, there were drinks available before and during dinner and the chef was an artist. There once was a time when I preferred my national parks carrying a tent on my back, but if luxury cannot be avoided I will stiffen the upper lip and tough it out with the best of them. I'll even use the coffee machine!

The big adventure at Lotus Bird Lodge is a helicopter flight over the national park. It's a small helicopter with room for the pilot and 3 passengers, so it takes many flights to make sure everyone gets a ride.

Neither of us is terribly keen on helicopter rides, and this machine has an interesting feature – no doors. Bill is an acrophobe (having an irrational fear of heights) and being able to look vertically down when the ground is hundreds of feet below is about the worst situation he can imagine. Whether he would undo his harness and jump out he doesn't know, but it is certain he would not enjoy the flight and he decided it would be foolhardy to test the hypothesis that he would not jump. The pilot was very good about it, and didn't try to coax Bill into flying. It was made clear that if he should change his mind then they would take him up.

Eve decided to go.

Eve is in the front seat.  Removing the doors must give a much better view for those who are not scrunching their eyes up in terror.

Take off!

Fortunately, Eve enjoyed it very much.  Here is a sample of her photographs.

While Eve was away some feral cattle wandered by.  

This mother did not put her horns on straight this morning!

The other group activity for the day was a guided walk around the billabong. Those that were to fly in the afternoon walked in the morning, and vice versa.

Eve flew in the morning, so we were in the afternoon hike. The morning walkers had seen a snake. The reptile had no sense of the dramatic and simply wriggled away. Would be be equally lucky?

A Yellow Ants nest

The main part of the billabong

Black-fronted Dotterel

Blue-winged Kookaburra

Comb-crested Jacana

A Darter preparing to take off.

An Agile Wallaby in the billabong

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Magpie Goose taking off

Forest Kingfisher

A Brolga in flight

No snake on our walk, but we did see this Yellow-spotted Goanna.  The experts at iNaturallist have identified it as the Eastern Argus subspecies.

While we were at Lotus Bird Lodge we discovered that there was another birder. Karleen was also aiming her camera at the avifauna, and we were able to swap intelligence about the species of kingfisher we had seen and where the Frogmouth was perching. We got on well with her and her husband, Blythe, and we are still in touch.