An extraordinary adventure has begun. The Australian version of Alaska's Dalton Highway or Russia's Kolyma Highway is in my eyes. The journey to Cape York is known as the "Trip to the Tip." It's something of a pilgrimage or rite of passage for many Aussies; something akin to Muslims travelling to Mecca. Getting to the Tip is no easy journey regardless of how you do it (although it's slowly getting easier). For the past few days I stayed in Cooktown via CouchSurfing with a doctor named Claire, and then later with her friend, Sezen, who works at the local RSL. Claire dropped me just a bit out of Cooktown yesterday and I reached Lakeland at 1 PM. I told myself that I was giving myself until 6 PM and if I didn't get a lift I'd pitch my tent. The local pub allows people to park up and camp for the night, and I agree that more pubs should do that because I did what would most likely happen with campers, and that's have dinner and a few drinks. Chicken parmy and a few glasses of wine were in order, as was a funny sign at the toilets.
This morning I was awake and ready early. Preparation and early starts will be the key to this being a successful journey, as I've had a lot of doubters along the way. It's true that many vehicles will be full with people, provisions, or both. Whilst it's possible these days to travel to Cape York even with a robust 2WD, a 4WD is strongly recommended along with two spare tyres, extra fuel, loads of water and food, and a sense of adventure. Some really intrepid adventurers have travelled to the Tip with a dirtbike, pushbike, or even on foot. I thought food in Cooktown was expensive but I was told not to fret as it only gets more expensive further north, hence why travellers to the Tip bring as much as they possibly can. There are a number of roadhouses along the way, in Hann River, Archer River, Bramwell Junction, and a number of other places along the way. This morning I got one of the best coffees I've had in awhile, and it comes as no surprise because the shop owner is from Egypt. He was surprised when I said "shokran" ("thank you" in Arabic) as I left the shop. I know only three words in Arabic, and other two are "habibi" and "merhaba ("my love" and "hello," respectively).
With my thumb out just after 9 AM, I got a lift by a truckie named Jason only 20 minutes later. He was off to Weipa: a bauxite mining town on the western coast of the peninsula. For many travellers to the Tip, Weipa is a provision stop. Only a short while into the journey, I experienced the rigours of travelling to the Tip, and that's on dirt roads.
Jason told me it once took him 20 hours to drive from Lakeland to Coen, even though it's only about a 200 km drive. Our first stop today was Hann River Roadhouse, where an emu was floating about.
Distances are vast, as they are in the rest of Australia; 592 km to go before the Tip.
As we approached Archer River, we spotted two vehicles that were broken down as well as a number of spent vehicles covered with graffiti and broken windows. Mobile coverage is very scarce, so if you're stuck, you could be waiting for a day or two. The owner of one of the vehicles made it to Archer River where he used the payphone to call roadside assistance. He was told it'd be there hours ago but times in this area must be taken with a substantial grain of salt. After a brief stop at Archer River, we were on our way to Weipa. Stretches of the road are sealed and then unsealed, sealed and then unsealed. Slowly, hours after we left Archer River, we rolled into Weipa just a few minutes before 7 PM. The northernmost Woolworth's is located here and I wanted to grab some food and wine before they shut their doors. A friend whom I met in Airlie Beach said he'd put me up for the evening but he's in a mining camp and can't have visitors due to COVID-19 restrictions. Adding another cool story to my travel collection, Jason invited me to roll out my sleeping mat on the back of his trailer and sleep under the stars. It turned out to be a great call because I enjoyed it, and even though I'm very tired I'm content with my progress as I travelled more than 550 km today. In only two days I've hitchhiked a good chunk of this journey so far, so let's see if I get further north in the morning.
