Cape York - Monday 12/9/11



A very relaxed traveller is our Boris

Up early again, Craig looked a bit tired this morning (probably from their challenging day yesterday), so I took Boris out.  Put the kettle on and once the coffee was ready boy got up.  Jim & Craig decided to created jaffles this morning for breakfast with the leftover Swiss Bol Con Carne from last night - they were very excited about their creations, the things that amuse you when on holidays.  Jim finished cleaning & drying out the rest of their stuff that got drowned yesterday and just as we were packing up a fellow walked through Nolan's Creek and asked if we'd already been through.  The answer obviously was yes from us.  The family were also travelling north, so Jim offered to attach a snatch strap to his car on this side of the creek (same as we did yesterday) as insurance.  Offer accepted, we finished packing up and aired up the tyres again, then Jim reversed down to the creek (was going to be a bit different to when we came across, this family were towing a camper trailer) and it was then we realised they had a 5 month old baby on board, which mum walked across the creek with to wait with us.  Snatch strap hooked up to their winch cable, Craig in the creek again directing and off they went - no problems.  For those interested it was a DMax.  This family also got bogged in the swamp earlier this morning and were able to winch themselves out luckily.



Sam Creek

Off we go heading north to meet the track west back to the PDR at 11.30am (late start).  Turned south onto the PDR until we came to the track east back into the lower section of the OTL (same track we took yesterday).  Everyone wanted to do the last couple of creeks, before getting to Twin Falls (where Jim & Ev were thinking of staying the night).  First up was Sam Creek - my, my, how things change over the years.  Entry & Exit not the greatest and nothing like when we were here last time.  Still a very pretty creek though with a beautiful waterfall to the side.  The boys did their normal thing and walked the creek after we watched a party of 4 travelling north come through.  They ended up using what looked like the harder exit with a step up in the track and shallow water to cross, whereas the other option had a deep step up out of the creek and deeper water to cross.  Spectacular wheel lifts by both cars on the exit!

Onwards to Canal Creek, which I would have loved to camp on but too early in the day and the falls weren't far away.  Where we entered last time was full of washouts and mudpits - not enticing at all.  We took the easy track to the south to get down and then a little splash across the creek. 


Canal Creek Entry

Crossing Canal Creek

Lunch at Canal Creek

Some campers we had run into at Vrilya were there and came running over before Craig went across the creek - had to laugh, when they got to the car they told Craig they just wanted to say hello to Boris!!  He has got quite a fan club up here...  A younger couple from Toowoomba that had crossed Sam Creek with us were also stopped here for lunch, which is what we were going to do also - about 1.30pm.  It was quiet a social event at Canal Creek, talking to an English couple from Perth and the younger couple from Toowoomba and a few other people, probably stayed longer then we intended.  Time to push on to Twin Falls.  The young couple tacked onto our little travelling circus for the trip to the falls (Melissa & James).  Coming up the track from Canal Creek we came to an abrupt stop - Craig had managed to hang the car up on a tree stump, underbody bashplates just paid for themselves!  It wasn't a drama, just reversed a bit, changed the angle of the front wheels and away we went - he was the only one to find the tree stump though....

Arrived at Twin Falls around 2.30pm, I stayed with Boris at the car while everyone else went down to have a look at Twin Falls and Elliot Falls. 



Twin Falls

Elliot Falls



Elliot Falls

Elliot Falls

Melissa & James left us to setup camp at the Twin Falls campground, Jim & Ev were going to stay here also but have decided to continue on with us to Bramwell Station for the night.  We pushed onto Bramwell at 3pm - the track and the PDR were atrocious with rocks and corrugations as big as anthills - doing 60k/hr didn't work, 10 to 20k/hr didn't work, it was just relentless.  Poor Gaylux's & campers - the truck's suspension worked overtime.  Craig's intending to check how hot the shocks are when we get to Bramwell - but I'll tell you now, he forgot.

We finally arrived at 6pm - Yay! You're greeted by the guard Brolga at the gate to the camp ground.


Guard Brolga at Bramwell

 First thing was a cold beer & wine at the bar and a chat to the couple who run the camping ground.  We decided to have dinner at the bar/kiosk tonight, so organised that while having another drink - Rump, chips, salad & pepper steak for boy and for me Chicken Parmigana, chips & salad.  Dinner was at 7pm, so we went and setup camp - Craig raced a young couple to the shelter that we wanted to camp next to, was quite funny to watch. 



Our camp at Bramwell Station

Before we even got the campers opened up, we had an audience of interested people watching who were on a tour and wanted to see the campers open up and see what they had in them.  While all this was going on there was time for the boys to fit in another beer before dinner.  Time for dinner at the kiosk/bar and it was excellent, partly because we didn't have to cook it.  Very yummy.  After dinner we took Boris back to the campsite to feed him, then returned to the kiosk for socialising (Boris was allowed to sit outside of the eating area, so he was happy enough because he could see us).  The tour bus group had decended on the kiosk by this time and having fun trying to hook the stirrup onto a nail, it's not as easy as you think.  We ended up staying there chatting, playing the stirrup game and having a few drinks, until we realised it was 10.30pm.  Boris was ready for bed, so Ev & I went leaving Craig & Jim still talking to the fellow behind the bar.  Eventually they came to bed.....