There
are a few different options for accommodation in Cape York.
Cape York peninsula covers an area almost the size of Victoria
- one of the
southern
states in Australia with countless towns and accommodation options -
while on the Cape
York peninsula there are only a handful of towns.
It
is possible to travel the Cape and stay only in hotels and resorts, but
it cuts down your options to experience the wilderness of this remote
area.
It is best to do like most Aussies and travel
the
Cape camping, and rely on other
accommodation as little
as possible.
Larger
Towns
Larger
towns such as
Cairns, Port Douglas
andMareeba
have a variety of
hotels, resorts
and similar places.
Cairns
There is a huge variety of places in Cairns - from luxury
hotels and holiday apartments, to resorts, bed and breakfasts, motels,
and a good choice of backpacker hostels and caravan parks.
Cairns
Northern Beaches
There
is also a lot of good accommodation on Cairns Northern Beaches. Palm
Cove has the most choice, Trinity
Beach is the second, and then Yorkeys Knob, Clifton Beach, and Kewarra
and
Holloways Beaches.
Port
Douglas
Port
Douglas has probably an even better variety than Cairns when you
consider its smaller size. But most is luxury and expensive, and budget
options are harder to find.
Mareeba
Mareeba
also has quite a few places nowadays, and as opposed to Port Douglas,
many are very affordable, like old country hotels and budget camping in
caravan parks.
Medium
and Small Towns
Medium
and small sized towns such asMossman,
Cooktown, Chillagoe,
Lakeland,
Laura, Coen,
Weipa and Bamaga
still have quite a few choices.
Mossman
Like Mareeba, Mossman still is a country town, more of a farming town
than a tourism mecca and like Mareeba it has affordable accommodation
in the old historical country pubs.
Cooktown Cooktown
is smaller and less commercialised, but there is still a good choice of
Cape York accommodation, including a few resorts and motels, a few
hotels (pubs),
a
guesthouse, and four caravan parks.
Chillagoe Chillagoe
is also a smaller
place, but there are still a fair few places to stay: two old country
hotels, a motel and tourist village, a guesthouse and an eco lodge with
a camping ground.
Weipa
Weipa
is more expensive and has less choice. There is at least one resort (in
Nanum) and one hotel (Albatross in Trunding). So far there is still
only one camping ground (in Nanum).
Bamaga
Bamaga
does not have camping grounds (there are some in the neighbouring
communities). But it
has a
four star resort - with a swimming pool, a licensed bar and an onsite
restaurant.
Roadhouse
Accommodation Cape York
Smaller
places with no township or community only have a
lonely roadhouse and these are fun places.
Palmer
River
Roadhouse is north of Mt Carbine
and it is a
great place to stay. There
is a nice beer garden, a restaurant and a licenced bar, and you can
stay in on-site tents or camp on camping grounds.
Hann
River
Roadhouse is a nice and
friendly place north of
Lakeland Downs
and Laura. There
is a large camping ground, and behind the camping
ground is a nice waterhole. There is a resident emu
and a few peacocks
to give you company :-)
Musgrave
Roadhouse
is a historical roadhouse north of Hann River. There is cabin
accommodation as well as a large camping ground. There is also a kiosk
where you can buy bread and milk, meals and a cold
beer, and even takeaway food.
Archer
River Roadhouse
is quite a lively roadhouse north of Coen.
There is a great restaurant
and a licensed bar, which gets quite crowded night time. Behind the bar
and the restaurant
is a large camping ground as well as overnight units.
Farmstays,
Cattle Stations and
FREE Camping
Some farms and cattle stations have some great Cape York accommodation
- most
often camping but sometimes also cabin style.
But better
than anything -
there is also some great FREE
camping - all the spots are listed in detail
in theDestination
Guide.
On the
photos here are a few
examples on some lovely
FREE camping :-)
Freshwater spots are great for a dip, while saltwater ones are great
for fishing and croc spotting.
Get
this 50 pages
guide totally for FREE.
It
contains information that helps you getting started with planning of your trip.
You get to make early-stages desicions such as when to go, how long time you
should take, how to get
there and get
around, where
to stay (general info), what
will it cost..
and a short insight to what is there to see and do in Cape York.
This complete 300 pages
travel guide is all you need before and during your trip. Besides the
background chapters on the peninsula's history and wildlife; and the comprehensive detail about all
the places (down to prices, opening hours and full contact
detail), it has invaluable information on at least 10 four wheel drive tracks,
at least 30 guaranteed FREE
camping spots on the Cape (and at least 150 on your way to
the Cape), at least 40 best
swimming holes, all mapped; as well as practical things -
from fuel, roads, wireless internet and mobile phone reception,
how to deal with the national
parks booking rules; and Aboriginal land entrance and camping permits
and alcohol restrictions - to vehicle preparation and accessories and necessary recovery
gear by my vehicle-recovery-guy partner).
Not to mention locals'
tips on how to spot that croc and palm cockatoo ;-)
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This site uses British
English, which is the English we use in
Australia.
Disclaimer:
Although
best efforts have been made to ensure that all the information on this
website is correct, this site is not to be blamed should there be a
mistake.
This is the ORIGINAL Cape York Travel Guide run Locally on the Peninsula.