Alice
River Goldfields is not a bad alternative road.
If you
are on your way back
from the Tip, and have
the time,
you can do an alternative
road to skip
the long straight stretch of Peninsula Developmental Road
roughly between Laura and Musgrave.
Be warned that it takes
you longer,
so you need an extra
half a day at the very least, but better a whole day, to enjoy it.
The loop is longer than
the stretch on
the main road, so make sure you have the fuel, and fill
your
tank at Musgrave.
There are a few creek
crossings, an old mine and historical goldfields, and if you like
discovering it's not a bad road.
The
northern turnoff from
the Peninsula Developmental Road is about 25km south of Musgrave
Roadhouse.
You first drive past Artemis
Station,
which has a camping ground.
The track then continues south past a turnoff to the old Dixie Outstation.
Further south it comes to a turnoff to the New Dixie Station -
continue right,
following the sign towards Normanton.
After that the road continues straight until it comes to the turnoff
east towards Alice River Goldfields.
It first crosses the little Crosbie
Creek, ...
Then the little more serious Eight
Mile Creek, ...
And enters Alice River
Station,
...
... before you come to this
mining site.
Alice River Mine
It may look abandoned but in fact it
is private property
and trespassing is not allowed.
The site is on care and maintenance,
and will be the focus of more mining work in the near future.
Nearby are also some old relics from the days of the historical goldfields.
After
that
there is a sign saying Laura
just
before you cross Dickies Creek, ...
... the Alice River
crossing
and turnoff to Imooya Station,
... and further east you come to Killarney
Station (always leave the gates as you find them, in terms
of
open vs closed!).
The track goes through some cattle
country ...
... to the crossroad to Kimba
Station,
...
... and after that the
road broadens,
...
... and
thick forest
surrounds the
road. You
drive through Kingvale
Station,
...
... then cross Kennedy
River,
...
... and the smaller St
George River,
with some bush camping sites.
Next you get back to the Peninsula Developmental Road, near Fairview
Outstation.
This sign marks the spot
(Fairlight Station is south towards Palmerville, while Fairview is
across the Peninsula Developmental Road).
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 ;-)
If
you liked the books or
this website, let others know about it!
Link to it from your website, your blog, your forum post... Share it on Facebook, Tweet
about it...
Every link helps other travellers!
Thank you for doing the
right thing and letting others know :-)
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.