For most
people it is a short stop along Peninsula Developmental
Road.
Maybe a coldie at the pub
at the most.
For others it is the end
of the Old Coen Track.
You can
stay over night, and there is also an interesting museum
if you are
into the local history.
In the middle of the
main street is (of course) the town's pub
- originally
called Exchange Hotel,
now commonly known
as Sexchange Hotel.
In the same street is the most interesting thing in town
if
you're into history. It's the Old
Heritage House with a lot of memorabilia inside, and some
outside in the yard.
There are
displays on the history of the construction of the Old
Telegraph
Line, as well as the history of Aboriginal people, gold
prospecting
and
early
pastoralists.
Also in
the
main street is a small grocery
shop
and Halfway Service Station, and across the street is the
town's post
office, with a camping
ground in the back yard.
There is also other kind of
accommodation, such as a guesthouse in
town; and the good old Charlie's
Place
in the southern end of the town, near the northern end of the Old
Coen Track. UPDATE
2016 Charlies place got permanently closed as he moved back to
Malta :-(
North of
the
town is Coen
River -
great for
a cool
dip.
It's called the Bend, and there are yabbies
you can catch :-)
Old
Coen Track
Old Coen
Track is a great 4WD track in Cape York.
In fact, only half of the original stretch remains, as the other half
is now the beginning of the road into Port Stewart.
The
southern end of the track
is on the road to Port
Stewart.
After the turnoff you soon come to a creek crossing
that makes a nice
swimming hole.
Then it continues,
... through some washouts and a little rugged country,
(this is where we saw a dangerous looking snake crossing the
track)
... some termite mound
country,
... and climbs right up
to the hills
(I mean real
hills, not the
one on the photo - I got too exited about the views and forgot to take
photos) ...
... crosses a few more
creeks
that are dry in the late Dry Season,
... and finally ends in the southern end of Coen.
The Old Coen Track comes
out next to
Charlie's Place - a camping ground with some character.
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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.