Horn
Island is the second largest island in the 'inner' Torres Strait.
It is a lot larger
than Thursday Island and has a lot smaller population - only about 700
inhabitants.
A lot of people do
visit it,
but they are mostly the ones who fly to the Torres Strait or the
northern Cape, because this island has the largest airport in the
region.
For a Cape York traveller, there is an interesting museum and some
Second World War history.
And as a Cape York traveller, you would get here water ways.
The first thing that hits you is the amazing colour of the water!
No photoshop, it's completely real - provided it's a sunny day :-)
The jetty is beautiful,
... and a favourite spot for fishing.
And other beach activities, like enjoying beautiful sunsets.
The name of the township is Wasaga,
... and apart from a few places to eat,
... it also has an interesting museum,
... and a few tracks outside the town, should you stay a little longer
to discover it more.
Further away from the township,
... in the north eastern end of the island is the King Point Reserve,
... and in the south eastern end is the Cable Beach.
Around this, eastern side of the island, there is some WWII history.
Horn Island WWII History
They say it was a "forgotten isle" until
the Second World War, when
it became the most
strategical site for an air base that would be close to
Papua New Guinea, while large and flat enough for an airstrip, and
still in Australian waters.
Japanese soon realised
the importance of its location - if they could get hold on
this air base they could attack locations in southern Australia.
They attacked the island in seven
raids, making Horn Island the second most attacked after
Darwin.
Luckily they did not get it, and what we have today is some airplane wrecks, gun pits, fuel drums,slit trenches and other relics and remnants
sitting in the bush.
And more importantly than anything we have the airport, which was built during
the WWII.
It was built in 1940,
and ended up having a runway too short for large American military
aircraft, so they tried to extend it, but with no luck built another
airport in Bamaga.
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.