Lakeland
Downs is more commonly known just as Lakeland.
It is a small
township on the
crossroads of the Peninsula
Developmental Road that goes north to the tip of Cape
York,
and Mulligan
Highway that goes east to the coast to Cooktown.
It is
about 100km north of Mt
Carbine and about 30km north of Palmer River Roadhouse.
It is really small and there is nothing much to do there for travellers
- except to fill up your tank, buy something to eat and drink, and stay
over the night if needed.
The road that comes in to the town is good and it is sealed.
Enjoy it
while
it still is - after this township the roads are only partly sealed
(UPDATE now sealed until Laura), and
will get worse the further north you go. If you turn right to
Mulligan
Highway, the road is sealed all the way to Cooktown.
Lakeland
Downs Roadhouse
Right
along the main road is the roadhouse where truckies stop for a meal,
and where you can also fill up your tank and get something to
eat.
There is also
a small shop with basic supplies, soft drinks, chips and
take-away food.
Facilities
If
you turn into the town, there is another similar place, but with better
food and cheaper fuel.
It is the
Lakeland Downs coffee house and
general
store that also sells fuel, souvenirs, takeaway food and snacks, and
basic supplies and groceries.
Hotels in
Lakeland
As
every proper Australian country town, Lakeland Downs has a pub, which
is also
the town's only hotel.
Like all the
other proper Aussie pubs, it has a
public bar with pool tables, meals and drinks, and a beer garden in the
back.
They have
units as well as powered and unpowered
sites. You can store your
caravan here if you decide not to drag it all the way to the tip of
Australia.
Lakeland
Hotels
Lakeland Downs in Cape
York, Australia,
is only a small place and there is only one hotel - the Lakeland Downs Hotel Motel.
Like
other Australian country
hotels, this is also the town's only pub.
There is a public bar
with the usual, like pool tables etc.And there
is a beer garden
in the back yard.
Camp
in
Lakeland
A good
place to camp in Lakeland is the caravan
park.
It is a
great park with nice
managers and clean flash amenities. There are
green lawns, shady
sites and laundry facilities.
There is a small shop in the reception that sells souvenirs and some
great books
about the history
and wildlife
of Cape York.
And you can store your van here
if you don't want to take it up to the peninsula.
There is also a rest stop
with toilets on the roadside.
And there is a washdown
facility
to not to spread any possible weed seeds. UPDATE since 2017 it has been closed because of vandalism and misuse.
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.