Lockerbie


Lockerbie is a tiny place in the northenmost Cape York peninsula.

It is on the road junction where you can turn left to Punsand Bay, or right to the Tip of Australia.


There is the old homestead, the Croc Tent, and north of here is the Lockerbie Scrub rainforest.



lockerbie signs lockerbie cape york

Croc Tent

The Croc Tent is the northernmost souvenir shop on the mainland Australia, and they are also a tourist information centre.

lockerbie croc tent lockerbie croc tent

Their souvenirs are unique, especially made for them, and found nowhere else.

croc tent australia croc tent cape york
croc tent souvenirs croc tent npa

Lockerbie Homestead

Across the road from the Croc Tent is the old homestead.
   lockerbie homestead

It was established by Frank Jardine in 1867.
   lockerbie homestead ruins australia

Around the homestead, all kinds of herbs and vegetables were grown in Sana's rock gardens - still visible.

lockerbie homestead memorial

The busy couple also grew coffee, tea, corn, sugar cane and tropical fruit in plantations, including 20 different kinds of mango trees.
   lockerbie sanas rock gardens

In 1913, a stockman, Cyril Holland, also called Ginger Dick, arrived in the area and befriended Frank, who two years later, when he started to be too old to manage Lockerbie, offered him to partner in running the station.

 lockerbie homestead ruins lockerbie homestead ruins

After some years away, while serving in the First World War in France and marrying Barbara Wilson in Scotland, Holland returned to Australia, and a few years later obtained the lease of Lockerbie.

 lockerbie homestead ruins water tank lockerbie homestead ruins canoe

In 1931 he settled in Lockerbie, with his wife and five children, Tom, Stan, Barbara, Ann and Richard. They spent 30 years pioneering here, Frank had spent 50.

Back Tracks around Lockerbie

There is a track to Cody Hill,

cody hill track entrance cody hill track
cody hill loop track cody hill track exit

... there is a track west to the mouth of Larradinya Creek,

lockerbie larradinya mouth track larradinya track
lockerbie larradinya mouth mangroves larradinya creek mouth

... great for photographing and fishing,

lockerbie larradinya mouth photographing lockerbie larradinya mouth bicycling
lockerbie larradinya mouth fishing lockerbie larradinya creek fishing

... and there are tracks to the east including an abandoned homestead.

npa tracks lockerby npa tracks east
npa tracks lockerby east npa tracks abandoned homestead

All are explained in the Destination Guide.

Lockerbie Scrub

North of Lockerbie is the Lockerbie Scrub - the northernmost rainforest in mainland Australia.

lockerbie scrub

You drive through it on your way to the northernmost point of mainland Australia.


lockerbie scrub australia

It is a beautiful lush rainforest with closed canopy so at times it looks as if you were driving through a tunnel.
 lockerbie scrub npa

The ground layer is rather open compared to many other rainforests, which is a good thing because it makes it easier to see and explore.
   lockerbie scrub northern peninsula area

Like Iron Range, it is famous for its unique species - that Cape York shares with Papua New Guinea instead of the rest of Australia.

lockerbie scrub plants lockerbie scrub animals

It is thanks to the land bridge between the two during the last Ice Age about 8000 years ago.
   lockerbie scrub cape york 
It is almost untouched except some minor logging by the Holland family, and it is unique in being
a semi-deciduous mesophilic vine forest.
   lockerbie scrub queensland

As opposed to the Wet Tropics rainforests further south (from Daintree to Paluma), up here there is a longer dry season, the reason why some of the species have adapted by dropping their leaves to conserve water
.
   lockerbie scrub walk roma flats  

Many of the species can be seen on the Lockerbie Scrub Walk at Roma Flats, ask the Croc Tent, they even have a species list.





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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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