Mutee
Head is a big headland north of Jardine river mouth.
Other than the
headland
itself, there are also some Second World War relics, Saibai
Islander graves,
and a beautiful beach.
The spot
is reached from the main road
that goes north to Bamaga,
in the NPA (north of Jardine River).
And if you like fishing and
discovering, there is
also a small track west to the mouth
of
Jardine River.
The Road into Mutee Head
At the
turnoff from the main road, there
is now even a road sign saying
Mutee Head.
The road
in is a good
gravel road, doable in two wheel drive during the dry
season.
Up on the
hill behind the
beach is a Second
World War radar tower, reachable by a track that turns off
the
road in, not far from the beach.
The beach
is beautiful and not
bad for
fishing.
The
old poles
sticking out of the water is what is left from a Second
World War jetty, which was later useful for the community
of
Saibai islanders.
Yes - the
WWII relics were already
here
when the first Saibai islanders came to settle on the
mainland in 1947.
They first settled in the
Mutee Head
because the WWII water tanks and the jetty were
handy.
The Government erected a temporary church, store and medical
post. As more and more families arrived, old army huts were
used
for housing.
It later showed that the
water source was not sufficient, and they went looking for
better spots.
They got help from people at Injinoo, and together they found natural
freshwater sources at Red Island Point (now Seisia
Jetty) and what was then called Ichuru (now Bamaga).
While the Bamaga township
was built most families stayed in Mutee Head, and
gradually moved to Bamaga as the housing was completed there.
Track to the Mouth of Jardine
River
The
above-mentioned track to the radar tower continues west to the mouth of Jardine
River.
The track gets gradually sandier and in the end is definitely four
wheel drive
- it's narrow, bumpy and at
times covered by soft boggy sands.
Once you get to the river and
behind the beach, it gets only boggier!
But the place is beautiful - the river mouth:
And the beach - on these sand bars you often see crocodiles.
In the
eastern end of the
beach, you
can see Mutee Head.
The place is on Aboriginal land - the new 2015 camping rules are in the
Destination Guide, along with all the rest of the places on the
peninsula.
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
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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 partner
Mark who is the recovery guy on northern Cape York and the Old
Telegraph Track).
Not to mention locals'
tips on how to spot that croc and palm cockatoo ;-)
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This site uses British
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