Destination Cape York Travel Guide

UPDATE - Monday 24 April 2023

The prices have been updated in the 2023 Guide.

These are the last updates of the year - a great time to buy!

Two years worth of updates are included in every purchase :-)


UPDATE - Sunday 1 January 2023


The 2023 Edition came out in the afternoon of 1. January, 2023 :-)

All you need to do is to click on any of the many links on this page to buy, and they all take you to the new, freshly updated version that is now up there :-)

I do recommend you to read this page to the end, as there is much more in the Guide than this year's updates!

TO CLAIM YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT PLEASE CLICK HERE!


So, what was done this year?

Firstly - all of the content of the Guide was reviewed and updated,

* including roads and tracks,

* remote camp spots with the latest, and free camps reviewed.

* and the latest fuel prices, of late 2022, on the way to the Tip!

FREE camps and saving on fuel alone save you more than the price of the Guide :-)


Much of the focus this year was a massive overhaul of all the local businesses.

As so many had closed due to COVID, the Guide was in a need of a clean-out, and it was heartbreaking to see how many needed deleting.

There were also some new ones added that had popped up, so all the

* accommodation, camping and caravan parks,

* things to see and do in places,

* places to eat - cafes, restaurants and pubs,

* shops, food vans, local seafood outlets,

* tours including fishing, 4WDriving and croc watching,

* scenic flights over rainforest and reef,

* car mechanics and car rentals,

* events and local markets,

* museums, ice creameries, tea and coffee farms, tropical fruit wineries,

* station stays, service stations and roadhouses,

... are all as up to date as it was possible to do.

Plus all the rest ...

* National Park openings updated

* Mobile phone and internet reception reviewed and updated

* The old payphones reviewed - incredibly you would not think but they become very handy in remoteness where there is no reception!

* Local radio stations reviewed

* Free drinking water reviewed

* Toilets chapter reviewed

* All other chapters reviewed and new info added where needed 


So, what was NEW this year? (in case you know that I like to include something new each year).

The big new thing was Gulf Savannah.

After so many questions about a similar Guide on the Gulf, I decided to do the research in the area and put it into a new Guide.

Very handy if you'd like to do Cape York on a loop trip, one way via the east coast and Cairns, and the other way via Karumba and the rest of the Gulf.

Putting it together is a big work that is underway, and it is hard to say at this stage when I get it out.

But as soon as it is out, there will be a Gulf Savannah Guide written in the same style and detail, that so many people have been asking for!

I will let you know any news on it in the newsletters :-)

Thankyou Katrin,
 
Much appreciated, and might I add your book was the best Cape York resource that I found. 

Well done. 

-- Geoff, Australia

I would love to say thank you!

Your guide book is by far the best on the market.

I know that because I am a very accurate person, and I spent hours with planning my trip and get all the information sorted.

Your book stands out between all the others and also the web information.

Congratulation!

-- Achim, Germany

We will tell other about your book and site - you provide the best information we have found.

We would love a similar source for other regions.

-- Richard Northway, Australia

Thanks for the book, it is the best and most comprehensive I have come across.

-- Anthony Stewart, Australia

Hi Katrin

I'm planning a trip up there this dry season with a mate [towing his camper] and am amazed at the info in your guide.

Best I have ever read and thanks for all your hard work.

-- Graham Clarke, Australia

Dear Katrin, 

You have done a great job with it.  

I understand much more about it all now and feel much more informed to choose places to go. 

Your guide is not the first one I have read but it is by far the best.

Many thanks, 

-- Joan Rockliff, Australia

Thank you so very much for providing such valuable information.

We used it to plan our trip and then took it with us

and referenced it frequently throughout our trip.

Your details were always spot on and helped us immensely.

Keep up the great work!!

-- Lisa Pritchard, Australia

Congratulations on one of the most informative Cape York Guides I have ever seen, 

you just can't beat local knowledge.

Keep up the excellent work.

-- Kind Regards Tim, Australia

Those who have it are singing its praises.

There's lots of information in it that just simply can't be found elsewhere.

-- Dee Bond, Australia

Katrin, keep on.

I heard a lot of people saying that ur guide is the best one can possibly get for cape york!

-- Daniel Attallah, Australia

Well done Katrin.

You are a dream come true for Cape York travellers.

For years now, I have been telling Cape travellers, new and old,

that if they go without your latest guide,

they will only ever have 20% of the adventure and knowledge available.

Cheers,

-- Trevor Schoenfisch, Australia

Why this Book by Me?

I did not write this book about a corner of Australia that I visited. I wrote this book about the corner of Australia where I live.

I have lived here since 2003 so the book, and this website, are written by a local.

I am a passionate traveller who always does all the back tracks so I surely do my research work in detail ;-)

But I haven't always been a local here, I have lived down in Sydney, so I also know what questions you will have as a traveller. And I am originally from Europe, so I also know what questions you, international travellers have before you visit Cape York and the rest of Australia.

I am obviously also a woman, something that has not been of any disadvantage!

I did my first trip to Cape York on my own and with no four wheel drive experience. That means, I also know how you feel, and what you need to know if you are a total stranger to four wheel driving.

However, most of the time I talk for Mark, my partner, who is the one to drive us around nowadays :-)

Hi, just wanted to thank you for the website, guide book and newsletter.

All are informative, fun and easy to read.

Love the no bull approach.

Please keep up the good work and may the wet be safe and as long or short as you would prefer. Thanks again.

-- Dave, Australia

Am just returning from the top and am in Lightning Ridge on my way back to Melbourne.

Just a note to say how much I appreciated the Travel Guide on my trip.

It was invaluable.

Thanks again Katrin; your guide is so comprehensive; I don't know how you did it.

-- Terry Wade (Rye, Victoria), Australia

Love your guide and newsletter. Timely, full of essential information.
Planning to come up to the Cape in late August. Regards from an avid follower.

-- Willem Goeman, Australia

Hi Katrin

Your book was priceless when we did the Cape in 2017.

We are now planning another trip in 2020.

Many Thanks,

-- Mark Morton, Australia

 
A question that I do get - why buy an ebook?
 

Read the main reason in more detail here! (opens in a new window so you keep this page open).

But shortly:

1) You get it instantly. No need to go to the shop or wait for the order to arrive at your house - plus no shipping costs. Pay and start reading straight away!

2) You can use the links - incredibly handy to be taken to the website of a tourist attraction, accommodation, tour company etc - where you find even more information about the place.

3) LAST BUT NOT LEAST! You get much more updated detail in the guide! Ebooks are much easier to update and can therefore have much more detail than 'normal' books. That's particularly important when it is a travel guide! You can have all the prices, phone numbers, opening hours etc and have them updated every year - never happens with 'normal' book guides!

Read about the disadvantages and the advantage number three in more detail (opens in a new window so you keep this page open).

Katrin

The book is absolutely amazing.

It is worth every cent I paid and probably a LOT MORE !!!!

Thank you,

-- John and Eve Attwood, Australia

Thanks Katrin.

I'm a Committee member of the Southern Tablelands 4WD club and the club is planning a trip to CapeYork in August 2019. I intended to show your book at a club meeting and recommend that anyone coming on the trip purchase a copy.

In comparison to the cost of driving to Cape York, $29 for a copy of the book

is a minimal expense given the wealth of information it contains.

Thanks.

-- Peter Mitchell, Australia

Thank you Katrin.

Love your book - best investment I have made for this trip.

Regards,

-- Dennis Holman, Australia

Your guide is GREAT value for money

- especially since you allow previous purchasers to update as well!!!

-- Carolyn Gee, Australia

The information I had been receiving from your emails were handy and

your book that I downloaded was just so informative.

Worth every cent of the $25-$30.

Recommend no-one should go without it.

Regards,

-- James Regan, Australia

Occasionally, I get some people saying they cannot get through the process, things don't open or load. If that happens to be you - it is a glitch that is not in my end. Please try doing exactly the same thing on a different computer / iPad / phone / any other device .. and it will solve the whole problem! :-)

2022 Updates

The 2022 Edition came out in the early hours of Friday January 7th, 2022 :-)

Like every year before, the Guide has again been reviewed, improved and updated on every detail. Events, tours, accommodation, pubs/bars and restaurants, and everything else that has changed since the last year, has been updated, every single line. Plus:

* Exciting new tracks!

* Latest fuel price comparisons between roadhouses, late 2021, first hand as always

* New station stays!

* New camping spots :-)

* New lodges and accommodation

* New glamping and holiday house stays

* New tours and fishing charters

* New charters to amazing remote places!

* New places to go gold prospecting

* New hunting safaris

* New events, and old ones updated :-)

* New helicopter flights

* New car mechanics

* All of the above and lots more, added to the wealth of the information that is already in there.

* FREE camping spots on the Peninsula reviewed

* FREE camping spots on your way here from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Northern Territory reviewed

* Lots of areas revisited particularly in the north, in the western Cape, and the  Cooktown area :-)

* New tracks we only did for the first time!

* Plenty of money savers - I even tell you every year where are the current cheapest fuel stations to fill up before you leave Cairns and - that alone pays you more than the price of this book ;-)

* And much, much more - all the invaluable information that was in the Guide ever before, has been updated, improved, and added to!

2021 Updates

The 2021 Edition came out on Saturday January 2nd, 2021 :-)

Like every year before, the Guide has again been reviewed, improved and updated on every detail. Events, tours, accommodation, pubs/bars and restaurants, and everything else that has changed since the last year, has been updated, plus:

* New chapter on vehicle recovery / roadside assistance

* Latest fuel prices - December 2020 - of all roadhouses on your way up

* Daily car maintenance info added

* A chapter on ground tent vs roof top tent - what is best to bring and what suits YOU?

* Bog recovery gear - should you bring Treds or Max Tracks?

* Many FREE camping spots added - that alone will save you more than the price of the Guide :-)

* Some cheap station camps added

* Toilets chapter reviewed and new info added

* Local radio stations reviewed and new info added

* Mobile reception reviewed and the new spots added

* All other chapters reviewed and new info added where needed

* More maps, such as major rivers handy to know if travelling early in the season

* Info added to roadhouses, local pubs, shops, cafes, service stations etc with more detail on their services

* Despite the year that didn't make the travels easy, the best was done to visit and revisit places as much as was possible

* Tracks in Irvinebank and Emuford areas, now with a map

* Our trips to Cairns updating first hand info on places along the main road down

* First hand updates on Marina Plains and Bathurst Bay

* How to drive to the tip of Cape Melville

* Western Cape, and of course the tracks in the northern Cape and at home in the NPA which we do all the time

* And how can you fly to the remote stations - see the Cape from the air, Dry season or Wet :-)

And last but not least - links to the Index and Table of Contents are now in the end of each page, to make the navigation easy :-)

Plus, there are plenty of money savers like where are the local cheapest fuel stations to fill your tanks before taking off from Cairns - that alone saves you more than the price of the Guide - let alone all the time, hassle and regret-saving local tips :-)

2020 Updates

The latest - the 2020 edition of the Destination Guide came out in the early hours of Friday 3. January 2020.

* A chapter on tyre pressures

* Latest fuel prices - December 2019 - of all roadhouses on your way up

* A chapter on toilets - where to go when you got to go

* Four wheel drive parks to get up your confidence before hitting the tracks

* Which Old Telegraph Track crossings have water late in the season (= nice to camp), and which crossings are the best camping, in that order :-)

* How much alcohol you can buy in places, and what are the restricted hours for certain alcohols (each place is different)

* Menus of the best restaurants and cafes only, plus menus of ALL roadhouses on your way up

* Free drinking water, payphones, mobile reception chapters reviewed and new info added

* More maps, more events and more information on places

* Where to see carnivorous plants

* Free camps on your way up from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Northern Territory - freshly updated and more info added about each spot

* Info added to roadhouses that turn your power off at night because they run on generators (they need to, but you also need to know)

* Lakefield, Cape Melville, Oyala Thumotang and Iron Range National Park, Captain Billy Landing, Eliott Falls, Ussher Point and Jardine River camping detailed with facilities, mobile receptions and on what sites are generators allowed

* All camping sites in Lakefield and Oyala Thumotang National Park were visited (and most camping sites in the rest had been visited before) so this year, first hand information about shade etc at almost all national park camping sites was added to the Guide, so you know which one to choose.

* Other places revisited this year (meaning more fresh info added to the Guide than some other places) were: Cape Flattery, Cape Bedford and beach drive to Coloured Sands and Kiters' Cove, Cooktown, Hopevale, Elim Beach, Starcke Wakooka Track including Starcke boat ramp, Battle Camp Road, roads through Palmerville and Mount Mulligan revisited for updates since the new lodge etc, and the coastal road between Cairns and Cooktown, including Bloomfield Track

* Old Telegraph Track (done every year), so you have any new chicken tracks and any other modifications created in 2019 (and all the earlier ones); East Coast Drive from Captain Billy Landing to Ussher Point, crossing Orford Bay

* And the northern tracks at home which we do all year: Ussher Point and Sadd Point, Mutee Head and Jardine River mouth, Larradinya mouth, Roonga Point, Roma Flats and other tracks in the NPA

2019 Updates

The latest - the 2019 edition of the Destination Guide came out in the early hours of Saturday 5. January 2019.

* Which rivers go up enough to cut the PDR and how to check them any time of the year?

* Travel times on the peninsula vs travel distances.

* Do you need to book accommodation and camping?

* Peninsula's four wheel drive tracks list and map reviewed and tracks added.

* Mobile phone reception reviewed - and the old payphones were added that can still be very handy in the remoteness where there is no reception!

* The list of FREE campsites, and the ones on your way here from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and NT, reviewed and updated as everything else in the guide.

* Firewood - is there plenty to collect or should you bring some up with you (as I get the question asked!)

* Quarantine rules explained better with the Torres Strait included (this is in your interest as it protects the rest of Australia's agriculture more than Cape York).

* Rubbish - LOTS more rubbish tips and landfills added across the peninsula so you don't have to dump it in the bush or carry it around for too long :-)

All of the above and lots more, added to the wealth of the information that is already in there.

This year's research work was done in the northern Cape and Torres Strait (to those who don't know, each year there is a different area that gets done in more detail).

Still, the southern locations were all reviewed line by line in the Guide and updated, places like Yarrabah, the new Cooktown waterfront and many more were added.

In the north, tracks and places around Weipa, NPA such as Ussher and Sadd Point, got revisited and updated, festivals were added along with more detailed information.

* the Old Telegraph Track got done in its full length in October 2018 and all new chicken tracks (that now pop up almost yearly) were added to the Destination Guide.

It's as fresh information on the full track as you can get, in a written form that you can bring with you to your trip (each crossing explained one by one).

* Torres Strait got revisited, improved and updated, including Turtle Head and other closer islands.

* Thursday and Horn Island with more detail on places and Horn Island with new tracks added.

* The question I get a lot - where to leave your vehicle on the mainland while you are on the islands - is answered in detail.

* Friday Island lunch details - absolutely delicious and professionally made seafood that you will remember forever!

* Prince of Wales - tracks and waterfalls :-)

* Outer Islands was this year's big trip in case that you missed the last newsletter.

Badu, Moa, Saibai, Boigu, Yam, Poruma, Warraber, Masig, Erub and Mer all got a little chapter about what is there, how to visit, and what it costs :-)

2018 Updates

The latest - the 2018 edition of the Destination Guide came out in the early hours of Saturday 13. January 2018.

Like every year before, the Guide has again been reviewed, improved and updated on every detail.

* This year was a massive overhaul because I made a more extensive research trip than the year before, so lots of places got added more detail, chapters rewritten, or even new chapters made, particularly (but not limited to) the places in the southern and central parts of the peninsula, including Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw, Running Creek and Kendall River areas, and the tracks through from the PDR to BDR (Burke Developmental Road) via Kimba - Gamboola and Dixie - Koolatah roads, and the back track between Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw, only to mention a few.

In the book, everything was updated (every single line) but some things got upgraded a little more, and here are only a few of them:

* Mobile phone and wireless internet reception, with new detail, including a map

* More vehicle accessories, spare parts and recovery gear were added to the list (reviewed by my vehicle-recovery-guy partner at the time)

* An extensive list on what to bring and how to pack your vehicle so that you don't have to spend your valuable camping time on looking for things, plus some simple things that become very useful

* The "Getting Here" chapter got new, straighter routes from Melbourne, Sydney, and the western side via the Gulf Savannah was also reviewed - all with FREE camping sites along the road.

* FREE camping spots on the Cape were again reviewed, and added some information about what is usually legal and illegal (deep down every situation is different and I explain how)

* All the four wheel drive tracks on the peninsula plus a map with all of them

* The means of communications chapter got added a write up about the difference between EPIRBs and satellite phones, and in what ways they help you differently in different situations

* Satellite phones got outlined which network and which provider is the best in Australia and on Cape York

* The "When to Go" chapter was added an important point about the difference between the late and the early season trips, depending on what you want out of your trip

* A chapter about where to get FREE drinking water, with a map

* Maps improved and updated, all the links checked and fixed like each year

* Plenty of money savers like where are the local cheapest fuel stations to fill your tanks before taking off from Cairns - that alone saves you the price of the guide - let alone all the time, hassle and regret-saving local tips :-)

* And much, much more - all the invaluable information that was in the Guide ever before, has been updated, improved, and added to!

If you haven't bought the Guide before, please make sure to read about everything else that is there as the above is only this year's updates :-)

2017 Updates

The latest - the 2017 edition of the Destination Guide came out on Saturday 7. January 2017 (you now get the new edition when you buy through this page).

Like every year before, the Guide has again been reviewed, improved and updated on every detail (and if you look lower down on the previous years additions - all the older improvements are of course still there).

Only some of the things added in the 2017 edition were: 

* More FREE camping spots (info about others updated)

* More local radio stations

* More detail in the mobile phone and internet coverage chapters

* More remote stations' contact details (yes, the full detail of how to contact places like Silver Plains and other remote stations/homesteads)

* Maps improved and updated, all the links checked and fixed like each year

* RACQ phone numbers now also to each local work shop so that in addition to the general road assistance number you can also talk to the particular workshop directly

* The chapters by my vehicle-recovery-guy partner at the time: Vehicle recovery gear, spares, accessories and tools to bring reviewed and updated

* Plenty of money savers - I even tell you every year where are the current cheapest fuel stations to fill up before you leave Cairns (it changes) and - that alone pays you more than the price of this book ;-)

* When To Go chapter was added paragraphs about when does each track open for the season, as well as the local school holidays.

* The Do You Need Cash Chapter - the EFPTOS facilities map was added the information of banks (north of Cooktown there are less than 5!), post offices (= Commonwealth), and also ATMs (as up here EFPTOS does most often not mean that you can get cash out).

* The swim spots chapter was added the swimming opportunities in towns and camping grounds - it's hot here - and ocean is not a place to swim!

* While on the subject I even added fitness opportunities in places like Cooktown, Weipa, Bamaga and Thursday Island ... there is not that many and it might be handy to know :-)

And last but not least ...

* If you need to rent your vehicle/van - what companies allow you to do the Old Telegraph Track, and all the other fun tracks?

Very few allow the OTT - the big companies do not. Rules about the other tracks vary, and in many cases make no sense - they don't allow you to do the Old Telegraph while allowing a lot harder tracks - showing they have no idea about the actual challenges and risks on every track, heck - many don't even know about the other tracks! :-)

* Chapter on Bringing your Dog/s

* Chapter on Bringing your Caravan

The last two subjects are the first that I am planning to turn into separate booklets during this, 2017, Wet Season (hoping to get them out in February - March). There is no need to wait until then with the purchase of the full guide, as the conditions of getting them will not be affected by when you bought the full guide.

* Plus all the invaluable information that was in the Guide ever before, has been updated, improved, and added to!

P.S. From now on the Guide has the year of the issue and the purchase details on each page - making things easier for you as well as myself :-)

2016 Updates

The super fresh 2016 Edition of the Destination Guide came out on Saturday 9. January 2016 (you now get the new Edition when you buy through this page).

Only some of the things added in the 2016 version were: 

* New tracks, new places - Kondiparinga, Fairview/Palmerville, and other tracks; also Turtle Camp, Stones Crossing, Crab Island; tracks in the NPA, and the Jackey Jackey and Escape River area; and many others were reviewed and added info.

* FREE camping spots reviewed in the light of the new Native Title Laws and land ownership changes

* Alcohol restrictions reviewed, national park openings updated, events 2016 updated, maps added and updated, and much, much more.

* Local radio stations to listen to on your trip :-)

* Is there LP Gas?

* Where do you actually have internet reception?

* Hunting info, places to put your rubbish reviewed and added, all the permits info reviewed and updated

* All emergency numbers now in the beginning of the book, including local police stations and hospitals; where to ring for vehicle recovery, flood and cyclone emergencies, and Royal Flying Doctors' Service.

* Northern Peninsula Area info and companies added - since it is now where I live :-)

And last but not least - for the Guys ...

* Vehicle spares, accessories and tools to bring  (reviewed by my vehicle-recovery-guy partner at the time)

* The five most important recovery gear to bring - in the order of importance (by my vehicle-recovery-guy partner at the time)

* Tips on crossing Jardine River at the Old Ford - by my vehicle-recovery-guy partner at the time (well, if I drove through following his tips, so if I could do it without trouble, they have to work! Video is in the Destination Guide :-)

2015 Updates

... and the Older Additions Are Also there of Course 

The Edition you get now was launched in January 2015, after the guide was again updated, reviewed, improved, cleaned up from info no longer relevant, and added lots of new information.

UPDATE April 2015 - all the prices (accommodation, any extra trips and tours, museums, attractions, boat trips etc, etc, etc...) were all freshly updated one by one in April 2015 and will apply for the whole 2015 season - you can trust you have the correct price!

Only some of the things added in January 2015 were: 

* New tracks, new places - Falls Track, Skardon River, Old Coach Road, Albany Island, Restoration Island, and many, many more!

* The peninsula's best swimming holes, now with a map.

* Lots of FREE camping spots added :-)

* Others taken down, that are no longer free due to the latest changes of rules on some Native Title lands.

* Alcohol restrictions updated, some more detailed than before.

* National Parks camping updated with information on where to book once you're closer to the park - they have made it easier by providing phones, agents, and touch screen facilities.
 
* National Parks Wet Season closing times - the re-opening time for the Dry season is different in every park - find out what park may still be closed in May, June, some even July.

* 4WD tracks that open later were also added the info about when they usually open, and the note that you should not plan one into an early season trip.

* RACQ - what does it actually give to you for your Cape York trip, considering the fact that the distances and conditions are different from most other places. After I talked to all the local RACQ mechanic shops, read what they do/not and decide whether it is worth for you.

* And finally, with so many people writing to me that they did not see one single croc on their trip, I decided the info was needed - why do locals see lots of crocodiles while most travellers do not - you have to know where to look, when to look, how to look!

* And the same info went in for some other north Queensland icons like cassowaries, tree kangaroos, and amethystine python - Australia's largest snake.

* And the same info also went in for our Cape York icons - palm cockatoo, eclectus parrot, cuscus and green tree python.

2014 Updates and Older ...

I have not kept on this page but they are all there :-)

This book has been gradually growing since I started the website in 2009.

Each year it is updated on all detail, plus always added new information - to make sure that for each and every year, it improves !!!