Weipa
And it is the largest town in central and northern Cape York.
It is not a touristic place, more than anything it is a mining town, and consequently quite industrial and expensive.
But its magnificent red soils, blue waters and pink sunsets make it a beautiful place, and its great location in the middle of the wilderness on the western coast of Cape York means that there is some great fishing and wildlife watching.
So despite not being a touristic place, there is plenty to see and do in Weipa :-)
Places to See
Click on the above link to get to the different parts of the town and the different areas and places just outside the town that are worth discovering.
The full list of places, and the full detail of all is in the Destination Guide as always.
Things to Do
Click on the above link to get to the different things to do in and around the town.
Not only the fishing and the mine but also the tracks, the beaches, the sunsets and the walks, the wildlife watching, and joining some local community events.
Practical Information
And finally, here is some information on Weipa and its history and weather, flights, where you can stay, eat and drink, and what opportunities there are for shopping (including markets). Again all the full information about all that (with prices, opening hours and contact details to all) is in the Destination Guide as always.
Places
to See
In
small remote places like Weipa, there are no tourist attractions, so
some different areas in and around the town become quite interesting
places to see :-)
In the southern parts of the town are the industrial Lorim Point and Evans Landing, west are the Lakes, Gonbung Point and Kerr Point.
North are Nanum, Trunding and Rocky Point. And north of Rocky Point is Uningan Nature Reserve, Mission River and Andoom Creek.
Lorim Point
As you first arrive, you come to the suburb of Lorim Point.
And straight away you see the real face of Weipa - the export wharf with massive ore carrier ships, and a big heap of red bauxite. And - some beautiful red sand and blue water beaches with pandanus palms.
Evans Landing
Further north you can either take the straight road north to Nanum, or you can turn left to Evans Landing - another industrial suburb with lots of car mechanic workshops etc, but also some beautiful coastal views with pelicans and a wharf that is great for fishing.
The "Lakes" Road
If you turned left and kept going, you come the "back" way to Nanum, past some beautiful coastal spots like Gonbung Point and Kerr Point, and then the lakes - Lake Patricia and Lake McLeod - great places to walk, picnic and watch birds.
Nanum
You first drive past the entrance to the town's only camping ground, and then come to Nanum Shopping Centre - the largest one in town.
There is also some accommodation, and behind the shopping centre is the start of a walking track to Rocky Point.
Trunding
The next suburb is Trunding - a mostly residential suburb with Albatross Hotel in the western end; and in the eastern end of it, as you drive along the main road, you pass by the town's Golf and Bowls Club.
Rocky Point
The next suburb north is Rocky Point, where there are the town's swimming pool and library, the Town Office, miners' accommodation and some other facilities; and the Rocky Point boat ramp - beautiful for both fishing and sunsets.
Uningan Nature Reserve
Nearby is the entrance to the town's Pistol Club and Uningan Nature Reserve that covers an area around the mouth of Uningan Creek and protects some eucalypt woodlands and mangrove habitat.
Mission River and North
North of Rocky Point you come to a one lane bridge and Mission River - great for fishing.
North of the river are Andoom Creek, Red Beach and the road to Bouchat, and further north are Vyces Crossing, Stones Crossing, Pennefather, and Mapoon.
Things to Do
Weipa makes almost no effort to get the tourists here - it thrives well enough on mining.
And there are many other things to do as you can
see below.
Visit
the Mine
The mine itself used to be a Comalco mine, but now belongs to Rio Tinto Alcan. They mine
bauxite - a mineral that is then worked to extract aluminium
-
which amongst many other things is used to make beer cans.
Like all other mines, it has very strict safety rules, so you won't get
in there other than on tours (full detail about all these is in the
Destination Guide).
Sunsets
and
Beaches
Like in the rest of Cape York,
Weipa beaches are not for
swimming,
but they are good for fishing, watching sunsets, and other
beach
activities. While there are many places to get to
the shore
in Weipa, some nice beaches are Nanum
Beach in
Nanum and the beach south of Rocky Point.
Tracks around Weipa
There are also the tracks, not
only behind the beaches but also in and around the town and between
different parts of the town. While some take you to beaches, others
take you to creeks, mangroves and tidal plains - many places that are
good for fishing.
Fishing
Weipa is one of the best places in Cape York to fish. There are fishing spots everywhere - on beaches, headlands, river mouths. Some of the favourite spots are next to Mission River and Andoom Creek bridges, Evans Landing Wharf, Kerr Point and Red Beach.
Offshore
Fishing
Even
better
if you have a
boat. There are boat ramps in
Evans Landing, Rocky Point,
and Misson River and Andoom Creek bridges.
You can also
hire a boat, and there are fishing tours
and charters - all listed with prices and contact details in the Destination
Guide.
Wildlife
Watching
In addition to the above, Weipa also has a surprising amount
of
wildlife to see (all detail in
the Destination Guide), and particularly birds - a
good example
is Australia's largest stork - jabiru. There are even wildlife watching tours,
all detail with prices, times and contact details is in the Destination
Guide.
Walks and Fitness
With all the beaches, tracks, bicycle and walking paths, it's easy to keep fit in Weipa. There is a sealed walking path from Nanum to Trunding, another one from Nanum to Evans Landing, and plenty of unsealed ones around the lakes and everywhere. Plus some outdoors exercise machines and of course the gym.
Community Events
Weipa is also a great community - of mostly young active families, and there are consequently a lot of local community and kids events.
From Colour Smash, Weipa Parkrun and Running Festival to the Bullride and Fishing Classic (the events are in the Destination Guide).
Weipa Information
And finally - some more practical
information about where to shop, eat and stay.
And a little bit of information on Weipa's history - as you are getting around, you might come across things like shell middens and totem poles.
These are obviously the
Aboriginal history, before the mine
was ever here and before the town as it is really existed.
Weipa
History
The town itself was
established about 50 years ago
when its bauxite deposit was found worth mining, and was built by the
mining company (Comalco at the time).
It is actually still on the mining lease and doesn't belong to the Cook
shire as most of the rest of the peninsula.
Markets and Shopping
Thanks to the mine - the supermarket is actually better than in
Cooktown, and
so are some other shopping
opportunities (I do mean by the peninsula
standards so you cannot expect a shopping heaven in here!). Plus, a
couple of markets on some weekends are also a nice addition to the
shopping scene :-)
Eating
and Drinking
The restaurant scene is also
ok - you can get everything from fast food
to an a la carte meal from the town's establishments, and that
said - Weipa lacks an old traditional Aussie pub, there is a
hotel with a public bar but it hasn't got the old bush pub character
(all the detail about all the places is in the Destination Guide).
Weipa
Accommodation
The accommodation is not
always five star but is what you would generally
expect in Cape York - it's from camping to dongas to cabins and hotel
rooms, and the full detail with all the places, addresses, phone
numbers, descriptions, facilities and exact prices (updated every
year), are in the Destination Guide.
Cairns
to
Weipa Flights
There is an airport here, and
you can fly directly to and from
Cairns, and of
course to other places
with a stopover in Cairns.
During the Wet Season, when the roads are closed, this is the only way to get here apart from boats (details in the Destination Guide).
Airline
Tickets
So how would you go about looking for airline
tickets for your Weipa
flight, AND making sure you do get a good price?
The answer is
- look
online. There is a page about the cheap
tickets to
Cairns - the
same applies to Weipa. The search box in the end of
that page
also does work for flights to Weipa.
Weipa Weather
The
weather is mostly
like the weather on the rest
of Cape York
peninsula - a Dry and a Wet Season, and the Wet one has an early
and a late
part. The
early part brings thunderstorms, and the late one tends to mean just
plain monsoonal rain - which is also cyclone season. Being on the west
coast and in the Gulf Savannah usually means less destructive cyclones
than on the eastern coast.
Places to Stay
There is camping, there are lodges - with and without swimming pools.
Some places are close to, or even have - a restaurant.
Could be something to consider when deciding where to stay - here is the Weipa accommodation page, and the full detail about every place is in the Destination Guide.
Eating and Drinking
There are clubs and a la carte restaurants,
There is takeaway - not only the bakery but even mobile food vans.
And there is a cafe with healthy meals - which is just great :-)
Markets and Shopping
There are a few disfferent kinds of markets,
... post office, news agency and the usual,
... and of course the Tackle Shop :-)
Sunsets and Beaches
The sunsets are fantastic just like in
other places on the west coast.
Just like Karumba, Darwin are famous for it - Weipa has some very beautiful, colourful, really impressive ones.
The above four are only a small part of my Weipa sunset photo collection and are taken from Nanum, Albatross, Rocky Point Beach and Rocky Point :-)
"4WD" Tracks
There are also some tracks in and around the town,
... to the beaches,
... to Putts Palms and Six Tunnels only to mention a few,
... and to some wetlands and tidal plains north of the town.
Weipa
Fishing
But the best of all is of course
the fishing :-)
Some of the best spots include the wharf at Evans Landing,
... Rocky Point (near the boat ramp),
... Mission River (popular spot under the bridge),
... and Andoom Creek (near the bridge).
Plus north of Mission River, there is Red Beach and also some good mangrove creeks.
Other, less obvious places are Lorim Point, Gonbung Point, Humbug Point,
... Kerr Point and the beaches west of, and at Weipa Camping Ground in Nanum.
Popular species as well as closed seasons, size limits and take and possession limits are all in the full detail in the Destination Guide :-)
Did you Go to Weipa?
What did you think about it? Or do you have a question or maybe a tip to other travellers? Let us know!
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Weipa 
The lovely industrial town is surrounded by bright red soil, striking red cliffs, glistening blue waters, and a wealth of geographical beauty and cultural …
Fishing
Weipa Fishing
The Mac Attack Not rated yet
Lock your cars. Although Weipa is a small town and in a nice place, crime rate is huge! There are regular periods throughout the year where all cars at …
Weipa in the 70's Not rated yet
Weipa in the 70's was an amazing place and very, very isolated. It was a 3 day drive from Cairns with lots of rocky creek crossings and soft sand between …
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