As Nay had just finished preparing dinner there were the torches of two complete strangers appearing only meters away from camp. The figures of two Italian tourists came out of the shadows and through broken english, explained they were stuck 2kms away on the 5 Beaches loop. Being 7:00pm with dinner ready, we explained it was best to help them in the morning and that they should have stayed with their car. Disgruntled by our response they went back to spend the night in their rooftop tent awaiting our rescue in the morning.
As we woke with the sunrise, our Italian friends were at our doorstep bang on 7:00am! Stunned at why they were there they insisted we helped them immediately (circumstance still being the same as last night). Explaining we would be there within an hour they strolled off and requested the help of another camper without notice. After a quick pack up we followed their trail to find the other camper pulling the bloody tourists out. Scratching his head, the fellow Aussie camper wandered why he was called upon when we were already teed up. Regardless, he helped the tourists and the three of us even earnt $20 for our troubles! Dreams can come true!
From the Croc Tent’s recommendation we continued along the 5 beaches track with its breathtaking views. Being so early, we had it all to ourselves. With an untouched sand canvas, we could not resist doing doughnuts while the ocean sat at low tide. It felt unbelievably remote as the only tracks in the sand we came across was that of a few wild pigs. Deciding to have a bit of fun Stu shot up a soft sand dune with Woody but couldn’t continue along the track as we hadn’t dropped our tyre pressure. Mark’s turn with Buzz, lead to him becoming seriously bogged at the top of the dune. Another quick recovery lesson with Stu and the cavilary was called in to snatch him out.
Once our couple of nights at Somerset were up, we were back in the trucks and aiming for Pajinka (The Tip). Excitement kicked in as it was still so unreal to put our current position on the map in perspective. Pulling up in the carpark we still had a 700m walk before our final destination! Sounding a short distance, this took quite a toll on us since we had completed minimal walks over the last month or so.
As the edge was nearing the signposted goal was visible and only steps away! Just as a family left we had our time at the top of Australia!! We’d made it! We spent a while here taking silly selfies and carving ‘Buzz and Woody 2016’ on some nearby rocks. Mark even took the liberty to take a wizz off the top of Australia! Once our cameras were full of wacky and zany images (a couple half decent) we made the slow climb back down to Buzz & Woody.
After achieving such a great accomplishment, we checked out the deminishing old Pajinka Lodge. It was a rundown Aboriginal owned lodge at ‘The Tip’ which ended up not being very successful and shutdown around 2010. Reminding us of a scene from horror movies, the desolate, left for dead buildings gave a slight chill down the spine.
Being cheap petrol Thursdays (saving 10c/L!) we filled up at Bamaga. With savings in our pocket, we went exploring to see if the Loyalty Beach Campground lived up to its magical reputation. We couldn’t argue with the reviews. Great bushcamping with no designated camp spots, we pulled up along the coast with a perfect view of the sunset! We could finally have a proper shower to scrub off the grime that had been accumulating since Cairns. With this added bonus, we wandered down to the beachfront bar for an icy cold stubby. It was a stunning sight to watch the sunset over the ocean with the silhouette of the Torres Strait Islands.
In the days prior, we had swung by the small town of Seisia and checked out the wharf to where our next destination lay. Researching the timetable at Peddels, we booked in for the 8:00 ferry to take us to Thursday Island. Here we were to meet some of Mark’s extended family. We were to have one hell of an adventure…
01/09/2016 – 03/09/2016