Coen and Chilli Beach
10th May
Easy trip to Coen from Cooktown on the Peninsula Development Road (PDR)which is the main route up to the tip of Cape York . For scale it is 1000km from Cairns to the tip . We found a nice spot in the campsite behind the pub to have our fist night in our swags . The caravan having been left with a friend Brett in Cooktown. Only challenge with the swags was the lack of air flow as it was a perfectly still night. A bit of condensation to dry off in the morning sun ( it had dropped to a bone chilling 19 degrees overnight to cause the condensation ) and we were off again.
Oh they do a real special deal at the campsite . Its 5 dollars per person or 15 for a couple !
We were heading to Chilli Beach which is out on the east coast. The road was a bit of a bugger with some deep ruts and washouts popping up to surprise us . One of the top tracks on the cape spurs off this road and heads north west back onto the PDR . We decided to have a look at Frenchmans track and assess whether we would traverse it after Chilli Beach .
The first river crossing reported to be the most difficult is across the Pascoe River so if we could do that the rest would be plain sailing. The section of the track out to the river crossing was across sandy savannah then it dropped down to the rainforest. There were a few interesting challenges with rock faces and deep washouts but it was very doable and fun. A group of bikers (the outback kind not theones with the cowboy outfits on that you see in the city ) passed us on the track heading for the river crossing. When we got to the Pascoe there was a drop off down to the river and all the bikes were parked there and we could hear the bikers in the river.
As i went down the drop off on foot and followed the footsteps on the ground i ended up waist deep in mud . I had to mud dive to retrieve my poor thong and at one time i thought it was going to pull apart with the force needed.
I managed (just) to haul myself out of the mud . Kate was of course there to help by laughing hysterically and cussin because she didn’t have her phone to capture the moment.
The river was over chest deep at the middle and running fast that combined with the 20 foot long 8 foot deep unavoidable mud bath meant that Gary and Kate in the the works of Gandalf “shall not pass “.
The bikers however were made of sterner stuff. They could navigate around the mud high on the bank then they found some branches in the under growth put them through the wheels put the bike in gear and carried each of the 7 bikes across.
Kate and I sat with a cab of beer and a sandwich and watched them giving verbal support.
As we closed in to the beach we were stopped by two police officers . Yes even in the middle of nowhere they pop up ! I was breathalysed and of course was 000. They asked if we had any alcohol on board. I replied that we did . They said that that was fine ( bonafide travellers are permitted to have alcohol ) . However they stated that we couldn’t take it into Lockhart Township . I explained that we planned to get diesel. They suggested that we create an alcohol stash outside of the township somewhere get the diesel and recover the stash. I was looking around for the prank cameras but they were serious . We said our farewells and we headed towards Lockhart for diesel . You can answer the puzzle for yourself .
Gary and Kate have 10 cans of beer and a quarter bottle of gin but must pick up diesel in a no alcohol zone . The options are
A Gary and Kate create an alcohol stash with the possible outcome that someone steals it
B Gary and Kate dispose of the alcohol
C Gary and Kate ignore the restrictions , get the diesel go the the beach and watch the sunset with a beer and G&T risking a 75000 dollar fine and 18 months imprisonment.
Chillie Beach is amazing white sands wide beach that as we found on our 4 hour walk are endless. Both nights we had a fire on the beach that the high tide helpfully washed away just before bedtime. There was a full moon and with no other light pollution it seemed brighter than ever casting its silvery sheen across the water and wet sand .
I had met Peter during the day . He was travelling in his 1970 army land rover. We chewed the fat on the beach as I fished and he joined us both nights by the campfire . He had just come down the Old Telegraph Track and warned us not to try it on our own as it was still very muddy . Another track off the list ! He told the story of a guy in a jeep who was telling him that ascending on a track is all about momentum and proceeding to run at the hill , his car taking a bouncy hammering to get to the top . Peter selected low low on the landy and crawled up at a snails pace. Peter helped Mr Jeep straighten out his track rod end and calm his wife down !
I caught a long tom using a popper jig , i was really practising for when i was in water deep enough to hide some big pelagics.
Peter had gotten drunk during the day with another camper who had driven in . Turns out to be the partner of a local teacher from Lockhart township. The very unusual police presence was due to the fact that there was to be an important funeral in Lockart the following Saturday. Despite the alcohol ban neerdowells would ship vast quantities of grog into the township and sell at contraband prices . This is what the police were trying to find. The local told Peter that he has an alcohol stash as do many others on the outskirts of town. Apparently the funeral guaranteed rivers of grog that results in fisty cuffs and there had been full scale riots around the general store in Lockhart too.
We walked a mile or so to an old couple who were looking after a property . He sold bait and also fish that he had caught . We procured some prawns to feed the crabs but some lovely reef fish that was cooked for tea !