The locals up this way are never in a hurry...a good way to be I guess but when you have paying costumers to cross the Jardine River
on the ferry at $145 for about a 3 minute trip and 15 vehicles lined up to be loaded on when the time says 8am until 5pm
one would think that times does matter, the 'local' arrived 2hrs after the time posted and just stated to load us on as if he
was on time..
The characters that live up in the Cape are the true blue Ozzie and their sense of humour is unforgettable.
Charlies Camp out of Coen we stayed over night it was just on sunset when we pulled in the next morning when the three of us woke up
with an opportunity to actually discover the junk yard we had called camp for the night he has so much old gear there from the gold mining days it is like you are camped in the middle of a real gold mine.It is kind of like a time warp.
Around the area he has made all these quirky pieces of objects from some of the old bits of machinery. But nothing makes sense
to the average Joe blow and how he lives in his house/humpy made out of rocks and bottles in the heat would kill most of us.
Then there is the pub in Coen that has a name change from the Exchange to the Sexchange hotel, they have even taken the original name down and proudly on the roof top is the sign displaying the new name.
They must have drive buys up this way as the Nullarbor, as the bloke comes out to fill your tank ...NO hurry he told me he has been doing this for the past 12 years....No hurry all the time in the world to take to serve you only when your sitting in a line of 6 other vehicles waiting for your turn do you realise ..Thank god for self serve.
One of the cafes in the little town has the proud name of Gunters Beastro.
The old Quickan pub at Laura burnt down back in 1992 so now the new one they built is called The New Quickan
The Musgrove road house still has the holes on the front of the veranda where the two guns used to be placed to protect the people inside the station house from attacks from the hostile aborigines .
Out the front is the original post box which is made out of 19 inch thick steel they had to protect the mail at all costs way back.
The Lions Den pub at Helenvale has a beaut camp ground and a good feed and top swimming spots in the Little Annan River right behind
where you can camp.The camp ground has 100 year old Mango trees for shade.
We all added our names to the wall inside for a donation to the RFDS.
The locals in up further to the tip all tell the same tale ..they recon there is more ferrel goats in the Cape than people.
Done all the islands one time my wife and I took the Trinity Bay working cargo vessel .
Had one of the best trips ever.
Was amased to read on a plaque while at Thursday Island ,that the only reson it was never bombed by the Japanese was the number of Japanese pearl divers buried in the cemetery there.
In 1883 there was 200 pearling vessels based out of this remote island.
So stange to think that was who we were fighting and their own saved that part of our country.
-- Edited by herbie on Wednesday 17th of July 2013 12:59:16 PM
we worked on Thurs Is. for awhile cost us $8. they say the price includes park fees as well. hope you visited the Islands, Horn Island was one of the most Bombed, and has a very good museum. Friday Island has a pearl farm and caters for tourists. Thurs Is is the C.B.D. of the Torres Strait.