Day 17 - Seisia to Loyalty Beach, via Pajinka

 

Day 17 - Seisia to Loyalty Beach, via Pajinka ("the tip" of Cape York). This was a good day and felt like a great achievement to run out of land to go any further north on mainland Australia. We stopped at The Croc Tent on the way, to get some merch, and get a mudmap. To get to Pajinka we drove through rain forest which surprised us but again it was magical to us people from Adelaide. The boy teen didn't care for the plants but enjoyed the 4wding, including a muddy creek crossing. Once we ran out of road, it was a 20 minute walk over the headland to get to the tip. (It's possible to walk via the beach at low tide but there's a clamber over rocks at the end, and the possibility of crocodiles sneaking out of the mangroves. Nope.) Boy it was windy up there on the headland. But the wind was most welcome to us Adelaide folk who are not used to the humidity. Once we'd taken the obligatory photos with the sign, we sat for a bit, soaking in the atmosphere, and celebrating with mars bars and snickers that we'd impulse bought at the Croc Tent. Eventually we wandered back to the car and drove back through the rainforest to Loyalty Beach Campground, which is fabulous. We're all looking forward to a rest day tomorrow.  The Loyalty Beach Campsite was recommended by a fellow Delica driver who we got chatting to in Cooktown a couple of days ago.  It is very relaxed.  I did wonder about the wisdom of camping so close to the sea (we were about 30m back from the water, and the recommended minimum is 50m) but everyone else was doing it, and there were no mangroves or other foliage for crocs to hide in, and the sea was clear and shallow, so crocs would stand out like a sore thumb.  And lot so people were standing out in the shallows, fishing, so if there were any crocs out there, those people would get eaten first ;)

Keith is pleased that his feet are finally bigger than mine.

The famous sign that everyone gets photographed next to.  The land behind it is islands.

Celebrating our achievement by eating chocolate.  Notice Ben's windswept hair.

Windswept palm trees at Pajinka.

Loyalty beach campground.  See all those people out there fishing?  If there are any crocs out there, those folks will get eaten first, so it's all good ;)