This is part of a series of articles about how to have TWO EPIC WEEKS IN THE CAPE FOR $1500! If you haven’t read the first part we recommend heading back to Part 1 and reading through for an absolute cracker of a time up in wild and wonderful Far North Queensland!

DAY 13: PUNSAND BAY TO MUSGRAVE ROADHOUSE

Unfortunately it’s time to head south now. You could theoretically drive the Tip to Cairns in a day – 1000km – but between the ferry, the roadworks, the long dirt distances and the big ranges you cross it’s not recommended because you’ll probably average 60km/h. Instead, break the drive up with a camp at the oasis of Musgrave Roadhouse. Beautiful big green grassy campsites perfect for pegging out your Kings Big Daddy Swag, a hot shower and an absolute cracker of a meal in the Musgrave Burger for a tenner. Plus you’ll want to share your experiences with eager listeners on their way up, complete with a few embellishments about fighting off crocs while remotely winching in your Domin8r X way across the Jardine River.

Distance travelled: 600km

Rough fuel cost: $200

Camping fees for the night: $10/person per night

DAY 14: MUSGRAVE ROADHOUSE TO CAIRNS

The final day of dirt on your epic Cape York adventure. This is just a cruisy transit day, so take the opportunity to stop in at a few of the roadhouses for a look. We’d still recommend turning left at Lakeland, running into Cooktown and taking the Bloomfield Track back down south, because the drive is absolutely stunning. It’ll even give you an opportunity to have another crack at the CREB Track southbound if it was closed on your way up.

Distance travelled: 500km

Rough fuel cost: $170

COSTS FOR THE TRIP

Everyone’s costs are going to vary, but working off our figures here’s what it looks like for two people to do this trip. Add in a little extra for kids’ camping fees which are normally a fiver for kids under 12, if not free.

FUEL COSTS: $1,100. This is assuming fuel costs an average of $1.50/L. It’s about that or less in the big towns of Weipa, Cooktown and Coen, a bit closer to $2/L at the roadhouses and around $1.70/L in Bamaga. This is the bulk of your costs.

CAMP FEES: $170 give or take, camping in free bush camps with your Swag or Roof Top Tent along the way or National Parks campsites. Throw in a few roadhouses which are cheap as chips to camp at, and a couple of ‘splurge’ nights at Punsand Bay which is still seriously cheap considering you’re 10km from the very top of Australia.

Out of our $1500 budget that leaves about $200 for food for a fortnight, plenty of coin for two people if you pre-cook and freeze a heap of meals. Obviously there’s other things you’ll want to buy on the trip, but everyone’s different and the point of this article is to prove that you can do it on the cheap if you have to! A budget trip will still give you the exact same experiences and memories as a big-dollar one.

To be continued…