TWO EPIC WEEKS IN THE CAPE FOR $1500!

We prove that your tropical top-end adventure doesn’t have to send you broke

You’re dreaming of visiting Cape York at some stage in the near future. As Australia’s most popular big-trip destination, the Cape really does have it all. Remoteness, tough 4WDing, incredible camping, crystal-clear swimming holes, cracking fishing and some of the best bush pubs you’ll ever come across are all up in the Peninsula for the exploring.

Thing is, it’s easy to be put off by a perceived need for tens of thousands of bucks in the bank before you head up north. Sure, it’s a bloody long way from anywhere, unless you happen to live in Weipa or Coen – and even then it’s still a decent haul. Truth is, once you’re up in Cairns you can definitely do the Cape on the cheap, without missing out on any of the best bits. If you’re heading up for the first time this year or planning an adventure sometime in the next coupla years, we’ve put together this guide to how to see the best bits of the Cape in a fortnight, with a $1500 budget from Cairns to the Tip and return. If timeframes and budgets are tight (and they are for all of us) then we’ll show you how to save time money the whole way.

It’s all entirely possible with our insider tips from locals and 4WDers who travel the Cape year after year!

DAY 1: CAIRNS TO ARCHER POINT

Leaving Cairns early, you’ve got a choice of taking either the CREB Track (if it’s open – check the Douglas Shire Council road conditions website) or the equally-scenic but always-open Bloomfield Track. You’ll travel up through the beautiful towns of Daintree, Cape Tribulation (if you go up the Bloomfield) and Wujal Wujal before coming across the iconic Lion’s Den Hotel. Stop for a coldie and a stubby cooler and then cruise on up the road a bit more to the turn-off to Archer Point. Camping is on the stunning beach at Archer Point – turn right at the bins to find shelter amongst the dunes if it’s windy (which it nearly always is).

Distance travelled: 250km

Rough fuel cost: $70

Camping fees for the night: $0

To be continued…