Leaving Seisia the road south takes us the same way when we came north. No alternative route south! First obstacle is to navigate the corrugations and get across the Jardine River, which is Queensland longest perennial river. It flows huge volumes of water. Thankfully, we had safe deposited the return ferry ticket. No worries here and after the crossing it was along the Bamaga Bypass Road down to Bramwell Station for the night.

Road south

Crossing the Jardine River

It was a reasonably sunny day, a bit of cloud but all clear so we pulled into Fruit Bat Falls for another look. It was mid morning and not a lot of people around so the swimming pool was quite clear of fellow bathers. Allthego took the plunge and swam around, more like a paddle as the pool of water is about waist high in most places. The bottom is covered with several centimetres of loose sand and the odd rock or two. Water quite warm. Invigorating. No crocs here. Above the waterfalls it is quite shallow but there are a number of spar like holes in the rock platform, Allthego found one that was neck deep, plenty of sand on the bottom.

Fruit Bat Falls

Allthego having a splash

Guess who in one of the spar holes?

Time got on though and we needed to head off to Bramwell, arriving late in the day but in time for the station dinner which we had pre booked. Again, not many in the campground. We had 30 for dinner and the interesting chat about the history of the station and some of the former owners and characters who had lived and worked there over the years.

Campground at Bramwell Station

Dinner venue at Bramwell Station

Next morning we moved on a short distance to Moreton Telegraph Station for the night. This is actually one of the former ‘repeater’ stations for the old telegraph line. There are some telegraph line relics here to look at, including 3 (could have been more) original poles lined up down a paddock as they would have originally appeared. The camp ground here sits beside the Wenlock River, one of the major streams that floods and cuts the road in the Wet.

Moreton Telegraph Station

Original telegraph poles at Moreton Station

Raft for fording the Wenlock

Plenty of water is broadcast over the camp ground and we have some green grass for a change rather than the usual sand and red dust. There is now a bridge across the Wenlock but as late as 2006 one had to ford the river on rafts, particularly when the waters were high. Lying in the paddock is one of the old rafts. Numerous fuel drums were carefully joined together either side of some steel grating which one drove onto for the trip across the river. Scary stuff!

Today’s bridge across the Wenlock

Wenlock River in a calm time, the Dry

Photo of the Wenlock in 2006, car coming out after fording, no bridge.

As the journey continues we are going to make a side trip out to Chilli Beach on the east coast. We had originally planned to do this on the way up, but had to head off to to Weipa instead to try to get the fridge fixed. The turn off to Chilli is about 40 km of corrugations south of Moreton Telegraph Station and we will do that in the coming morning.