A trip to the tip: how to get to Cape York

A trip through rugged outback country is the only way to reach our country’s northernmost point, the tip of Cape York, and Australia’s last frontier.

Cairns to the Daintree

A quest to the tippy top of Australia’s Tropical North is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.  The journey to Cape York begins in Cairns, heading north through the canefields to the ancient Daintree Rainforest. Stopping at Mossman Gorge in Daintree National Park, take the Ngadiku Dreamtime Gorge Walk with local Indigenous guides to learn the secrets of traditional hunting and gathering methods, and hear the sacred stories of the Dreamtime.

Cape Tribulation to Cooktown

Sealed roads are left behind as you hit the rugged Bloomfield Track, which starts at Cape Tribulation and carves its way through rainforest for 80 kilometres before cruising back onto bitumen for
the last stretch to historic Cooktown.

Laura and the ancient Split Rock

Heading inland, at the tiny settlement of Laura, a visit to the Quinkan & Regional Cultural Centre provides context for a tour of the ancient rock art galleries of Split Rock, known for its distinctive figures of the Quinkan spirits believed to live in the sandstone, and listed by UNESCO as one of the top 10 rock art sites in the world.

The home stretch

From Laura, it’s unsealed roads all the way to ‘The Tip’. This epic journey is one that award-winning tourers, APT Tours, knows well. Specialists in reaching the hard-to-reach and seeing the unseen, they’ve been operating adventures off-road through Australia’s remote outback country for more than 50 years.

APT’s custom-built 4WD vehicles are made for this journey.

APT’s custom-built 4WD vehicles are capable of traversing some of the world’s roughest terrain, including the Kimberley, Kakadu, Lake Eyre, Central Australia, Karijini National Park in Western Australia, and the Victorian and New South Wales High Country – just a few of the many destinations APT travels to.

On a Cape York journey, each day brings something special. Visit the old gold mining town of Coen, stop at the Archer River roadhouse, see waterfalls and giant termite mounds and an array of stunning birdlife, and learn about the Aboriginal and European history of this fascinating and remote region.

Arriving at the tip, spend some time on beautiful Frangipani Beach. From Punsand Bay, it’s a short walk to the edge of the peninsula for a photo with the iconic sign that shows you’ve joined the ranks of those who ‘made it’.

A photo with the iconic sign of Australia’s northernmost point is a must.

Cooktown & Cape York with APT Tours

11 days / from $8245 per person twin share

APT’s 11-day Cooktown & Cape York quest to the top of Australia’s Tropical North is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The tour’s exclusive Signature Experiences means you’ll be granted access (by helicopter, no less) to the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, a conservation area typically off limits to the public.

Take to the skies again on a scenic helicopter flight from Punsand Bay for  a different perspective of the tip of Cape York, and spend the last days of the tour exploring Thursday Island and Horn Island in the sparkling Torres Strait.

Take a scenic heli-flight over Punsand Bay for a different perspective of the Tip.

APT’s 4WD journeys are designed for small groups – no more than 22 guests – escorted by a knowledgeable driver-guide and tour director. They’re committed to working with local Aboriginal communities, and are the only major tour operator with an advanced ecotourism certification in the Outback for their commitment to environmental and sustainable practices.

Book the Cooktown & Cape York tour before December 15 and save $1500 per couple. Trips run from May to September and can be combined with a Great Barrier Reef cruise.

For more information on APT’s  Outback Wilderness Adventures, visit aptouring.com.au/Outback2020 or call 1300 341 214.