A trip to the tip: how to get to Cape York and Australia's northermost point

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.

ATP 4WD Emmagen Creek — 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’.

Sign of Australia's northernmost point — 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.

Aerial view of Punsand Bay — 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.

Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.

While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.

Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.

Getting there

car driving along Capricorn Way in queensland — Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)

You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.

Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.

Best accommodation in Clermont

Theresa CreekDam in clermont — Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.

Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.

To stay closer to town, opt for a central hotel to base yourself between exploring and fossicking, like Smart Stayzzz Inn and Clermont Country Motor Inn .

Things to do in Clermont

three people on a tour with Golden Prospecting — Join a tour with Golden Prospecting.

One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters , Four Mile , Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings . To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting . They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.

Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum . Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.

The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.

Bush Heli Services flying over clermont queensland — See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.

Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services . Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.

Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs . The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.

Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont

meal at Commercial Hotel — Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.

Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.

Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.

For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.

Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.

Discover more of The Mackay Isaac region, and start planning your trip at mackayisaac.com.

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