Cape York and the Tip

The Tip is a rocky headland at the top of Cape York Peninsula where a sign marks the northernmost point of the Australian mainland, reached by a short walk over rocks from the nearest track. The point itself is modest. What people come for is the journey to it: roughly a thousand kilometres north of Cairns on unsealed road, through savannah and termite country, past the rock art shelters near Laura, across the Jardine River by ferry, and for those who want it, along the old telegraph track with its creek crossings. Along the way are clear swimming holes at Fruit Bat Falls and Eliot Falls, rare on a peninsula where most water carries crocodiles. Ferries run from Seisia across to Thursday Island.

What you actually see

• The Tip - the marked headland and the walk over rocks to the mainland's northern point.
• Fruit Bat and Eliot Falls - clear, crocodile-free swimming holes on the Jardine plateau.
• The old telegraph track - the creek crossings that make the drive a challenge rather than a commute.
• Quinkan rock art near Laura - painted shelters in sandstone country on the way north.

When to go

The route is a dry season trip, roughly June to October. Earlier and the crossings are too deep, later and the heat and early storms make it unpleasant, then impassable. Peak traffic falls in the middle school holidays. Confirm road and ferry status before leaving Cairns, since conditions change quickly at both ends of the season.

Honest expectations

This is a serious expedition rather than a sightseeing drive: corrugations, dust, punctures and river crossings are normal, recovery gear and a second spare are expected, and repairs are days away. The Tip itself is a sign on a headland and disappoints anyone who came only for that. Crocodiles rule out swimming almost everywhere except the named falls.

Nearby

Seisia and Thursday Island are close to the top, with Weipa on the west coast and Laura on the way south.