Cape York must haves

[jonez911]

hey all,

just a question for all the people who have done cape york, what are the must haves for this trip?
my GU is pretty standard at the moment just 33s snorkel and standard bar.
looking to head up around this time next year.

Thanks,

[threedogs]

Spares I think would present your biggest problems , Belts , hoses, belt tensioner, air and fuel filters.
A manual and the tools to suit your Patrol,
Not sure what the longest distance it is now between fill ups but its not that far from memory.
An aux tank is always handy even just for filling when prices are low .

there is a HUGE list if you care to have a search and I mean HUGE

Too late to go this time next year the rain may have started already , too hot to travel too IMO

[jonez911]

Cheers TD, what about vehicle mods as such?
ill have to swing past and have a yarn some time soon mate.

[threedogs]

Yeah cool anytime a 2" lift with a/t or m/t pattern tyres would be ok. I'm of the opinion the more you modify the more can go wrong.
Dual battery for fridge and camp lighting and recharging gadgets, Wouldnt be taking solar as you'll be driving every day anyway.
Can show you more gear when you come over, but its basic stuff but it works and well IMO
Plus a spare tyre carcass on the roof and gear to change it

[Maxhead]

Depends what you're going to do up there. Telegraph track, water crossings, extreme stuff or just cruise up on development road to have a look.
Bog stock standard Patrol will do most of the stuff without any problems and you will still get to see most of the Cape.

Just get up there and enjoy:)

[threedogs]

I think you can hamburger it for the whole trip these days not 100% sure but close

[Punderhead]

I would tend to agree with threedogs. I am planning to do the cape either 2016 or 2017. Have already started saving lol. From the reading I have done I believe it is possible to do it in a fairly standard vehicle, with decent tyres. However, the mod Los I want done to mine before I go is as follows.

Snorkel
Rear bar with 2 spares
Sliders
3" lift
33"muddies
Rear drawers/fridge slide
Dual battery's
Full recovery kit, including snatch, shovel, tree trunk protector, rated shackles, hand winch if I don't have an electric one by then, etc.
Decent lighting, incase of having to drive when dark.
Carrying capabilities for food, fuel and water, enough for if something happens.
Spares for everything, belts, some idler pulleys, hoses, thermostat, radiator cap, spare oil and filters for a service along the way, as well as spare oil for diffs/box/tranny on case water gets in.
Water bra.



That covers most the essentials, anything else is a bonus really.

Have fun on your trip though mate.

[FNQGU]

Yep, you don't need much if you are sticking to the normal PDR, in fact, you can drive a dunnydore to the cape these days. I came back from Bamaga in 9.5hrs last week, the road was a highway and there is more bitumen sections popping up everywhere.

The teletrack is where you might need some of the good gear and lifts still, plus a well sealed snorkel. The Frenchman's Track is another.

Good suspension is a wise investment still as there can be a lot of corrugations.

If you do decide to go off the beaten track, then an extra spare might be handy, but otherwise I wouldn't bother as there are plenty of places to get repairs done.

Again, depending on where you are going, it is highly likely you wont need extra fuel capacity or anything like that, unless you just want to save money on the fuel bills at some locations, and even that is debatable on value of the mod v extra cost of fuel.

[jonez911]

thanks guys for all the input i reckon id have most things listed buy next year but ill have to check when the best time is to go if its going to be pissing rain i might camp fraser Island and do cape mid 2016.
i will want to do most 4x4 tracks such as telegraph track.

[threedogs]

we went late aug early september as the rivers are hopefully down.
A bit less traffic too, from memory we passed only 3 cars going up and back
and we drove across the Jardine too, dont think you can now

[FNQGU]

Peak months see over 4000 cars heading up the Cape. August/Sept there are a few less, but still busy.

There is an Info sheet on the wall at the Archer River road house with some interesting traffic numbers on it.

[threedogs]

Must have these days is a decent digital camera with plenty of memory.
some spectacular sights up that way.
My day we took rolls of film shite that sounds old as lol
well after all it was 1983

If you hunt there are plenty of pigs etc check local regs first

[Lewy]

Did the trip this year and had a blast.. Went solo with wife and dogs.. In all honesty it was by far the easiest 4wding I have ever done! Did the Tele track.. Drove the hole track did not winch at all.. Its all prep! I fitted my troll out with all the best gear and it made it so easy! My advice is dont take heaps of food as there is ample shops all the way!! Also you dont need long range tanks again heaps of fuel all the way!!

Lewy

[Wizard52]

Did the trip this year and had a blast.. Went solo with wife and dogs.. In all honesty it was by far the easiest 4wding I have ever done! Did the Tele track.. Drove the hole track did not winch at all.. Its all prep! I fitted my troll out with all the best gear and it made it so easy! My advice is dont take heaps of food as there is ample shops all the way!! Also you dont need long range tanks again heaps of fuel all the way!!

Lewy

Agree. I went up in mid July and August this year and most of the traffic was heading south with lots of dust.
All you really need to take is a spare air filter and oil and filters as it can take a while to book a change eg at Weipa I was told to come back in 3 weeks just for oil change so luckily I had everything to do my own change.
Road was excellent so any one can go there now. At Punsund Bay there was a Western Australian VW Combi and at car park at the actual Cape there was a XD Falcon panel van with its arse dragging on the ground from NSW.
It would be bloody hot and humid up there now as it is over on Fraser at the moment.

[beast_GU]

Mate did the cape last year first 3 weeks of august in a td42t GQ had 2" OME and 32" Yokohama A/T's, twin lockers, sliders arb bar and winch.
Only used the front locker once which was to get out of Palm creek (best crossing on the cape) didnt use the winch at all.
We were pretty heavily loaded 4 blokes in the one car, drawers full of piss and food and swags, bags and chairs and that on the roof.
Fuel is no problems.
We did the tele track both ways and the frenchmans, none of it was that difficult.
Main thing is speed and tyre pressures, alot of people were driving way too fast on the PDR and we saw 2 rolled camper trailers and a couple of rolled cars.

[05GUSTS]

Did the Cape solo (no friends?!) this year too - met Wizard52 at Punsand Bay, saw the XD too! - towing camper with Mrs and 2 kids, in late July/early August. Did Tele north and south as well as Frenchmans, only needed to winch out of Palm Creek.
Pretty basic set-up 2" lift, snorkel, 33" muddies, winch in factory bar and rear bar, standard fuel capacity saw us through. Full service before we left and kept spare hoses, belts etc for trip, also spare idler pulley bearing, as well as 2 of each filter, tightened all nuts and bolts over vehicle and trailer and only took spanners we needed to save weight/space.
As said above food etc pretty easy to restock Cooktown, Weipa, Bamaga, basics at the roadhouses.
Drive to suit conditions and adjust tyre pressures accordingly will see you travel most obstacles comfortably - we used high 20's on development road, 16-22 on Tele and Frenchmans, and needed 12psi to tow up to our campsite nth of Vrilya Pt after cruising the beach at 27psi.
All the best.

[threedogs]

No one has mentioned mud crabs yet , a friend of mine took some cheap traps and caught a few muddies.
I ate oysters off the rocks up at the tip, I thought you could hamburger it these days, handy to know, less food equals more beer
As for the long range tank comment it would be nice to fill up at the "cheaper" prices
and by pass say where the ferry is,
The clarity of the water blew me away, ever crossing was crystal clear, bait fish every where too.
and snakes, I hate snakes