Cape York and National Parks...

Cape York

The Northern section of Cape York is vast, and contains many rivers and swamps inhabited by numerous fish, crocodiles and other forms of wildlife. Sparsely populated, this area's a haven for the nature lover and the fisherman.

This is a region of great beauty with swamps, rivers, rich forests and some of our most fascinating and rare life forms. It is also a region of endless and unvarying vastness of landscapes and the atmosphere of a land essentially unchanged through years of time too.

The Cape has four major river systems - the Jardine, the Mitchell, the Archer and the Normandy, all generally flowing westward across broad lowlands from the Great Dividing Range. During the "Wet Season", the dirt roads become impassable due to numerous washouts, travel is very limited and is not recommended. Many thousands of four-wheel drive vehicles make the trip to the tip of the Cape every year in the dry season though. The dry season received less than 20% of the annual rainfall.

Near the tip of Cape York, the Great Dividing Range terminates into a series of low ridges and hills, and in this area of one of Australia's great perennial rivers, the Jardine River, drains a high rainfall area, which is largely incorporated in the Jardine River National Park. Other Cape York National Parks are Iron Range, Archer Bend, Rokeby and Lakeland, which together have a total area of 12,800 square kilometres.

The tip of the Cape is about 150 kilometres South of Papua New Guinea, with islands in-between. This was once a land bridge in the past, providing a corridor for the movement of animal and plant species. Many are common to both continents and birds and insects move freely across the Torres Strait. The proximity of these two land masses and the islands in-between also makes a fascinating study of the cultural aspects of the Pre-European interaction between the islanders to the North and the Aboriginals.

Extremes of climate and seasonal variations prevail. Winter temperatures of less than 10 degrees C. Occur; especially inland; and summer temperatures can soar beyond 40 degrees. Daily variations through seldom exceed 15 degrees. Accommodation is not readily available, and there are large areas of land set aside as Aboriginal Reserves in which travel is restricted.

The route between Cairns and the Torres Strait is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with more than 3,000 ships using it every year.

The Giant Flat Back Turtles lay their eggs along sand dunes at the mouth of the Jardine River, in the biggest rookery for this species in Australia.

Cape York National Parks

Lakefield National Park: Extensive examples of Peninsula country vegetation from Rainforest, Stringy bark Forest and Paperback Woodland to Mangroves with mud flats, open grassy plains and swamps, are located in this park. Areas here provide natural habitat for many species of animals including Estuarine and Freshwater Crocodiles.

Iron Range National Park: This area is of World significance since it contains the largest area of lowland Rainforest remaining in Australia. Other plants communities in the park include: Mangroves, Heath land and Open Forests. The rugged hills of the Janet and Tozer Ranges, the beautiful coastal scenery with its long sweeps of white sand, and the richness and variety of forest types are all most impressive. Fishing is prohibited in this park though.

Rokeby National Park: This park stretches from the foothills of the McIllwraith Range between the Archer and Coen Rivers. Wide ranges of plant communities occur here. Dense Rainforest covers the cold and moist heights of the McIllwraith Range near the Eastern seaboard of Cape York Peninsula. Proceeding westward onto the Peninsula plains the temperatures increase, while rainfall decreases and vegetation reflects the changing conditions. The Rainforest now is mostly restricted to narrow bands along watercourses or scattered thickets change character to become deciduous vine and monsoon forest. Open Woodland dominated by Eucalypts and Melaleucas covers the plains. Rokeby National Park has maintained its wilderness values by contrast with Lakeland where accent is on access and recreational activities.

Jardine National Park: This park covers most of the catchment of the largest perennial stream in Queensland, with a variety of vegetation type including Rainforest, open-forest, heath and shrub land with a corresponding variety of Fauna. All who drive to Cape York must cross the Jardine River. The Department of Community Services vehicular ferry operates when the roads are trafficable, usually from July to November. To the early explorers such as Kennedy, the Jardine brothers and Logan Jack, the "Wet Desert" of the Jardine area was a serious barrier to progress, especially in the wet season. Frank Jardine, who later spent many years at Somerset on Cape York, spoke for others when he cursed "the mosquitoes and the bogs and the scrubs of this villainous country".

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