We have been staying in the wiepa caravan park for the last three nights,fantastic location right on the waters edge. and the shopping centre the other side.We needed to re stock our food/ water and do some domestic chores like washing clothes. We have been out on a fishing charter,although we had some luck ,they are telling us the fishing up here this season is not good, due to the fact they never got the really heavy rains last wet season to flush the prawns and fish out. But we were happy with our lot. The pro fisherman were also telling us local fish and prawn prices will almost increase due to the poor season so far, and will be seeing a lot more of the imported crap in the larger s/ markets. The price to stay here is $35 per night for two people , there is three of us so it is an extra $10.So all up $45 per night .So that is why we are only staying four nights. Also extra vehicle is $10per night also. I noticed this place is up for sale ,so I guess they have made their millions and are moving on. Alcohol management plans are in place now through out the Cape.The lands around Weipa are not public open places ,so you you must obtain appropriate permits via the applicable community councils.There is a fishing comp on this week end and a hell of a lot of people around. On Tuesday we are booked into do the Rio Tinto mine tour.When we leave here we are heading south to do some more free camping and fishing and check out some more pub meals. So far the best meal has been at the pub in Winton.
sarg said
02:13 PM Jun 10, 2013
I was up that way about 25 yrs ago and it was quite open slather with where you went and what you did.......no permits or alcohol management plans in sight which made it a very memorable trip. I'm sure you all are having a great time too, wish I was with ya ...........have fun...Sarg.
chrisnjo said
06:11 AM Jun 11, 2013
Thankyou for sharing your comments on Wiepa I am thinking of applying for a job in the Rio Tinto mine next year , would love to hear about your tour
herbie said
07:27 AM Jun 12, 2013
Hello Chrisnjo, to answer your request regarding some info on Wiepa,i will try to do my best to give you a little tour of the place.I love the place so excuse me if I sound bias ,but working in mining ,always good to meet up with blokes I have worked with while I was working up in Gove .So it was like a family reunion for me.The last time my wife and I were up around these parts we did the fly to Cairns and got the the cargo ship/boat up to the tip, so this trip was by road. This is a mining town with a population of around 3.500 people,but with the planned expansion of Rio's Bauxite mine they recon it could swell to double that.The Bauxite mine is the largest in the world and the visit we had out to it today sure proves why it is. Wiepa is situated on western coast of Cape York, around 850ks north of Cairns.Most of the roads around Wiepa are not sealed.Lorim Point is the hub of the mine ,with loading wharf and storage area.Rocky Point is the original area of Wiepa back in 1965.Wiepa is about 200ks from the tip of Oz, accessed by Peninsula Development Road, via Lakeland Downs, Laura, Coen and Archer River.This road is often closed in the wet season.The airport is about 15ks out from town,with a flight into Cairns every day.It has a modern shopping centre and all that one would want regarding other services. A typical mining town ,in some respect these companies keep the towns running as they pour heaps of money into the towns they mine ,and the Goverments love it as it takes the pressure off them to supply a lot of the essentials.They have three distinct seasons up this way not two as most people are led to believe,Wet season is from Jan/April with heavy down pours on an almost daily basis, monsoon lows and Tropicial cyclones caurse even more extream rainfall and can be 200mm in 24hrs.Dry season May/ September,has HOTand DRY days, how ever night time lows are cooler ( tonight here typing this it is still 25.5c and tomorrow expected 31c with 67% humidity.)Rainfall in the Dry is almost non-existant. The build up season runs from Oct/ Dec and is oppressively HOT and HUMID with frequent days over 30c , rainfall is infrequent ,but when it does accur falls in brief heavy down pours, associated with sever thunder storms. Extream temps have ranged from 9c to 49.3c.The highest daily rainfall was recorded during the passage on cyclone Oswald in Jan 2013 with 327.8mmm (12.9 inches ) in a 24 hr time period....I will continue this maybe tomorrow as have to try and get some sleep,but boy it is hot and humid. I would not live in a caravan up here if I was to head there to work due to the cyclones and the c/van park is very expensive , I would base myself else where and fly in fly out of Wiepa.
Regards Herbie ...Fishing is fantastic up here some of the best fishing in the world ...
chrisnjo said
10:21 PM Jun 12, 2013
Oh Thanks heaps Herbie, was very excited to get your reply, look forward to the rest. Ajob I was looking at required you to have own accommodation in Wiepa, so no fly in fly out for us. But ive never had a problem getting accommodation in our travels around oz for myself and husband. Im the mine worker and cant wait for some decent fishing !
herbie said
11:16 PM Jun 12, 2013
Hello again, can I ask what type of work you do in the mines?
Regards Herbie.
herbie said
07:13 AM Jun 13, 2013
Hello again,We were supposed to start heading southwards yesterday,but a mate started his five days R&R today ,so we decided to stay a couple of more days ,to join him on another fishing trip ,but this time in his boat or should I say half a ship (hu hu) anyway we had a bonza day and caught a few fish ,but the crabbing was terrific .So tonight for dinner we had crabs and more crabs .Gee life is a bugger ,we all was thinking what the poor people where doing for dinner. Probably eating at a glitzy café some where,but to me they can keep the ritzy glitzy easting houses.Any way a little more regarding up around here.Some of the fish caught up around here are Barramundi Mangrove Jack, Salmon,Queenfish,Trevelly,Mackerel and Mud Crabs and Prawns , these are just some of the fish you can catch up here.If you are not into fishing I doubt if you would enjoy your stay up here, but then why go there if not interested in fishing. There is two man made lakes here Lake Patricia and Lake McLeod,these lakes are popular with the locals regarding a lot of rec sport goes on here ,picnic tables, BBQs and public toilets swimming is at your own risk due to in recent times Crocs have been spotted in these lakes.NB..Estuarine Crocs/ Sea Snakes/Marine Stingers/and Sharks inhibit the waters, so never swim in the rivers/ocean around here.The jetty at Evans landing neaby Gonbung Beach Kerr Point RockyPoint the beaches adjacent to Mission and Andoom Bridges are some of the different named areas.Alot of other areas to visit if you have the time one is a trip out to Loyality Beach.Most of the work force up here is made up from mining and a lot of people live here who work out at the detention centre at Christmas Island ,and a lot of the motels/ hotel accommodation is taken up from these people.I think at last count there is five pubs here,the meals are fantastic fresh sea food mostly .Noticed also yesterday a few back packers drifting in here in the whiz bangs ,but of course not one is staying here at the c/ van park as it would work out to be $55 per night for four people and most times they will not pay a cent,so it will be interesting to see what impact they have on the area up here .Almost forgot to mention the mine up here has about another 60 years life left in it,but I guess that all depends on the government gouging any more taxes from mining companies.If things get to rough ,what they do is just close up site and keep a care taker there, until mining lease is up for renewal and decide then if to open up again or close it down or sell it off,but at present not many wanting to invest here, other than the companies who have kind of committed them self ,before all the rules and taxes changed. But they can still just put it all on the back burner also ,with out spending a cent to start the ramming up.
Weipa Caravan Park said
01:30 AM Jun 15, 2013
Hi Herbie & Chrisnjo,
Thank you for you interest in our beautiful little town of Weipa and for the feedback regarding the Weipa Caravan Park and Camping Ground. We do have a nice little spot on the beach and are lucky enough to be able to share it with travellers like yourselves. Herbie, I apologise if you feel our prices are in excess, but please rest assured that we have done our research on the average pricing for campsites around North Queensland and we are comparable. Please keep in mind that we are quite isolated where we are, therefore most of Weipa's prices are inflated as opposed to the rest of the state due to high freight costs, living costs, etc.
I dearly wish you you were correct in saying we have made our millions and that is why we are selling, however the park is under new ownership and we are now moving into our 2nd year of ownership.....so unfortunately, our millions are still a considerable way off :) I have noted that some websites are still advertising the Weipa Caravan Park being for sale and we are negotiating the removal of this incorrect information from these sites and thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Chrisnjo, if you enjoy nature and the outdoors, then Weipa is most definitely the place for you. It does get quite hot and humid coming into the wet season and we do have some massive storms, but I personally think this is all part of Weipa's beauty. It goes from being hot, dry and dusty and then it'll storm and you'll have these amazing displays of lightening and thunder and these huge, dark clouds will roll in and give everything a new lease of life. The birds come alive, trees flower, the smells from the rain are sensational and the fish go off. Things can get a little hairy when we have cyclones (our latest was Cyclone Oswald), but we also try and ensure our permanent residents in the park are looked after, and in Cyclone Oswald we moved the permanents into our more stable cabin accommodation for their safety.
We do have quite a lot permanents staying in the caravan park as most other accommodation in Weipa is taken and we have a wonderful little community here in the park. We recently celebrated the marriage of two of our permanents and often do something with the permanents over Christmas and Easter.
I hope I have helped clear up any confusion regarding the Weipa Caravan Park and Camping Ground and hope to see you all in the future.
Kind Regards,
Management
herbie said
03:38 AM Jun 15, 2013
Hello Management of Wiepa c/van park, loved our stay in your park,but was so damn busy fishing crabbing more fishing and catching up with old work mates was not at park all that much,but when we were could not fault any thing regarding what you have on offer. Regarding the pricing I guess compared to a lot of other c/ van parks you are not that expensive when you think about how out of the way you are from main stream cities.We will be back next year all going well,so see you again no doubt. And good to see your fixing the for sale on other internet booking sites,as that was what I found when trying to look at prices and facilities the park had to offer. I found the price of food in Weipa was on par to some of the places in WA/NTand the counter meals were by far cheaper for the size and quality of the food served ,The pubs need congratulating on there service.
chrisnjo said
02:13 PM Jun 21, 2013
I haven't worked in a mine yet but I will - driving a dump truck , I have a HC licence
chrisnjo said
02:27 PM Jun 21, 2013
Hi Herbie, Thankyou for all the great info on Wiepa ,I cant wait to get there
We have been staying in the wiepa caravan park for the last three nights,fantastic location right on the waters edge. and the shopping centre the other side.We needed to re stock our food/ water and do some domestic chores like washing clothes. We have been out on a fishing charter,although we had some luck ,they are telling us the fishing up here this season is not good, due to the fact they never got the really heavy rains last wet season to flush the prawns and fish out. But we were happy with our lot. The pro fisherman were also telling us local fish and prawn prices will almost increase due to the poor season so far, and will be seeing a lot more of the imported crap in the larger s/ markets. The price to stay here is $35 per night for two people , there is three of us so it is an extra $10.So all up $45 per night .So that is why we are only staying four nights. Also extra vehicle is $10per night also. I noticed this place is up for sale ,so I guess they have made their millions and are moving on. Alcohol management plans are in place now through out the Cape.The lands around Weipa are not public open places ,so you you must obtain appropriate permits via the applicable community councils.There is a fishing comp on this week end and a hell of a lot of people around. On Tuesday we are booked into do the Rio Tinto mine tour.When we leave here we are heading south to do some more free camping and fishing and check out some more pub meals. So far the best meal has been at the pub in Winton.
Thankyou for sharing your comments on Wiepa I am thinking of applying for a job in the Rio Tinto mine next year , would love to hear about your tour
Hello Chrisnjo, to answer your request regarding some info on Wiepa,i will try to do my best to give you a little tour of the place.I love the place so excuse me if I sound bias ,but working in mining ,always good to meet up with blokes I have worked with while I was working up in Gove .So it was like a family reunion for me.The last time my wife and I were up around these parts we did the fly to Cairns and got the the cargo ship/boat up to the tip, so this trip was by road. This is a mining town with a population of around 3.500 people,but with the planned expansion of Rio's Bauxite mine they recon it could swell to double that.The Bauxite mine is the largest in the world and the visit we had out to it today sure proves why it is. Wiepa is situated on western coast of Cape York, around 850ks north of Cairns.Most of the roads around Wiepa are not sealed.Lorim Point is the hub of the mine ,with loading wharf and storage area.Rocky Point is the original area of Wiepa back in 1965.Wiepa is about 200ks from the tip of Oz, accessed by Peninsula Development Road, via Lakeland Downs, Laura, Coen and Archer River.This road is often closed in the wet season.The airport is about 15ks out from town,with a flight into Cairns every day.It has a modern shopping centre and all that one would want regarding other services. A typical mining town ,in some respect these companies keep the towns running as they pour heaps of money into the towns they mine ,and the Goverments love it as it takes the pressure off them to supply a lot of the essentials.They have three distinct seasons up this way not two as most people are led to believe,Wet season is from Jan/April with heavy down pours on an almost daily basis, monsoon lows and Tropicial cyclones caurse even more extream rainfall and can be 200mm in 24hrs.Dry season May/ September,has HOTand DRY days, how ever night time lows are cooler ( tonight here typing this it is still 25.5c and tomorrow expected 31c with 67% humidity.)Rainfall in the Dry is almost non-existant. The build up season runs from Oct/ Dec and is oppressively HOT and HUMID with frequent days over 30c , rainfall is infrequent ,but when it does accur falls in brief heavy down pours, associated with sever thunder storms. Extream temps have ranged from 9c to 49.3c.The highest daily rainfall was recorded during the passage on cyclone Oswald in Jan 2013 with 327.8mmm (12.9 inches ) in a 24 hr time period....I will continue this maybe tomorrow as have to try and get some sleep,but boy it is hot and humid. I would not live in a caravan up here if I was to head there to work due to the cyclones and the c/van park is very expensive , I would base myself else where and fly in fly out of Wiepa.
Regards Herbie ...Fishing is fantastic up here some of the best fishing in the world ...
Oh Thanks heaps Herbie, was very excited to get your reply, look forward to the rest. Ajob I was looking at required you to have own accommodation in Wiepa, so no fly in fly out for us. But ive never had a problem getting accommodation in our travels around oz for myself and husband. Im the mine worker and cant wait for some decent fishing !
Hello again, can I ask what type of work you do in the mines?
Regards Herbie.
Hello again,We were supposed to start heading southwards yesterday,but a mate started his five days R&R today ,so we decided to stay a couple of more days ,to join him on another fishing trip ,but this time in his boat or should I say half a ship (hu hu) anyway we had a bonza day and caught a few fish ,but the crabbing was terrific .So tonight for dinner we had crabs and more crabs .Gee life is a bugger ,we all was thinking what the poor people where doing for dinner. Probably eating at a glitzy café some where,but to me they can keep the ritzy glitzy easting houses.Any way a little more regarding up around here.Some of the fish caught up around here are Barramundi Mangrove Jack, Salmon,Queenfish,Trevelly,Mackerel and Mud Crabs and Prawns , these are just some of the fish you can catch up here.If you are not into fishing I doubt if you would enjoy your stay up here, but then why go there if not interested in fishing. There is two man made lakes here Lake Patricia and Lake McLeod,these lakes are popular with the locals regarding a lot of rec sport goes on here ,picnic tables, BBQs and public toilets swimming is at your own risk due to in recent times Crocs have been spotted in these lakes.NB..Estuarine Crocs/ Sea Snakes/Marine Stingers/and Sharks inhibit the waters, so never swim in the rivers/ocean around here.The jetty at Evans landing neaby Gonbung Beach Kerr Point RockyPoint the beaches adjacent to Mission and Andoom Bridges are some of the different named areas.Alot of other areas to visit if you have the time one is a trip out to Loyality Beach.Most of the work force up here is made up from mining and a lot of people live here who work out at the detention centre at Christmas Island ,and a lot of the motels/ hotel accommodation is taken up from these people.I think at last count there is five pubs here,the meals are fantastic fresh sea food mostly .Noticed also yesterday a few back packers drifting in here in the whiz bangs ,but of course not one is staying here at the c/ van park as it would work out to be $55 per night for four people and most times they will not pay a cent,so it will be interesting to see what impact they have on the area up here .Almost forgot to mention the mine up here has about another 60 years life left in it,but I guess that all depends on the government gouging any more taxes from mining companies.If things get to rough ,what they do is just close up site and keep a care taker there, until mining lease is up for renewal and decide then if to open up again or close it down or sell it off,but at present not many wanting to invest here, other than the companies who have kind of committed them self ,before all the rules and taxes changed. But they can still just put it all on the back burner also ,with out spending a cent to start the ramming up.
Thank you for you interest in our beautiful little town of Weipa and for the feedback regarding the Weipa Caravan Park and Camping Ground. We do have a nice little spot on the beach and are lucky enough to be able to share it with travellers like yourselves. Herbie, I apologise if you feel our prices are in excess, but please rest assured that we have done our research on the average pricing for campsites around North Queensland and we are comparable. Please keep in mind that we are quite isolated where we are, therefore most of Weipa's prices are inflated as opposed to the rest of the state due to high freight costs, living costs, etc.
I dearly wish you you were correct in saying we have made our millions and that is why we are selling, however the park is under new ownership and we are now moving into our 2nd year of ownership.....so unfortunately, our millions are still a considerable way off :) I have noted that some websites are still advertising the Weipa Caravan Park being for sale and we are negotiating the removal of this incorrect information from these sites and thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Chrisnjo, if you enjoy nature and the outdoors, then Weipa is most definitely the place for you. It does get quite hot and humid coming into the wet season and we do have some massive storms, but I personally think this is all part of Weipa's beauty. It goes from being hot, dry and dusty and then it'll storm and you'll have these amazing displays of lightening and thunder and these huge, dark clouds will roll in and give everything a new lease of life. The birds come alive, trees flower, the smells from the rain are sensational and the fish go off. Things can get a little hairy when we have cyclones (our latest was Cyclone Oswald), but we also try and ensure our permanent residents in the park are looked after, and in Cyclone Oswald we moved the permanents into our more stable cabin accommodation for their safety.
We do have quite a lot permanents staying in the caravan park as most other accommodation in Weipa is taken and we have a wonderful little community here in the park. We recently celebrated the marriage of two of our permanents and often do something with the permanents over Christmas and Easter.
I hope I have helped clear up any confusion regarding the Weipa Caravan Park and Camping Ground and hope to see you all in the future.
Kind Regards,
Management
Hello Management of Wiepa c/van park, loved our stay in your park,but was so damn busy fishing crabbing more fishing and catching up with old work mates was not at park all that much,but when we were could not fault any thing regarding what you have on offer. Regarding the pricing I guess compared to a lot of other c/ van parks you are not that expensive when you think about how out of the way you are from main stream cities.We will be back next year all going well,so see you again no doubt. And good to see your fixing the for sale on other internet booking sites,as that was what I found when trying to look at prices and facilities the park had to offer. I found the price of food in Weipa was on par to some of the places in WA/NTand the counter meals were by far cheaper for the size and quality of the food served ,The pubs need congratulating on there service.
I haven't worked in a mine yet but I will - driving a dump truck , I have a HC licence
Hi Herbie, Thankyou for all the great info on Wiepa ,I cant wait to get there