Hi folks, I am a newbie on the GN site, having only recently managed to poke my nose into the solos forum, me being a solo traveller.
Can anyonne tell me if they have pulled a van into a place called 'Eddies Camp', near Hopevale in NQ. It looks like heaven, and a great place for fishing tragics, like myself.
Any feedback on the place, access etc would be great :)
Ian
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Anything is possibe ...... ya just need to find a way to do it
Thanks Gordon, Helena, Sheba.......this GN site is great. I really think if I needed to remove my appendix on the road, I would get the directions here :)
Sheba, I have seen that link, but I am not sure about van access. I think other GN's will have been there and let me know details.
I am getting VERY impatient to get on the road, so over surburbia, and I have a daughter who lives in Gove......yipppeeeee :)
Cheers Ian
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Anything is possibe ...... ya just need to find a way to do it
I'm sure you have heard of the gall boys of kedron c/vans . They go up there regularly with their massive offroad caravans. I imagine you will have to pre-arrange your visit as Hopevale is an aboriginal community.
Hi jimricho, thanks for your reply. I will be towing a 12' van on offroad chassis. Did you have any issues getting in?
I undestand that Eddie restricts numbers. Did you book ahead?
Cheers Ian
Hi Ian,
I was part of a 4WD tag-along and all the arrangements were made by the tag-along operator but I think the camping at Elim Beach would have been arranged in advance. I don't know any contact details but the web link in Sheba's post above may have some info.
At the time I was towing a "tent trailer" (off-road box type trailer with a fold-out tent on top), others had either tents only or trailers including a few "Ultimate" trailers. As I recall the track in was sandy and narrow in places but it was seven years ago and my memory has been the victim of a few dissolved brain cells since then.
The Cooktown Visitor Centre may be able to give you more info.
Another "must-do" in the Hopevale area is Willie Gordon's Aboriginal cultural tours... http://www.guurrbitours.com/ (click on the underlined link)
Jim
PS: There are restrictions on the amount of alcohol you can take in there, check this out as the fines are very severe as they are intended to make "bootlegging" unprofitable.
-- Edited by jimricho on Friday 17th of June 2011 06:43:09 AM
A few things to remember, HopeVale is Aboriginal Land and there are alcohol restricions there and also you may have to get permission from the local land council. The grog I know for sure the land council is a guess
hey bozo welcome to the site a daughter that lives in gove peninsular oh wow you lucky bugger great fishing there enjoy your travels and enjoy the site if you do make it to eddies camp letus know what it was like
been to cooktown and top end but cant recall eddies camp
Thanks folks for your welcomes and advice for Eddies camp. I have some further research to do to see if I can get my van in there, and I'll post results. .......and hi Glassies, yes, great to have a daughter in Gove. I spent 10 days there with she and her bloke last month . He happens to be a helicopter pilot :), so we got to some very remote fishing places. At a great creek, I actually saw a croc launch itself at Shaun as we were casting off the bank. He saw it just in time, and we both set a land speed record to higher ground. .......and no bluddy fish that day.
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Anything is possibe ...... ya just need to find a way to do it
...... and speaking of crocs, we flew into a community due south of Gove, called Bawaka. It is one of the most idyllic places I have ever been to. The indiginous owner, Timmy, has a pet croc !
Yep, he has been attached to this croc since the croc was newly born, and the croc visits the community each arvo for a feed. Timmy has a relationship with this fella that you can only believe when you see it
Check attached pics. Lunch is a freshly caught barracuda. Pic 2 is the beach at Mawaka, croc slide in the foreground. This was a great day :)
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Anything is possibe ...... ya just need to find a way to do it
wow fantastic pics ,what a fantastic job too a helicopter pilot i can only imagine what it must have been like ide love to go to gove its on my list i used to go to weipa every year fishing at a spot called janie creek which is up the beach from mapoon i do believe its not like it used to be we would all set off from port mcq from where i used to live and head up there out west
did several trips different ways and saw a hell of a lot of australia it was a fantastic time of my life , i left my partner since then and have been married own a business so we cant get away ,but one day we shall we have purchased a camper and have many dreams in mind for when we do hit the road.