Days 9 and 10 - Fruit Bat Falls, Bamaga and The Tip

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Up early for our departure to Fruit Bat Falls and a swim. We travelled the Telegraph Track passing through some rugged countryside. We mostly travelled on bypass roads as some sections of the track are impassable.

First stop was the Bramwell Station Roadhouse where we had a photo taken next to a termite mound larger than the bus. Rain started falling. We stopped to see a cairn erected for the 3 men left behind by Kennedy.

Fruit Bat Falls - an amazing place. The weather was overcast but warm and the water of Eliot Creek was clear and lovely. Tricky to get in but quite a few of us did. The object is to swim against the flow of the water towards the weir so that the water coming over is like a waterfall. I didn't make it but it wasn't for want of trying. The force of the water was amazing. We got changed and back on the bus. We drove on very corrugated road to the Jardine Ferry. We had a light picnic lunch of smoked salmon and salad rolls made for us by the chef at Moreton. Unfortunately I don't eat smoked salmon so I didn't have one. After the meals of the last few days I was fine. Not fading away any time soon.!! Crossed on the ferry - $252 for the bus to cross. The road was no better on the other side.

We arrived at Bamaga and made a stop at the airport to see the Jacky Jacky memorial and the plaque erected commemorating the Lockhart Air disaster in 2005 . Nearby we visited the scene and memorial of the crash in WW2 of a DC 3. The plane ran out of fuel 1 km from the airport.

Up for breakfast the next day at 6;30 for our trip to "the Tip" today. It is the northern most point of the Australian mainland but a must do. We needed to get there early to beat everyone else. There is only a small carpark( so it is difficult to turn the bus around later) and it also gets very hot later. The walking track starts at Pajinka. A difficult walk up and down and up again but we all managed. We got the mandatory photos taken next to the signpost and looked out over the Torres Strait. With internet reception we managed to send photos home immediately. There were a number of groups including families wearing the traditional shirts. One group opened a bottle of bubbles. Walked back down again and everyone had completed the trip in an hour and a half. We had morning tea and were away again by 10 am. A successful morning.

We drove to Freshwater Bay where the currents swirl and many boats were shipwrecked. Ron cooked us a BBQ lunch. A pleasant morning.

The afternoon was spent at the hotel before we had dinner and then watched a dance performance by a local dance troupe.

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